UK Public Sector Contracts & Tenders

Connected Places Catapult and Glasgow Airport have collaborated to create the Connected Airport Living Lab, based at the airport, which is designed to be a collaborative R&D asset used to showcase UK-developed innovations, attract investment, and act as an innovation catalyst for the aviation sector. We are inviting organisations and innovators to express their interest in demonstrating novel security technologies for perimeter monitoring and patrolling. This is a unique opportunity to demonstrate your solution in a real-world airport environment and contribute to the advancement of airport security. The purpose of this notice is to understand the availability, and capability of suitable perimeter monitoring and patrolling technology in the marketplace to support the planning of future demonstrations. If interested, please register at the link below, if not already registered, and Express an Interest on this project. You will be able to download the EOI response template for submission via the portal: https://procontract.due-north.com/Register Responses must be submitted by 10 January 2025 at 12:00 hrs. We will email selected responders with next steps to be involved in the event. Please provide the name, job title and email address for the relevant contact from your organisation via the email facility on the portal as per above link. Additional information: If interested, please register at the link below if not already registered and Express an Interest on this project. You will be able to download the EOI response template for submission via the portal: https://procontract.due-north.com/Register

Connected Places Catapult, in collaboration with Glasgow Airport's Living Lab, is looking to secure a partner (or partners) to pilot technologies to support the inspection and monitoring of airside pavements with automation. The project provides a unique opportunity to demonstrate your solution in a real-world airport environment in collaboration with Glasgow Airport. The project aims to develop appropriate solution requirements and prove the readiness and value of the technology for deployment at airports. The purpose of this notice is to notify the market of our upcoming competitive procurement of pilot partners and improve our understanding of supplier appetite and capability to deliver a solution to the commercial airfield industry. If interested, please register at link below if not already registered and Express an Interest on this project and you will be able to download the EOI response template: https://procontract.due-north.com/Register Responses must be submitted by 17 January 2025 12:00 hrs. We will email selected responders to request a follow up interview. Please provide the name, job title and email address for the relevant contact from your organisation via the email facility on the portal as per above link. Additional information: If interested, please register at link below if not already registered and Express an Interest on this project and you will be able to download the EOI response document - https://procontract.due-north.com/Register

Network Rail prioritises the safety of its workers, passengers and freight users. This project investigates solutions to improve staff safety and reduce delays during deploying, changing, and removing temporary speed restrictions, while also delivering benefits to passengers and freight users. In the attached challenge statement document, the challenge and the customer requirements have been described. As we want to keep the suppliers thinking outside of the box and come up with a creative/innovative solution, any new ideas are welcome by returning the completed Response document. If interested, please register at link below if not already registered and Express an Interest on this project and you will be able to download the RFI documents: https://procontract.due-north.com/Register We will be holding an industry webinar on 9th Feb 2023, please provide the names, job title and email address for those attending from your organisation via the email facility on the portal as per above link.

Connected Places Catapult is working with the Department for Transport (DfT) to explore innovative technical solutions to provide safety for passengers at the platform train interface in a driverless environment and in the absence of platform edge doors (PEDs). We are considering the business case of whether these solutions can be implemented to provide a more affordable alternative to Platform Edge Doors (PEDs) while maintaining current safety and performance levels across the network. Transport for London (TfL) conducted market engagement on this topic in 2021 and continues to be engaged in this workstream. Any previous participation from your organisation is appreciated and we welcome your continued support. New respondents are also welcomed. Over the coming year, this programme is progressing to the procurement of pilot solution development and demonstrations to assess their feasibility, and to assess the current state of market readiness and maturity. The purpose of this PIN is to notify the market of our upcoming competitive procurement of demonstrations and improve our understanding of market/supplier appetite and capability to deliver the proposed demonstration and development activities. We want to understand the market’s perception of risks and opportunities to deliver within our expected timescales. Solutions should control the risks that are currently controlled by the train operator, to support driverless or unattended train operations. This may include the following safety functions: a. Supervise the guideway: including prevention of collisions with objects or persons in the guideway clearance*. This could be achieved through detection or prevention of people/objects on the track or beyond safe clearance of the platform edge. b. Supervise passenger transfer: including prevention of injuries to persons between platform and train such as prevention or mitigation of harm from falling down the gap, or harm caused by contact with the train. c. Ensure safe starting conditions: including prevention of accidents on train movement out of the platform such as prevention of harm due to dragging of persons or objects trapped in the doors. We intend to award up to a total of £1.2million to between 2 and 5 suppliers to deliver demonstrations of some or all of the functionality of their solutions from December 2022 to March 2023. The demonstrations will take place in a testing environment which is representative of London Underground. Connected Places Catapult will be holding virtual drop-in sessions on Tuesday 27 September and Wednesday 28 September where we will answer any initial questions. You can find out more information, and register at link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/platform-edge-technologies-supplier-session-tickets-424047526567 Please view and respond to the Market Sounding Questionnaire https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert?advertId=b52895df-b839-ed11-8119-005056b64545 Responses must be submitted at the latest by 12 October 2022 by 12:00 hrs through the email facility in the Procurement Portal at link above. *"Guideway clearance" - pre-defined space around the track defined relatively to the track and such that trains in motion cannot, while under operating conditions, come into contact with persons or property fully outside this space.

