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Security Services

Northern Trains Limited · Central government

In brief

Northern Trains Limited has announced plans to buy this contract. This is an early notice: there is nothing to bid on yet, but it tells you a tender may follow.

It is a framework worth up to £19,000,000 excluding VAT: the most the buyer expects to spend across all suppliers, not one contract.

The contract runs for 2 years, up to 4 years with extensions, starting 1 May 2027.

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

Can I win this?

Competition

Typical: a median of 5 bids per contract for this buyer (from 11 awards in the last 12 months).

Framework

Winning puts you on a list of suppliers the buyer can call on; it does not guarantee work. The £19,000,000 is the most the buyer expects to spend across all suppliers over the framework's life, not one contract.

What the notice says

Northern Trains Limited (NTL) and TransPennine Express (TPE) intends to go to market for the procurement of Security Services across their respective estates. The proposed procurement seeks to procure a single supplier to deliver an integrated rail security service across the NTL and TPE networks, combining Travel Safe Officer (TSO), Station Security and Counter Terrorism Patrol (CTP) services. The overarching objective is to enhance the safety and security of customers and colleagues, reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, support compliance with railway and government security requirements, and provide a visible, customer focused security presence across stations and onboard services.…Read the full description
Northern Trains Limited (NTL) and TransPennine Express (TPE) intends to go to market for the procurement of Security Services across their respective estates. The proposed procurement seeks to procure a single supplier to deliver an integrated rail security service across the NTL and TPE networks, combining Travel Safe Officer (TSO), Station Security and Counter Terrorism Patrol (CTP) services. The overarching objective is to enhance the safety and security of customers and colleagues, reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, support compliance with railway and government security requirements, and provide a visible, customer focused security presence across stations and onboard services. The successful supplier will deliver a comprehensive security solution across a portfolio of managed stations and operational locations, providing proactive patrols, incident response, enforcement of Railway Byelaws, safeguarding support, and intelligence led security activity. The service will include dedicated Travel Safe Officers undertaking both station and train patrols, alongside specialist Counter Terrorism Patrol resources focused on protective security measures, threat deterrence and compliance with rail security obligations. A key requirement of the contract will be the ability to provide a flexible and responsive service model that can adapt to changing operational priorities across both operators. The supplier will be expected to support emerging security concerns, targeted interventions, seasonal demand changes, major incidents, rail disruption, special events and ad hoc operational requirements. In addition to frontline delivery, the supplier will provide all associated management, supervision, training, vehicles, uniforms, equipment, body-worn video, reporting systems and operational support required to deliver the service. The supplier will work collaboratively with NTL, TPE, the British Transport Police and other stakeholders to develop deployment plans and ensure security activities remain aligned to evolving risks and business needs throughout the contract term. Performance will be managed through a suite of key performance indicators covering operational delivery, resource availability, patrol completion, incident management, compliance, customer service and reporting. A strong emphasis will be placed on partnership working, continuous improvement, data-driven decision making and the ability to proactively identify and respond to emerging risks and opportunities for service enhancement. The procurement aims to establish a security partnership that delivers a safe, secure and welcoming environment for customers and colleagues while supporting the wider safety, security and customer experience objectives of both NTL and TPE.

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.

Timeline

  1. Preliminary market engagement notice · UK2, notice 092778-2026

About the buyer

From notice 092778-2026 on Find a Tender, first published 1 October 2026. We last checked for changes on 1 October 2026.