What we buy

Our commercial areas are responsible for purchasing a range of goods, services and works from suppliers and contractors.

Every day, 24 million journeys take place across London. To help ensure that each journey runs smoothly, we need to buy goods, services and works from suppliers.

We do this via a number of commercial areas across our organisation in Rail and Underground (R&U), Surface Transport, and Corporate. The commercial function in these areas is to purchase a range of goods, services and works, as well as managing contractual requirements and key supplier relationships, for all of TfL and the GLA.

Buying from suppliers & contractors

We buy goods and services through our commercial areas, which include Corporate, Rail & Underground, and Surface Transport. As well as buying in supplies, these areas also manage the contractual requirements and key supplier relationships.

Rail and Underground

Rail and Underground (R&U) covers six modes:

  • Underground
  • DLR
  • Tram
  • Crossrail
  • Overground
  • Air-Line

The commercial function of the R&U area buys all the assets and services needed for stations, trains and upgrades. These include:

  • Materials (needed for the overhaul and maintenance of assets)
  • Electricity and gas
  • Upgrades (stations, rolling stock, lifts, and escalators)
  • Infrastructure (Tube and surface tracks, station, lift and escalator upgrades)

If you'd like to keep up-to-date with the R&U area, our new bulletin provides information about our latest contract opportunities, who we are and what we do.

If you have a query or comment, please get in touch directly by emailing RandUCommercial@tfl.gov.uk.

Read a useful guide on how Rail & Underground (R&U) procure and how you may proceed to doing business with us:

Surface Transport

Surface Transport covers six areas:

  • Buses
  • Streets
  • Coach station
  • Dial-A-Ride
  • Taxis and private hire
  • River

The commercial function of the Surface Transport area manages the commercial aspects of projects; from business case, commercial analysis and specification development, through to procurement and contract management to contract closure. These areas buy the following:

  • Technology and systems
  • Transport services
  • Customer operations and support
  • Infrastructure
  • Highways and engineering, and support services

Corporate

The Corporate area of the Commercial function covers a wide range of professional services, ICT and facilities operations. These areas buy the following:

  • Professional services, including: premises/office services, and business services
  • ICT, including: data transmission and networks, end user computing, software and applications, and hosting
  • Facilities operations, including: reception services, reprographics, mail, switchboard, cleaning, waste management, security and building services