Open10 days left · closes 5pm, Friday 9 October 2026

DfT National Freight Model

Department for Transport · Central government

In brief

Department for Transport is looking for suppliers for transport and architecture and engineering work (UK-wide).

The estimated value is £1,950,000 excluding VAT.

The contract runs for 17 months, up to 29 months with extensions, starting 9 November 2026.

The buyer says it is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.

Bids close at 5pm, Friday 9 October 2026.

Built from the notice's own fields. Always check the official notice before you bid.

Can I win this?

Key dates

Questions by
5pm, Monday 21 September 2026
Bids by
5pm, Friday 9 October 2026

How bids are scored

Technical/Quality 80% · Cost / Commercial 20%

Quality matters most. You can win without being the cheapest.

Competition

Typical: a median of 3 bids per contract for this buyer (from 15 awards in the last 12 months).

What the notice says

The Department for Transport (DfT) intends to procure a supplier to develop a new National Freight Model (NFM), an in-house, cross-modal freight modelling capability designed to support transport policy development, appraisal, forecasting and decision-making across the UK. The NFM will replace existing freight modelling approaches and provide a modern analytical framework capable of representing freight movements across road, rail and domestic maritime modes. The contract will include the design, development, calibration, validation and implementation of a multimodal freight model capable of estimating current and future freight demand and flows by commodity, vehicle type and transport…Read the full description
The Department for Transport (DfT) intends to procure a supplier to develop a new National Freight Model (NFM), an in-house, cross-modal freight modelling capability designed to support transport policy development, appraisal, forecasting and decision-making across the UK. The NFM will replace existing freight modelling approaches and provide a modern analytical framework capable of representing freight movements across road, rail and domestic maritime modes. The contract will include the design, development, calibration, validation and implementation of a multimodal freight model capable of estimating current and future freight demand and flows by commodity, vehicle type and transport mode. The model must support the analysis of domestic freight movements and international freight movements to and from the United Kingdom, including maritime and rail freight services. The NFM will be required to assess the impacts of changes to infrastructure, land use, economic conditions, logistics behaviours and government policy interventions. It will also enable the testing of alternative scenarios and sensitivities to support transport planning, network resilience analysis, decarbonisation initiatives, freight mode shift assessments and wider strategic policy development. The successful supplier will be expected to develop and document the model, provide supporting methodologies, undertake any necessary data collection or acquisition activities, deliver stakeholder engagement and training, and ensure that the Department can operate, maintain and further develop the model independently following completion of the contract. The procurement may include associated research, data acquisition, innovative analytical approaches and the development of new methodologies necessary to deliver the required modelling capabilities and outcomes. HOW TO ACCESS THE ITT: • Interest bidders will need to register to DfTs e-procurement platform (Jaggaer), using the below link: https://dft.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html • Once registered - bidders can access the ITT via the below link: •https://dft.app.jaggaer.com/go/6836254501A080BE9F9F

Should I bid?

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How to bid

  1. Read the full notice on Find a Tender, including any tender documents it links to.
  2. Register your organisation on the Central Digital Platform (through Find a Tender) if you have not already. Suppliers need to be registered to take part in procurements under the Procurement Act 2023.
  3. Follow the submission instructions in the notice; it does not name an e-tendering portal.
  4. Send clarification questions before 5pm, Monday 21 September 2026.
  5. Make sure your bid arrives before 5pm, Friday 9 October 2026. Late bids are usually rejected.

Timeline

  1. Preliminary market engagement notice · UK2, notice 030375-2026
  2. Preliminary market engagement notice · UK2, notice 030383-2026
  3. Tender notice · UK4, notice 084877-2026

About the buyer

Procurements

154

Awards

108

Suppliers it has used most for transport

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From notice 030375-2026 on Find a Tender, first published 1 April 2026, last updated 8 September 2026. We last checked for changes on 28 September 2026.