Procurement
Procurement opportunities and processes
We procure approximately £7bn worth of goods, works and services each year. Some of our procurements are managed by commercial and procurement colleagues in our Route Services function. These tend to be for things which are best provided for the whole company from a single team. For example, materials such as ballast and IT services.
Commercial and Procurement colleagues in our regions manage procurement which is specific to their region, for example, capital works.
We procure from a range of suppliers including SMEs and key delivery partners.
The Procurement Act (2023)
The Procurement Act (2023) came into force on 24 February 2025. It brings the biggest changes to public procurements in a generation and replaces the Utilities Contracts Regulations.
We are bound by the Act, and so are suppliers who participate in our new procurements. Suppliers should refer to our Procurement Act 2023 page for the latest information.
Categories of goods, services and works
Most of our spending is split across different categories of goods, services and works. We manage these categories to reflect the supply market and our requirements, to ensure best value for money and to deliver a sustainable and resilient rail service.
Network Rail standards define which categories of goods, services or works need suppliers to be audited, and which are non-auditable. Our category scopes and codes match with RISQS codes, called RICCL codes (Railway Industry Commodity Classification List). This is so our direct suppliers can more easily understand when they need to register with RISQS to supply Network Rail in our auditable categories.
We’re currently refreshing how we share these codes and will give an update here shortly. For now, please look on RISQS Supplier FAQs to find out about the codes and auditable status.
Frameworks
We are committed to improving the visibility of our pipeline information for our suppliers and those wishing to work with us. Here we share our national frameworks spend, with upcoming anticipated spend forecasts (where available). Please note, forecasts are indicative and subject to change. In addition, they do not capture reactive works. Some of the spend on these frameworks are subject to mini competition.
Framework register (175 KB, xlsx)
We will update this document quarterly, along with our national procurement pipeline and national contracts database, both of which can be accessed below. We will continue to improve this document with each iteration. If you wish to share your thoughts, please send them to: suppliercommunications@networkrail.co.uk.
Procurement pipeline
We’re committed to making our procurement pipeline visible. We recognise that sharing our future procurement requirements with our suppliers helps them to plan their business and resource appropriately to support our requirements.
Download procurement pipeline (161 KB, xlsx)
National contracts
Our contract register contains details of all our national contracts and frameworks as well as who to speak to if you need more information about a particular contract.
Download the contract register (220 KB, xlsx)
Standard suite of contracts
We share our suite of contracts with all suppliers. More information, including a downloadable copy, can be found on the dedicated standard suite of contracts page.