Network Rail has announced the award of 82 framework contracts to deliver design services across the country, worth an estimated £400m for Control Period 6 (2019-2024) and up to £640m including the options to extend the framework into Control Period 7 (2024-2029).

A range of engineering and consultancy specialists are among the 34 suppliers to have won contracts, including AECOM, Jacobs UK, Mott MacDonald, WSP, Arcadis, Pell Frischmann, Ramboll UK, Tony Gee & Partners, and Waterman Infrastructure & Environment Ltd.

The Design Services Framework (DSF) replaces its predecessor – the Multi-Functional Design Framework - and consists of four multi-discipline frameworks and 78 single-discipline frameworks. 

The new DSF aims to provide access to a wider range of multi-skilled suppliers including small and medium enterprises (SMEs), who form around 25% of the single discipline suppliers on the DSF.

Two contracts per region have been awarded for each of the following ten single disciplines, and four multi-discipline frameworks have been awarded at a national level.

• Buildings & Architecture
• Civil & Structural
• Consents & Environment
• E&P Contact Systems
• E&P Distribution Design
• E&P Plant
• Geotechnical
• Signalling
• Telecoms
• Track

Daljinder Chatta, Network Rail's commercial director, said: “Network Rail will have greater access to a design support network providing mutual benefits to both Network Rail and the supply chain. Some of these include working more directly with suppliers, improved assurance, getting closer to experts, improved business and safety performance and enabling innovation to thrive.”

Russell Jackson, AECOM’s head of rail for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), said: “The collaborative philosophy embodied in DSF is exciting – it builds on other long term partnerships between Network Rail and the supply chain, including the rail systems alliances and the managed services framework - and will significantly benefit passengers through increasingly efficient and reliable rail design development.

“Having significantly invested in our multi-disciplinary rail capabilities in recent years, AECOM, along with our team of specialist partners, is looking forward to supporting Network Rail and their internal design group, alongside our fellow framework participants in efficiently delivering the CP6 renewals and enhancements workbank.”

The framework contracts went live on 1 January 2020.

Click here to view the full list of Network Rail design framework contracts.