View full tender data: https://app.hermix.com/opportunities/ukfts_066991-2026
A €3.54 million design-and-build contract links district heating infrastructure, railway-interface construction and a fixed July 2027 commissioning target.
NOTTINGHAM CITY COUNCIL is procuring a new rail gantry and associated pipework near Nottingham Station. The project covers RIBA Stage 4 design, construction and commissioning of the replacement infrastructure, followed by demolition and removal of the existing gantry.
The new arrangement will carry the high-pressure steam supply serving the Council’s London Road Heat Station. The district heating system supplies heat and hot water to approximately 5,000 households and commercial customers, while an associated private wire serves approximately 200 domestic and business users.
Opportunity overview
- Contracting Authority: NOTTINGHAM CITY COUNCIL
- Buyer Type: Ministry or any other national or federal authority
- Main Activity: Unknown
- Reference Number: CPU8222
- Document IDs: ukfts_066991-2026 and 066991-2026
- Contact: procurement@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
- Scope of Work: RIBA Stage 4 design and construction of a new rail gantry and associated pipework, commissioning of the new pipework and electrical connections, and demolition and removal of the existing gantry
- Lot Structure: One lot, CPU8222 Rail Gantry & Associated Pipework, valued at €3,543,502.40
- Place of Performance: Nottingham
- Contract Type: Works
- Contract Duration: 9 months
- Procedure Type: Competitive flexible procedure
- Award Criteria: Stage 1 Price 20%; Stage 2 Price 25%; Delivery Team 18%; Approach to Design & Build 18%; Programme 9%; Sustainability & Social Value 10%
- Publication Date: 15 July 2026
- Submission Deadline: 16 September 2026
- Tender Opening Date: 16 September 2026
- Target Commissioning: Summer shutdown in July 2027
- EU Funding: No
- Source: UK – Find a Tender Service
- Related Notices: Prior information notice UKFTS_048800-2026 published 26 May 2026; contract notice UKFTS_066991-2026 and corrigendum UKFTS_066994-2026 published 15 July 2026
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Authority and procurement context
The project supports an existing district heating network supplied by high-pressure steam from the nearby Eastcroft Incinerator. The current steam pipe crosses the railway on a gantry east of Nottingham Station and west of London Road. The Council has been asked to relocate the gantry closer to London Road so a proposed development can proceed on land north of the railway.
RIBA Stage 3 design is complete and planning permission is being sought. The appointed contractor, or a consortium member in a group bid, must be Network Rail approved and experienced in constructing and commissioning high-pressure steam pipework, ancillary pipes and electrical connections.
The buyer profile records 9 similar open tenders worth €1.1B, 249 similar renewals worth €3.3B, approximately 1,200 similar contract awards worth €1.6B and 47 similar prior notices worth €254M. Across the wider profile, it records 11 open tenders worth €1.1B, 694 renewals worth €6.5B, approximately 3,000 awards worth €4.9B and 131 prior notices worth €467M. Other buyers with similar projects total approximately 7,000, associated with €1T.
Competitive landscape
The comparable contractor display is limited to 10 results. The figures below are the values and contract counts shown for those suppliers; the displayed averages should be treated as rounded market indicators.
| Contractor | Value | Contracts | Average |
| TRUST UTILITY MANAGEMENT | €77M | 175 | €456K |
| THOMAS BOW | €166M | 157 | €1.1M |
| COLAS | €53M | 56 | €962K |
| HANSON QUARRY PRODUCTS EUROPE T A HEIDELBERG MATERIALS CONTR | €5.9M | 29 | €202K |
| WATERMAN ASPEN | €3.1M | 22 | €147K |
| TARMAC TRADING | €18M | 19 | €1M |
| ST CONSTRUCTION | €1.2M | 18 | €68K |
| LINDUM GROUP | €6.4M | 17 | €375K |
| VOCON | €1M | 17 | €65K |
| KIELY BROS | €16M | 16 | €1.1M |
The rounded displayed values total approximately €347.6M. THOMAS BOW, TRUST UTILITY MANAGEMENT and COLAS account for about €296M, or 85.2% of that visible total. The country analysis attributes €1.6B across 1,197 comparable contracts to the United Kingdom, with a displayed average of €1.4M.
Commercial and procedural signals
- The evaluation combines 45% price and 55% quality and social value. Price is divided between Stage 1 at 20% and Stage 2 at 25%.
- The delivery team and the design-and-build approach each carry 18%, making named capability and methodology central to the score.
- The contractor must progress the existing RIBA Stage 3 design through Stage 4 while planning permission is still being sought.
- Network Rail approval is an explicit participation constraint for the contractor or a consortium member.
- The new pipework is targeted for commissioning during the July 2027 summer shutdown, so programme credibility and railway-interface planning are critical.
- The submission window is 63 calendar days. A corrigendum was published on the same day as the contract notice, but the current summary does not state what changed. Bidders should retrieve it before responding.
Strategic context and interpretation
This is a constrained infrastructure replacement rather than a standalone gantry build. The contractor must coordinate railway approvals, high-pressure steam systems, electrical connections, design completion, planning status, commissioning and removal of the existing asset within one nine-month contract.
The July 2027 shutdown target narrows the tolerance for programme slippage. A credible bid should show how the new infrastructure can be designed, approved, built and tested before the shutdown, while preserving the continuity requirements of a heat network serving thousands of users.
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Practical takeaways for bidders
Who this tender suits
- Network Rail approved contractors, or consortia containing an approved member, with railway-interface construction capability.
- Design-and-build teams experienced in high-pressure steam pipework, electrical connections and commissioning.
- Contractors able to manage RIBA Stage 4 design, planning coordination, construction, shutdown commissioning and demolition under one programme.
Critical attention points
- Retrieve the 15 July 2026 corrigendum and confirm every amendment before finalising the response.
- Evidence Network Rail approval and relevant high-pressure steam commissioning experience clearly.
- Build the response around the 55% non-price weighting, especially the delivery team and design-and-build approach.
- Demonstrate a programme that protects the July 2027 summer shutdown commissioning target.
- Account for the fact that planning permission is being sought rather than stated as granted.
The €3,543,502.40 opportunity combines a live district heating asset, a railway crossing, design completion and a defined commissioning window. Structured qualification should focus on approvals, steam-system experience, programme control and the ability to deliver the complete replacement and demolition scope within nine months.
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