Notice

Essex Thameside rail passenger services: prior information notice

Published 2 April 2024

Department for Transport (DfT).

T01: prior information notice (PIN) for public service contract.

Section I: competent authority

I.1 Name and address

Department for Transport
Great Minster House
33 Horseferry Road
London SW1P 4DR

Email: railprocurement@dft.gov.uk.

Country

United Kingdom.

NUTS code

UKI32 – Westminster.

Justification for not providing organisation identifier

Not on any register.

I.2 Information about joint procurement

N/A.

I.3 Communication

Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address.

I.4 Type of the competent authority

Ministry or any other national or federal authority.

Section II: object

II.1 Scope of the procurement

II.1.1 Title

Contract for Essex Thameside rail passenger services. Currently operated by Trenitalia C2C Limited (Ltd).

II.1.2 Main CPV code

60200000 – railway transport services.

II.1.3 Type of contract

Services. Areas covered by the public transport services: rail transport services.

II.2 Description

II.2.2 Additional CPV code(s)

60210000 – public transport services by railways.

II.2.3 Place of performance

NUTS code

• UK United Kingdom
• UKH East of England
• UKI London

Main site or place of performance

Essex Thameside rail passenger services link Essex, East London and London Fenchurch Street. There is also a limited and infrequent service into London Liverpool Street via Stratford.

II.2.4 Description of the procurement

Contract for provision of rail passenger services on the UK conventional mainline rail system. It is envisaged the services would run between:

(a) London to Shoeburyness

(b) London to Southend via Ockenden

(c) London to Grays

There is a mixture of leisure, business and commuter travel. These services would be similar to those currently operated under the Essex Thameside National Rail Contract.

A Direct Award is now envisaged, in line with the Public Service Obligations in Transport Regulations 2023 (S.I. 2023 No. 1369).

II.2.5 Award criteria

N/A.

II.2.6 Estimated value

N/A.

II.2.7 Envisaged start date and the duration of the contract

Start date

20 July 2025.

Duration in months

No less than 36 months and a maximum of 96 months.

Section III: legal, economic, financial and technical information

N/A.

Section IV: procedure

IV.1 Type of procedure

Direct award for railway transport under Regulation 17(1) of the Public Service Obligations in Transport Regulations 2023 (S.I.2023 No.1369).

Section V: award of contract

N/A.

Section VI: complementary information

VI.1 Additional information

It is anticipated that the contract will include a core period of at least 3 years with discretion for the Secretary of State to determine whether, and if so to what extent, the contract will continue beyond that core term, subject to a maximum contract period of between 6 and 8 years in total.

The competent authority reserves the right not to proceed with the direct award as envisaged or to use an alternative method to procure an operator for the contract.

This pre-award publication is published by the competent authority under Regulation 22 of the Public Service Obligations in Transport Regulations 2023 (S.I. 2023 No. 1369),and relates to a direct award of a public service contract concerning transport by rail under Regulation 17(1) of those Regulations. The competent authority reserves the right to amend this notice at any point before the relevant day (as defined in Regulation 22(2) of those Regulations), and to publish a rectification where required to do so.