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Passenger Services Cost Benchmarking Study

Office of Rail and Road

Key dates and value

Status
Open
Submission deadline
23 Nov 2026
Published
27 Oct 2026
Estimated value
£90k
Contract start
4 Dec 2026
Contract end
3 Dec 2027
Location
London, London
Notice type
UK4

Overview

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) is the independent economic and safety regulator of Britain's railways. ORR is developing its capability to assess the efficiency, productivity and value for money of passenger train operations. Historically, passenger services have been delivered through a range of Train Operating Companies (TOCs), each with differing operating characteristics, service patterns and cost structures. As most of the industry moves towards a more integrated railway structure, ORR requires a robust framework for understanding variations in train operating expenditure and for benchmarking performance across the railway. Previous analytical work has demonstrated that econometric benchmarking of the cost of passenger operators is feasible using Great Britain rail industry data and has identified several statistically significant drivers of operating costs. However, further work is required to strengthen understanding of the key cost drivers and the relationships between them, identify appropriate benchmarking methodologies, and develop a practical framework that drives better value for money through comparative analysis, helping to identify opportunities for efficiency improvements and enhanced cost control. A robust cost benchmarking framework will support ORR's future regulatory role by providing an evidence base for understanding cost variation, assessing relative efficiency and identifying opportunities for improvement. The outputs from this study will help inform future cost performance assessment, advice to funders and value-for-money analysis across passenger rail services.

CPV codes

  • 73000000 Research and development services and related consultancy services

About the buyer

Office of Rail and Road has published 15 tender notices since 29 Oct 2023, with a combined advertised value of £964k. 2 of them are currently open.

How to apply

Tender documents and submissions are handled on the official portal (Find a Tender). Register there to download the documents and submit your response before the deadline.

View the original notice on Find a Tender

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Source: Find a Tender. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Details may change; always check the original notice before bidding.