Contract

904724896 T1350 Understanding root causes and preventing freight wagon wheel flats Work Package 3 – Static Brake Testing of Freight Vehicles

  • Rail Safety Standards Board (RSSB)

UK7: Contract details notice - Procurement Act 2023 - view information about notice types

Notice identifier: 2025/S 000-083297

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-059c9f (view related notices)

Published 16 December 2025, 12:05pm



Scope

Description

At the highest level, this work package seeks to provide missing empirical data which will support decision making and modelling to better understand how the behaviour of freight braking systems impact on the generation of wheel flats.

This project will seek to characterise and document the behaviour of freight braking systems in real world settings. In combination with the other work packages, the outputs of this study will be used to inform the conclusions of the project overall and will provide useful input to other research activities on freight safety. Specifically, the outputs from this work package will support the research in characterising longitudinal compressive forces in freight (T1352), and the investigation into the factors impacting freight braking in low adhesion (T1351).

The outputs will be achieved through a variety of static brake tests of real freight trains. The specific objectives of the project will be to:

1.Identify suitable testing parameters or categorisation to prioritise testing and agree a test regime.

2.Understand the performance of different locomotives.

3.Understand how braking behaviour varies with different vehicles, brake setups and components.

4.Understand how brake timing and brake force varies down the length of a long train.

5.Understand how different charging/overcharge procedures influence the behaviour of braking systems.

Whilst delivering these objectives will have implications on freight braking and deceleration performance. The primary objective of this work is to support research in the topic of freight safety.

To view this notice, please click here:

https://www.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=1001646902


Contract 1

Supplier

Contract value

  • £120,000 excluding VAT
  • £144,000 including VAT

Below the relevant threshold

Date signed

11 November 2025

Contract dates

  • 18 November 2025 to 10 April 2026
  • 4 months, 23 days

Main procurement category

Services

CPV classifications

  • 73110000 - Research services

Procedure

Procedure type

Below threshold - open competition


Supplier

Engineering Support Group Ltd

Lakeside Business Park,, Carolina Way

Doncaster

DN4 5PN

United Kingdom

Contact name: Procurement Team

Telephone: +44 2031425651

Email: Procurement@RSSB.co.uk

Region: UKE31 - Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham

Small or medium-sized enterprise (SME): No

Voluntary, community or social enterprise (VCSE): No

Contract 1


Contracting authority

Rail Safety Standards Board (RSSB)

  • Public Procurement Organisation Number: PVGN-9767-BLPT

25 Fenchurch Avenue,

London

EC3M 5AD

United Kingdom

Contact name: Procurement Team

Telephone: +44 2031425651

Email: Procurement@RSSB.co.uk

Region: UKI31 - Camden and City of London

Organisation type: Public undertaking (commercial organisation subject to public authority oversight)