Fire Pressure Regulated Valves Maintenance Elizabeth Line

Overview

There is a requirement to establish a new contract for the maintenance of the Pressure Regulating Valves (PRVs) that form part of the Elizabeth line fire suppression system. The current contract, awarded via Single Source to the manufacturer, Walter Frank, is due for re procurement. Moving to a competitive process aligns with TfL's procurement strategy by opening the requirement to market competition, supporting value for money, improved commercial leverage, and compliance with PA23 regulations. Maintenance of the PRVs is a highly specialised activity involving off site servicing, testing and recalibration, and the issuance of Certificates of Conformity. There are 1,584 PRVs in service, and maintenance is required on a 36-month cycle, based on Elizabeth line Asset Engineering guidance. TfL will undertake all removal and reinstallation; the service provider will be responsible solely for offsite works. Up to 40 PRVs may be processed weekly. A competitive flexible procedure will be undertaken via Find a Tender (FTS) to ensure full market participation - including the incumbent, who is not registered on RISQS. A prior market engagement notice generated six expressions of interest. These suppliers will progress through to the next stage and would be invited to tender has it is anticipated that not all suppliers would submit one. This contract will ensure continued regulatory compliance, operational reliability of safety critical assets, and alignment with wider strategies including asset management principles, TfL's vision and values, and the commitments of the Mayor's Transport Strategy. Significant savings and commercial improvements were anticipated through the introduction of competition and achieved. A preliminary market engagement notice (UK2) was issued via the Find a Tender Service (FTS). This resulted in six expressions of interest being received via email, in addition to a submission from the incumbent supplier, bringing the total number of responses to seven. Following this engagement, only two suppliers proceeded to submit a formal bid.