Connected Places Catapult (CPC) is a UK innovation accelerator for cities/transport, helping public bodies use innovation for better living/working/travel, and its initiative, the Innovation Procurement Empowerment Centre (IPEC), provides practical support, expert guidance and shared learning to overcome procurement barriers and bring innovation into the public sector. Councils are increasingly using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve public services through innovative solutions. This work supports broader council objectives to enhance service delivery and address anti-social behaviour, while maximising value for residents. This notification seeks to explore the potential impact of AI in the public realm for local authorities. The aim is to assess market maturity, identify available solutions, and develop a procurement strategy for trials and recommendations to councils. Purpose of Engagement IPEC are leading this pre-market engagement exercise to explore the range of solutions currently available in the market to help shape the scope and inform the design of a future procurements for Councils. This market engagement is a strategic initiative that brings together a number of authorities, aligns requirements, and optimises resources for tendering. It also facilitates knowledge sharing across councils, ensuring a more coordinated and impactful approach. We are particularly interested in technologies and approaches that could address one or more of the identified challenges within the public realm. Depending on the nature, maturity, and potential impact of the solutions identified, this may lead to a procurement structured into one or more lots or delivered through multiple tenders. The final approach will be shaped by market readiness and a balanced assessment of cost versus impact. While the Councils will consider a range of benefits and outcomes (such as environmental improvements and social value), the current economic climate necessitates that all new spending and existing programs are heavily scrutinised for cost-effectiveness and efficiency. Please note: This is an initial market engagement and discovery exercise. As engagement progresses and additional authorities choose to participate, updates will be communicated through future notifications. The estimated value is highly speculative and may increase to include pilot activities, testing, and potential scaling. The final value will be determined following pre-market engagement and through further collaboration with participating authorities.

Network Rail is undertaking this preliminary market engagement to explore solutions for enhanced movement limiting devices for rail plant to deliver a Dynamic Virtual Wall (DVW) capability for engineering works. Connected Places Catapult (CPC ) is acting solely as a facilitator on behalf of Network Rail for this Preliminary Market Engagement exercise. The purpose of this notice is to gather industry insights on potential technologies, delivery models, risks, and commercial considerations that could inform a future procurement. Network Rail is seeking market input to inform the development of its procurement strategy and specification for forthcoming trials of DVW solutions. The ultimate objective is to support accreditation and enable the commercialisation of the solution following successful trial outcomes. Purpose: Network Rail is seeking market insight to shape the forthcoming procurement and trial design for a Dynamic Virtual Wall (DVW) capability. The engagement explores technical feasibility, supplier capability, delivery models, risks, and commercial considerations. It is **not** a competitive process and confers no advantage to participants. Network Rail aims to: - Increase value and productivity in maintenance and renewal activities. - Reduce Schedule 4 delay compensation costs by enabling more Any Line Open (ALO) working. - Improve national consistency and efficiency in engineering delivery. Current high-performance Movement Limiting Devices (MLDs) only function when RRVs operate on-rail. No approved engineering control exists for off-rail ALO operations. DVW is intended to close this gap. The Challenge: Develop a fail safe, safety critical DVW system that prevents RRVs or their loads from encroaching into open line clearances without physical barriers, enabling safe parallel working with live railway lines. Required DVW Capabilities- Solutions must: - Integrate with existing RRV fleets and hydraulic systems. - Provide a digitally enforced boundary preventing fouling of live lines. - Achieve PLe / SIL3 equivalent performance. - Operate reliably in diverse railway environments (EN 50125). - Include interlocked override and external status indication. - Consider human factors: situational awareness, cognitive load, error prevention, operator visibility, and workflow continuity. - Automatically stop the machine before a boundary breach. - Be deployable as a retrofit or upgrade. Out of Scope: - Consultancy, academic research, or early-stage R&D. - Autonomous or semi-autonomous plant. - Factory train alternatives to RRVs. - Operational controls for ALO working. Network Rail invites input on: - Technical feasibility and technology maturity. - Supplier capability and capacity. - Delivery models, risks, and constraints. - Trial design parameters and resource implications. Responses are welcome from: - Full DVW system providers. - Suppliers enhancing existing MLDs. - Systems integrators with safety-critical control expertise. Suppliers who express an interest in this notice will receive the Preliminary Market Engagement document containing further information.