Client Support Framework (CSF)

The East West Railway Company (the Authority) is responsible for the delivery of East West Rail (EWR), a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project providing new and upgraded rail links between Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge. EWR Co. is responsible for leading the development, procurement, and commissioning of the railway. The Authority is undertaking preliminary market engagement in advance of a planned procurement for Client Support Framework (CSF) Partners to support the development and delivery of the EWR programme. This notice is issued to inform the market of the Authority's current thinking, to seek clarifications and respond to all interested suppliers. This is not a call for competition. Overview of the Intended Contract The Authority is considering the establishment of a 3 lot / single appointed supplier per lot framework for the provision of Client Support Services (CSF) for a period of up to twelve (12) years, with performance and scope breakpoints at Years 3, 6 and 9. Relationship with the ITOAE Partner The Authority is separately considering the procurement of an Integration, Technical, Operations, Assurance and Environmental (ITOAE) Partner. The Authority's current position is that the CSF partners will be structurally separated from the ITOAE, such that the appointed CSF Partners will not be eligible to be appointed under the ITOAE for the duration of the CSF contracts. The purpose of this separation is to protect the independence of assurance and advice, to mitigate real or perceived conflicts of interest, and to align with independent review findings on major programme governance (including the Stewart Review, 2025). The Authority is testing this position through this preliminary market engagement. The final Conditions of Participation will be confirmed in the tender documentation and will be set in accordance with the Authority's obligations under the Procurement Act 2023 and the Procurement Regulations 2024. Indicative Scope of S