The framework covers four main delivery areas, with each split with generalist firms forming the core partnership team to deliver the larger, more complex projects and several specialists.

ERP will be in place for all five years of CP7, with an option to extend for up to five years from 2029 (CP8).

Jake Kelly, managing director for Eastern Region at Network Rail, said: “This launch is the culmination of two years of hard work to bring real innovation to our commercial delivery in CP7. The ERP framework is key to effectively maintaining our infrastructure to deliver a sustained improvement in train performance over the next five years.”

“It’s designed to strengthen our relationships with our supply chain partners, letting us utilise their skills and experience.

“ERP also lets us take a more collaborative approach by bringing our engineers, delivery teams and the suppliers together, earlier, to identify the minimum viable product.”

Matt Smith, managing director of Rail at Octavius Infrastructure, said: “The growth of Octavius in the rail electrification sector follows the recent mobilisation of the Southern Renewals Enterprise where the business will be undertaking electrification and plant works through CP7 and CP8 across the whole Southern Region.

“The electrification growth is also supported by their recent acquisition of Navitas Engineering Group who are leaders in electrification engineering, design and consultancy. ”