Bid support with positive outcome and valuable bid library additions

CASE STUDY: Rail – Mechanical and Electrical • April 2025 • 3-year framework agreement • Project value: Lot 1 £1.2m to £3m and Lot 2 over £2.5m

We were engaged by a leading, north-west, family-operated infrastructure specialist to manage the submission of two bids for the Merseyrail General Construction Framework. The bids, covering Lot 1 (£1.2m–£3m projects) and Lot 2 (projects over £2.5m), spanned a three-year framework term (August 2025 to August 2028).

Project scope

Our remit was to deliver a full suite of excellent quality, high-scoring responses while also developing the client’s internal bid resources. We were also asked to embed best practices and efficiencies for future use. As a result, both bids progressed to the Best and Final Offer (BAFO) stage, demonstrating the strength of the submission and alignment with Merseyrail’s quality and compliance expectations.

What we delivered :

Working closely with the client’s leadership and technical teams, we provided end-to-end bid management, ensuring that all deliverables were aligned with Merseyrail’s expectations and rail sector standards.

• Creation of a detailed bid management plan and milestone schedule, enabling concurrent submission for both lots over a six-week period (April–May 2025)

• Development of bespoke response templates and organisational charts that demonstrated and strengthened a collaborative, client-focused approach

• Coordination across internal departments to gather input and draft responses across several key quality areas:

  • Management of statutory consents

  • Project and business risk management (including supply chain resilience)

  • Health and Safety compliance (including RAMS development)

  • Organisational structure and delivery capability

  • Social value planning and impact measurement

• Design and implementation of a tailored Risk and Opportunities Register aligned with rail sector regulatory expectations

Benefits and successes:

• Both Lot 1 and Lot 2 quality submissions were successfully advanced to the Best and Final Offer (BAFO) stage

• Our complete management of the bid process freed the client’s internal team to focus on parallel tender opportunities

• The submission materials and templates were integrated into the client's bid library, streamlining future bid development

• The custom Risk and Opportunities Register now serves as a reusable asset for future rail-related bids

• Our structured, best-practice approach introduced measurable process improvements to the client’s bid strategy and execution

Background information

Long established, our client is a family-run, multidisciplinary infrastructure business delivering bespoke engineering services across the rail, aviation, power, and civil engineering sectors throughout the UK and Ireland. They are known for delivering safe, compliant and high-quality project outcomes through a collaborative, innovative approach.

As part of a strategic effort to expand their presence within the rail sector, the client sought Procter Street’s external expertise to bring a fresh perspective and ensure alignment with sector-specific tendering standards. Our involvement enabled them to elevate the quality and competitiveness of their submissions while enhancing internal bid capability for future growth.