Research and Innovation Assignment 'Future of Physical Work in Train Maintenance at NS'
Onderzoeks- en innovatieopdracht 'Toekomst van fysiek werk bij treinonderhoud van NS'
Netherlands · how to bid here →
Your path to submission
- Deadline: 4 November at 11:00 — 31 days left.
- You submit on TenderNed — not here and not by e-mail. ↗ Submission via TenderNed with an eHerkenning account — issuance for foreign firms can take time; apply early. Sort out account and signature first — not on submission day.
- Offer and evidence in: NLD.
- Collect your evidence — the eligibility requirements are listed above; for many of them the analysis explains how to obtain them.
Clement What the numbers say about this buyer
- 4% of this buyer's awards went to companies that had already won here before (183 awards since 2015, spread over 96 companies). 96% went to new names.n = 183 awards since 2015
- The median procedure drew 3 bids (159 procedures with a bid count); 23% ended with a single bidder. Country: median 3.9 bids.n = 159
- 20% of awards went to companies from abroad (183 awards with a known winner country). National average: 11%.n = 183
- 51% of the bids received came from small and medium-sized enterprises (22 procedures with a bid mix). Country: 44%.n = 22
From this buyer's documented awards; comparison values from the same sector and country. Not a forecast, not legal advice. As of 04/10/2026.
Foreign bidders
In Netherlands, 2,047 contracts went to foreign companies over the last 3 years (of 35,143 recorded awards) — mostly from Germany, France, Belgium.
What the buyer is looking for
NS is looking for a partner for a multi-year research and innovation programme aimed at shaping future-proof physical mechanic work within NS Maintenance & Service (O&S), with a first focus on maintenance company (OB) Leidschendam and on activities that are heavy and physically stressful. The assignment is an integral cyclical innovation approach in which analysis, co-creation, design, prototyping, pilots, impact measurement, evaluation, scaling up and knowledge assurance are inextricably linked. We are not only looking for a partner who investigates, but also a party that independently enables NS to build up a repeatable innovation approach after the end of the collaboration that NS can later apply itself at other maintenance locations. The assignment should lead to a more attractive employership for technicians, less physical strain, more job satisfaction, higher sustainable employability and better productivity.
Selection criteria — in the procurement documents
The buyer states in the notice that the selection criteria are in the procurement documents (link on the right), not in the EU form. The document analysis below extracts them from there — bid and evidence in Dutch.
Contract
Who has won here before
| Company | Awards | Period |
|---|---|---|
| ALSTOM Netherlands B.V. | 2 | 2026 |
| Siemens Mobility B.V. | 2 | 2025–2026 |
| Maximum | 2 | 2025–2026 |
| Tata Consultancy Services Netherlands B.V. | 2 | 2025 |
| Rivion B.V. | 2 | 2025 |