Request ID: FOI-0286-2122 Date published: 24 May 2021
You asked
Dear Sir/Madam,
Could you please provide the following information:
Is 4-RAIL Services Ltd currently in contract(s) with TFL? If yes, with which TFL department(s)?
What is the contact value band for 4-RAIL’s contract(s)? Why their contract(s) has/have not been published by TFL?
What type of services are provided under the contract(s) and for which TFL department(s)?
Have 4-RAIL tendered for the works? If yes, when? Which other companies have been invited for the tendering?
Have any of their contracts been awarded without tendering? If yes, on what grounds?
What are the award dates and expiry dates of their contract(s)? If extended, what is the expiry date for these extension(s)?
Thank you very much in advance.
We answered
TfL Ref 0286-2021/22
Thank you for your request received by Transport for London (TfL) on 9 May 2021 asking for information about 4-RAIL Services Ltd. Your request has been considered in accordance with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act and our information access policy. I can confirm that we hold the information you require. Your questions and our replies are as follows:
Is 4-RAIL Services Ltd currently in contract(s) with TFL? If yes, with which TFL department(s)? 4-Rail currently on the Hazardous Materials Framework, Tfl01315 Lots A and B. The framework is Pan TfL. What is the contact value band for 4-RAIL’s contract(s)? Why their contract(s) has/have not been published by TFL? Under the ‘hazmat’ framework, most contracts awarded to 4-Rail have been below £1k in value, but for larger contracts which are subject to mini-competition, contracts have been awarded from circa £10K to £360K. The Framework itself was tendered under the Utilities contracts regulations 2016 and is published on the Government’s Contract Finder website at: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/e03ee4a6-c3b6-43b2-a1ba-454dfa314927?origin=SearchResults&p=1. Call off contracts awarded under the framework do not need to be published.
What type of services are provided under the contract(s) and for which TFL department(s)? Testing, sampling and analysis of asbestos and lead paint (Lot A) and other hazardous materials (Lot B) including emergency call outs and fault responses. These are Pan TfL. Have 4-RAIL tendered for the works? If yes, when? Which other companies have been invited for the tendering? Since the start of the new framework in January 2020, there have been 8 mini-competitions (tenders) under it; 4-Rail submitted bids for all of them. To date the tenders have been sent out to all 3 suppliers under the framework – 4-Rail, Frankham Consultancy Group Ltd and Lucion Environmental Limited.
Have any of their contracts been awarded without tendering? If yes, on what grounds? The vast majority of call off contracts are low value and awarded directly as provided for under the framework agreement. What are the award dates and expiry dates of their contract(s)? If extended, what is the expiry date for these extension(s)? The framework contract commenced on 27/01/2020 and will expire on 26/01/2023. Call off contracts under the framework vary between 1 shift to circa 3 years but mainly short durations and the procurement requirements will be on-going. There is provision to extend the framework contract from January 2023 by a further 3 years at TfL’s discretion.
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Yours sincerely
Sara Thomas FOI Case Management Team General Counsel Transport for London
