Rail

We supported a multinational rail operator with the preparation of its tender to the Department for Transport for the franchise to operate the West Coast Main Line. Our involvement was to support work on the preparation of the Shadow Operator Plan (ShOP) setting out the client’s strategy for operating the line, including rolling stock, ticketing, assets, and station management.

We co-located our team with the client and their Joint Venture partners at their offices in London, working alongside their bid teams and consultants preparing the plan. We agreed a writing plan with the client’s bid management team with clear deliverables and milestones. Drafting involved a combination of reviewing material created by the client’s team, research, and interviewing subject matter experts.

Our drafts went through multiple review iterations by the client’s executives and changes were implemented accordingly.

The outcome was a high-quality contribution to the ShOP and resulted in further commissions from the client.

We supported a Joint Venture between a major manufacturer of precast concrete and a specialist installer of road and rail tunnels. Our role was to prepare their bid to a Tier 1 construction company for the design, manufacture, and installation of tunnels as part of the new High Speed 2 rail line between London and Birmingham.

We worked with the clients in Lincolnshire and Paris to collate information regarding their solution, evidence to support their proposal, and details of added value. Our team then prepared draft responses, refining them with the client as part of a review process. Responses included case study examples of comparable projects delivered by the clients, manufacturing and installation processes, transport logistics to the construction site, and environmental management.

This was a successful project for the client that led to them being awarded the contract.

Our client commissioned us to support the preparation of a bid to the Office of Rail and Road (the rail network regulator) to undertake a review of Network Rail’s procurement strategy.

Our client, a strategic consultancy, had significant experience working in the rail environment and so our writing team worked closely with their subject matter experts to understand their proposed approach to the review, their resources, their identification and management of stakeholders, and management of quality outcomes.

Having drafted the responses, the narrative went through a series of reviews to confirm its factual accuracy and identify additional material to evidence the proposed approach and added value. We also worked alongside the client’s branding manager to ensure the final submission reflected the client’s strong identity both visually and in how the information was presented.

This project had a positive outcome with a bid win and our client being awarded the contract.

We supported a multinational client with preparation of its bid to Rail for London for major infrastructure projects across the London network. This framework had a total contract value of over £200m and included construction of new stations through to upgrades and refurbishments of the existing structures, such as platforms, canopies, and ticket halls. Our team of four writers supported the client with both its qualification questionnaire and main tender over a six-month period.

While our client was the prime contractor, our team also worked with six significant subcontractors and their teams, based in the UK, Hong Kong, and Australia, to prepare the tender.

This was a successful project for the client, winning first place on the Rail for London framework.

A national PLC sought Kittle Group’s support with preparation of six tenders for:

• Project works
• Maintenance of structures
• Removal of asbestos and other hazardous substances
• Maintenance of track drainage systems
• Maintenance of HVAC, lifts and escalators, and mechanical and electrical systems
• Management of vegetation, arboriculture, and treating non-native invasive species.

Our staff had total responsibility for the project, both managing and writing the bid. We, therefore, established a project plan, worked with the client’s team and their 6 major subcontractors to understand their solution and prepare the tenders, which ran into hundreds of pages.

This was a most successful project for the client, winning all five contracts.

We prepared three bids for a client delivering cleaning and graffiti removal from trains, stations, and other infrastructure. Preparing three large bids with relatively short deadlines set by the Buyer invoked our ability to accommodate tight timelines and showcase our time management skills.

The responses covered: meeting regulations governing work on the railway; the competence of the client’s team; logistics to respond to the train operator’s requirements; recruitment, training, and retention of staff; use of equipment and chemicals; management of health and safety, quality and environmental systems; and mobilisation.

This was a highly successful project for the client, winning two of the three contracts.