Railcard Printing and Fulfilment Services

Description

Rail Delivery Group (RDG) intends to directly award an interim contract for the provision of staff railcard printing, personalisation, fulfilment and distribution services. The contract will cover the production and distribution of physical staff railcards and associated materials for eligible employees, retired employees and their family members. Services will include new cards, annual renewals and replacements, together with accompanying letters, inserts and envelopes. The supplier will be responsible for secure data handling, card production and quality assurance, stock management and timely dispatch, including managing peak renewal periods and consolidating household mailings where required. This interim arrangement is intended to maintain continuity of essential services while RDG prepares to undertake a competitive procurement exercise, which is currently anticipated to be published in January 2027. The direct award will provide continuity during the intervening period, pending the completion of the planned procurement and transition to the resulting contractual arrangements.

Key facts

Procedure

Direct award

Lots

1

Contact

Mo Negm

procurement@raildeliverygroup.co.uk

Contract period

11 Nov 2026 → 30 Apr 2027

Value incl. VAT

£427k

Category

goods

Awarded suppliers

• Readygrid Limited t/a Royale Graphics Limited · GB-PPON-PJJR-5318-MGPH · UKF14, GB

Ground given for limiting competition

The buyer’s own stated reason for awarding without open competition, as published. Their assertion, not a finding.

Rail Delivery Group (RDG) proposes to award an interim contract to its existing supplier for the continued provision of staff railcard printing, personalisation, fulfilment and distribution services. The proposed arrangement is intended to maintain continuity of existing services while RDG prepares a competitive procurement exercise, currently anticipated to be published in January 2027. The proposed direct award is being considered under Schedule 5, paragraph 7 of the Procurement Act 2023, subject to confirmation that a change of supplier would result in incompatibility with existing service arrangements and disproportionate technical difficulties in operation or maintenance. The interim contract will be limited to the scope and duration required to support the transition to a competitively procured arrangement.