Department for Transport Rail Franchise

Documentation & IMS

PCSG worked with the Department for Transport to develop high quality documents for the tender process of major rail franchises.

Retendering the InterCity East Coast franchise led to the Department for Transport (DfT) including an interim stage in the procurement process to encourage earlier market engagement and broaden international appeal. PCSG was engaged to produce a prospectus to appeal to the competitive market and provide a broader picture of the UK rail industry, encouraging stronger competition.

We worked with ten writers to create a comprehensive, attractive prospectus within a challenging 10-week timeframe. We extensively researched and wrote sections about the UK rail industry context and implemented a review mechanism, including workshops and review meetings with DfT experts, to ensure the quality and accuracy of the document. Where standard government templates were used previously, our Graphic Designer used her talent to push boundaries to create a striking commercial document.

The success of this tender documentation led to PCSG supporting two more tenders, the Northern and TransPennine Express franchises in early 2014. Once again, we provided editorial skills and worked on the design. These prospectuses were completed to extremely high standards and within a challenging timescale of 10-12 weeks.