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Supplier information

This page provides information for current and potential suppliers to c2c/

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Notice to suppliers of use by C2C Railway Limited (c2c) of The Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme (RISQS) and transition into public ownership

The railway industry is undergoing a period of change, and this page has three important notices which suppliers and potential suppliers should carefully read in relation to c2c’s procurement activity:

  1. Notice to suppliers of use by c2c of The Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme (RISQS): this section relates to procurements undertaken by c2c under the Procurement Act 2023 (the PA2023) or (in relation to procurements commenced prior to 24 February 2025) procurements which are consistent with the requirements of the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016 (the UCRs 2016).
  2. Notice to suppliers of the transition of c2c’s rail passenger services into public ownership on 20 July 2025: this section relates to the transition of c2c’s railway passenger services into public ownership on 20 July 2025. It explains how procurement activity undertaken by c2c before and after 20 July 2025 may be concluded.
  3. Notice to suppliers on implementation of the PA2023: this section includes information on how c2c has implemented the PA2023 and how contracts awarded under the UCRs 2016 or the PA2023 (as the case may be) will continue to be managed and governed.

 

  1. Notice to suppliers of the use by c2c of The Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme (RISQS)
    This notice relates to any procurements which are above the threshold set out in the PA2023 and which are subject to the requirements of the PA2023.
    RISQS is a qualifying utilities dynamic market (as contemplated by the PA2023) which allows subscribing members to select suppliers for invitation to tender or negotiation (as the context may require). RISQS is operated by Rail Safety and Standards Board. c2c considers that, as a dynamic market, RISQS meets c2c’s requirements for procuring certain goods, works or services under certain Railway Industry Commodity Classification List (RICCL) codes, which may or may not be safety critical RICCL codes. c2c is a registered buyer with RISQS, enabling it to use this as a dynamic market.
    c2c intends to use RISQS as a qualification system for certain procurements which are above the threshold set out in the PA2023 and which relate to goods, works or services under certain RICCL codes. As a result, c2c may choose to use RISQS to select participants directly from the qualification system without placing a further ‘Find a Tender’ service call for competition. However, please note that c2c also reserves the right to use other procurement processes from time to time at its discretion, including procuring under an existing public sector framework agreement or carrying out another PA2023 compliant process.
    If you are a supplier that is interested in supplying goods, works or services under RICCL codes to c2c, in order to be eligible for selection as a participant in procurements c2c chooses to run using RISQS as a qualification system, you should register on RISQS to become a qualified supplier with audited or verified status under the relevant RICCL codes.
    Please note that, although c2c intends to use RISQS for the qualitative selection stage of certain procurements, c2c intends to use a separate procurement system, rather than the RISQS system, to manage the remainder of the procurement process and communicate with suppliers via that system.
    In relation to ongoing procurements commenced under the UCRs 2016 (i.e. prior to the PA2023 coming into effect), those procurements will be completed in a manner consistent with the UCRs 2016.
  2. Notice to suppliers of the transition of c2c’s rail passenger services into public ownership on 20 July 2025
    On 20 July 2025, the rail passenger transport services in respect of Essex Thameside transferred to C2C Railway Limited from the predecessor company, Trenitalia c2c Limited. C2C Railway Limited is a public sector company which is a wholly owned subsidiary of DfT Operator Limited and is ultimately owned by the Secretary of State for Transport. C2C Railway Limited continues to operate under the brand “c2c”.
    This notice explains how any procurements which commenced prior to 20 July 2025, and any future procurements commencing on or after 20 July 2025, will operate in the context of the transition of c2c’s rail passenger transport services in respect of Essex Thameside into public ownership. This includes (but is not limited to) procurements undertaken by c2c using RISQS as the qualification system or dynamic market (as described in section 1 above).
    Some procurements which commenced prior to 20 July 2025 were advertised and run by Trenitalia c2c Limited on behalf of itself and on behalf of C2C Railway Limited. Where contract award has not occurred under a procurement process initiated before the transfer of c2c into public ownership, C2C Railway Limited has the right to elect (but will not be obliged) to carry on with the procurement process, by taking on the role of contracting entity from 20 July 2025 (with this notice and all procurement documents to be interpreted accordingly).
  3. Notice to suppliers on implementation of the PA2023
    Contracts which were awarded by c2c under the UCRs 2016 will continue to be governed by and managed in accordance with the UCRs 2016 for as long as those contracts remain in effect. Only contracts procured under the PA2023 will be governed by and managed in accordance with the PA2023 and the forms of those contracts have been amended to ensure consistency with the PA2023. More information on the form of contract will be provided as part of the procurement process.
    As noted in section 1. above, c2c continues to use RISQS as a dynamic market under the PA2023 and c2c expects to continue to use other procurement processes from time to time at its discretion.