Midlands Rail Hub Alliance – Alliance Partners (Non-Signalling Disciplines)

The Midlands Rail Hub (MRH) programme of works is a series of multidisciplinary infrastructure interventions intended to be undertaken across the West, Central and East Midlands of the UK with the core purpose, and combined output, of providing a number of additional services between central Birmingham and key regional cities and transport hubs.

The envisaged MRH scope is intended to include, but is not limited to, the design and build of: new platforms and sidings; up to two new chords into Birmingham Moor Street; widening of existing viaduct; power supply upgrades; new freight loops; new overhead line equipment (OLE) and various signalling works including the re-modelling of existing layouts.

MRH is intended to be delivered through an Alliance delivery model with Alliance members consisting of:

• Network Rail (as Client);
• Non-Signalling Partners (the focus of this notice and forthcoming procurement event); and
• A Signalling Partner (to be appointed via a separate sourcing event).

This notice is not a call for competition. Network Rail wishes to invite interested economic operators to register their interest in receiving further procurement updates, including a market briefing session planned for January 2024, in respect of the procurement event for the Alliance Partners (Non-Signalling Disciplines) through joining the MRH distribution list.

Economic operators may join the distribution list by completing the MS Form linked below:

https://forms.office.com/e/i14dwAVdDW

Economic operators who are already on the MRH distribution list from previous market engagement activity need not re-register.

Network Rail envisages that the MRH scope will consist of a number of multidisciplinary infrastructure interventions across the Midlands region. These interventions are likely to be split over three sections described as West, Central and East according to the additional train services that they enable. The scope is currently divided into eight interventions across the three sections, although this number is subject to further funding decisions and design development.

The West and Central interventions (excluding Worcester-Hereford) are in the process of securing RNEP Decision to Design Funding and are intended to form the core scope of this procurement event. East interventions form part of a separate Outline Business Case (OBC) which is in an earlier stage of design development and it is envisaged that this will be considered as uncommitted Alliance scope, which may be instructed to the Alliance, subject to future funding decisions. It is also envisaged that the West intervention of Worcester-Hereford will be uncommitted scope as this is not intended to be included in the first tranche of funding for MRH and is dependent upon as yet uncommitted renewals in the Worcester area.

The total Alliance Anticipated Final Cost (AFC) is circa £1.3bn-£1.4bn of which:

• Core (predominantly West and Central) interventions are circa £1bn;
• Uncommitted (predominantly East) interventions are circa £400m;
• Non-Signalling disciplines account for circa £1,050m; and
• Signalling accounts for circa £350m.

These figures are indicative only.

Network Rail are procuring an Alliance for the delivery of MRH interventions with Alliance members consisting of:

• Network Rail (as Client);
• Non-Signalling Partners (the focus of this procurement event); and
• A Signalling Partner (to be appointed via a separate procurement event).

It will be a matter for economic operators as to the form in which they may wish to participate in Network Rail’s forthcoming procurement event whether as a single entity or group of economic operators seeking to deliver all required Alliance disciplines except for the signalling scope.

Network Rail intends to conduct this envisaged future procurement event via the Negotiated Procedure with prior call for competition pursuant to the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016.

Network Rail intend to use an NR35 NEC4 Alliance Contract (ALC) with MRH-specific amendments, which will be provided as part of the procurement documents upon publication of the contract notice.

Detailed descriptions of MRH interventions, including AFC estimates and discipline splits, will be made available to economic operators who register (or have already registered) to be part of the MRH distribution list.