Osborne Leads Initiative to Save £350,000 Across the Network Rail Southern Frameworks

The Osborne Wessex MFF Framework, known as “One Team Wessex” is heavily focused on delivering efficiency throughout the duration of Network Rail’s Control Period 5 (CP5) and has recently led an initiative to collaborate with the other Southern MFF Framework providers to drive savings through shared procurement. The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has challenged Network Rail and its Framework Partners to deliver a 20% efficiency saving on projects over the duration of CP5 – a target that our team are determined to achieve!

Osborne’s “One Team Wessex,” together with Volker Fitzpatrick, Costain and BAM Nuttall are currently focusing on procurement savings, achievable through the bulk purchasing of materials. With good visibility of the Franchised Station Workbank within Wessex, approximately 16.7km of platform edge will require new coper units. Hence this seemed like the perfect opportunity to negotiate a combined purchase to provide savings across not only Wessex but also the other three Routes.

Network Rail have been trialling a new integrated coper and tactile unit that has recently been developed by G-Tech and is solely distributed by Keyline Builders Merchants Ltd. During a two month period, “One Team Wessex” organised and attended numerous meetings with both G-Tech and Keyline, to refine the innovative product, and negotiate rates and prices for the differing sized units. Circa 18,000 units will be required in the Wessex Route alone over the duration of the framework and based on the negotiated rates, which are fixed until September 2017, a saving of circa £350k is likely to be generated for the customer in Wessex alone. This saving could double should the Kent, Sussex and Anglia Routes also adopt the product. A truly significant saving, achieved through sharing knowledge and working collaboratively across Network Rail’s Southern Region.

Osborne, together with Volker Fitzpatrick, Costain and BAM Nuttall, are now exploring other materials that could be bulk purchased, and with ever-rising material prices, demonstrates the value that the Framework Partners are bringing to their customer.