AwardedAwarded 10 March 2026
Newton Heath RSS Feasibility
Northern Trains Limited · Central government
In brief
Northern Trains Limited awarded architecture and engineering and marketing work to Sable Leigh Consultancy Limited on 10 March 2026.
The notice gives a value of £408,000 excluding VAT.
The contract runs for 6 months, up to 9 months with extensions, starting 16 February 2026.
The buyer says it is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.
Built from the notice's own fields. Always check the official notice before you bid.
What the notice says
Assessments of Newton Heath's current capacity and capabilities show significant constraints that would prevent the planned timetable for new trains being achieved. 5 key issues have been identified and this project is proposed to evaluate the feasibility and define the optimum option to resolve these issues. This lays the foundation for future design and construction projects to be established upon completion of this feasibility and option selection project. In order to identify the optimum solution to address the issues identified at Newton Heath above, a feasibility and option selection project is required. An external supplier will be procured to produce the following deliverables:…Read the full description
Assessments of Newton Heath's current capacity and capabilities show significant constraints that would prevent the planned timetable for new trains being achieved. 5 key issues have been identified and this project is proposed to evaluate the feasibility and define the optimum option to resolve these issues. This lays the foundation for future design and construction projects to be established upon completion of this feasibility and option selection project.
In order to identify the optimum solution to address the issues identified at Newton Heath above, a feasibility and option selection project is required. An external supplier will be procured to produce the following deliverables:
Survey strategy and reports from specific surveys.
Risks, issues, assumptions, and dependencies log.
Compliance with safety and design assurance requirements.
Overall feasibility report including constructability assessment and concept design.
Options identification report containing appraisal of possible options.
Single option agreement in principle - define the preferred single option for each scheme and obtain agreement in principle with stakeholders.
Preliminary design - multidisciplinary design of the selected single option.
Design specification of requirements for inclusion in the ITT pack for design stage.
Northern Trains Ltd, is a Train Operating Company (TOC) that operates passenger rail services in the north of England. Northern Trains Ltd is publishing this notice to establish a contract with a single supplier to carry out a feasibility study on Newton Heath Depot.
The nature of the arrangement is that services will be supplied under a JCT Consultancy Agreement.
Where used throughout this notice, the meaning of Train Operating Companies includes all and any of those train operating companies who, currently or in the future, provide services for the carriage of passengers by railway:
under a franchise agreement with the Secretary of State within the meaning of section 23(3) of the Railways Act 1993 or under, or secured under, the Secretary of State's duty in section 30(1) of the Railways Act 1993; or
in accordance with legislation which supersedes or amends the powers referred to in a) and b), including where such powers are transferred from the Secretary of State to another body.
The list of current providers of services for the carriage of passengers by railway under these provisions can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/public-register-of-rail-passenger-contracts.
Novation or Assignment
The contract may be novated or assigned by Northern Trains Ltd to Train Operating Companies, or to DFT Operator Limited (company number: 07141122) or any successor parent company to a Train Operating Company, following a corporate restructuring or similar circumstance.
Other Information
Northern Trains Limited expressly reserves the right: not to award any suppliers the contract referred to in this notice; and in no circumstances will the customer be liable for any costs incurred by the suppliers.
Who won
| Winner | Value | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Sable Leigh Consultancy Limited (SME) 9 bids received | £287,481 | Awarded 6 February 2026 10 March 2026 to 10 September 2026 |
Values as the award notice gives them, excluding VAT where stated.
Timeline
- Tender notice · UK4, notice 068228-2025
- Contract award notice · UK6, notice 011197-2026
- Contract details notice · UK7, notice 021607-2026
About the buyer
Northern Trains LimitedLast 12 months
Procurements
75Awards
33Suppliers it has used most for architecture and engineering
- Forte Engineering Ltd2 contracts
- Ramboll UK Limited1 contract
- Sable Leigh Consultancy Limited1 contract
- TMT Commercial Contractors Limited1 contract
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From notice 068228-2025 on Find a Tender, first published 24 October 2025, last updated 11 March 2026. We last checked for changes on 28 September 2026.