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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Automatic Vehicle Inspection System

Transport for London · Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 26 Sept 2026, 03:41.

Opportunity overview

Transport for London (TfL) is seeking to engage with the market to understand available solutions for an automated vehicle inspection system to undertake condition inspection of rolling stock as part of routine maintenance activities. TfL is seeking solutions capable of providing automated inspection of train bodyside, roof and underframe equipment as trains arrive at maintenance facilities. Solutions should be capable of identifying individual vehicles by painted number and capturing condition data of the vehicle during train movements. Solutions should be capable of detecting, classifying and reporting defects and asset condition issues, including, but not limited to, overheating components (such as brake resistors, bearings, traction equipment, HVAC equipment, brake blocks, wheelsets, traction motors and gearboxes), graffiti, broken windows, missing, damaged or misaligned components, damaged collector shoes, underframe damage, out-of-gauge equipment, wheel profile defects, wheel flats and brake wear using video & thermal imaging and acoustic monitoring technologies. The inspection capability should cover both sides of the vehicle, the roof and underframe, and be applicable to both multiple-unit and single-unit train formations. Solutions should provide secure capture, storage and management of inspection data, including images and sensor outputs, and utilise automated analytics, including Machine Learning (ML) and/or Artificial Intelligence (AI) where appropriate, to identify defects, trends and recurring issues and provide actionable information to maintenance personnel. TfL is particularly interested in understanding how proposed solutions can reduce manual inspection effort, improve maintenance efficiency, increase asset availability and support condition-based maintenance through frequent, automated fleet inspections. This planned procurement will be for a phased proof of concept and prototype trial and implementation at up to two London Underground Rolling Stock maintenance depots only. Depending on the outcome and demonstrated benefits, TfL may elect to procure further installations at other London Underground maintenance depots. The proposed procurement is envisaged to be delivered in three phases as defined below (subject to change): Phase 1: Concept design and development of the proposed solution. Phase 2: Subject to successful completion of Phase 1, development, installation and evaluation of a Proof of Concept at up to two London Underground Rolling Stock maintenance depots . Phase 3: Subject to business approval, potential fleet-wide rollout of the solution across the TfL's network. Phase 3 represents a potential future requirement only. Any future requirements under Phase 3 (in whole or in part) shall proceed at TfL's sole discretion and this EME or participation on in any future tender shall not constitute a commitment or guarantee of volume. As part of this EME, interested parties should note that TfL reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to develop any individual phase, any combination of phases, or none of the phases. Progression between phases is not guaranteed and remains subject to the TfL's continued business requirements, funding availability and internal approvals. The future procurement shall include defined break points at the end of each phase. TfL may, at its sole discretion, elect not to proceed to any subsequent phase without liability, other than for deliverables satisfactorily completed and accepted in accordance with the future Contract. No commitment is made to proceed beyond any phase, irrespective of the success of any preceding phase.

Classification

  • CPV34600000 — Railway and tramway locomotives and rolling stock and associated parts
  • CPV72000000 — IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Lots

  • Lot 1Value not stated

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
WS2965520095
Main Procurement Category
services
Above Threshold
No
Status
planning

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Special regime

utilities

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
planning

Contract period

Starts
22 Mar 2027, 00:00
Ends
31 Mar 2028, 23:59

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
34600000
Description
Railway and tramway locomotives and rolling stock and associated parts
Entry 2
Scheme
CPV
Id
72000000
Description
IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UKI
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Planning and budget

Milestones

Entry 1
Id
engagement
Type
engagement
Description
Interested suppliers should submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) by requesting a Market Sounding Questionnaire (MSQ) by email to arjunmattathil@tfl.gov.uk no later than 12:00 PM on 20th August 2026. Completed Market Sounding Questionnaires must be returned no later than 12:00 PM on 28th August 2026. Late responses will not be considered. TfL intends to hold brief supplier engagement sessions with interested suppliers. These sessions will be conducted virtually via Microsoft Teams on 24th and 25th August 2026 only. Participation is entirely voluntary, and participation or non-participation will have no bearing on the evaluation of any EME submission. Non-responses to this expression of interest will be deemed as not interested. If bidders do not choose to participate in the Early Market Engagement process, this will not affect the ability to participate in the tender if Expressions of Interest to participate in the tender is received by the closing date.
Due
28 Aug 2026, 23:59
Status
scheduled

Documents

Entry 1
Id
076454-2026
Document Type
marketEngagementNotice
Notice Type
UK2
Description
Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
Published
11 Aug 2026, 18:33
Format
text/html

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Name
Transport for London
Id
GB-PPON-PHMT-6197-NWNZ

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PHMT-6197-NWNZ

Address

Street Address
5 Endeavour Square
Locality
London
Postal Code
E20 1JN
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKI41

Contact

Name
Arjun Mattathil Anilan

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicUndertaking
Description
Public undertaking

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · London · UKI41 · E20 1JN · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKI · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. 076454-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·