Rail infrastructure seeks single-supplier framework for structural monitoring
A multi-lot framework will fund design, supply and commissioning of remote and structural health monitoring across civil assets, reflecting wider sensor use.
A multi-lot framework will fund design, supply and commissioning of remote and structural health monitoring across civil assets, reflecting wider sensor use.
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Iarnród Eireann–Irish Rail has launched a Remote Sensor Monitoring Systems procurement for a single‑party, multi‑lot framework to design, supply, install and commission remote and structural health monitoring systems for civil infrastructure. Published in October 2025, it signals a step‑up in sensor‑led oversight of critical assets and a broad scope that could draw in a mix of engineering and digital solutions.
The framework consolidates end‑to‑end responsibility with one supplier while splitting the programme into multiple lots. The notice is succinct, but the core remit is clear: deliver remote and structural health monitoring across civil infrastructure and take it from concept through to handover.
Details on the lot breakdown are not provided in the summary. Even so, the format — single supplier across several lots — is well established in public infrastructure monitoring. Across Europe, buyers have used this mix to organise complex programmes while keeping accountability for performance with one lead contractor.
Rail sits alongside many sectors now investing in sensors and instrumentation to understand how assets behave in operation and to act sooner when conditions change. The aims are evident in recent European procurements.
In January 2023, the Region of Central Macedonia in Greece sought a real‑time structural health monitoring system for six bridges, with the system designed to evaluate load‑bearing under traffic and to provide “timely warning” to authorities. The tender framed the network as a tool to improve road safety and to help set priorities after emergencies. Read the notice.
A similar emphasis on civil structures appears in France. In January 2025, Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur procured monitoring missions for underground transport assets and its road network, including inspections and controls for a tram line and major tunnels. Read the notice.
Energy networks show the scale that remote monitoring programmes can reach. In May 2022, Czech distributor EG.D set out plans for a low‑voltage remote measurement system in distribution transformer stations — about 20,000 sites — combining power quality monitors, a head‑end system, and SCADA connectivity. Read the notice. In July 2024, Hungary’s MVM Égáz‑Dégáz Földgázhálózati Zrt. went to market for remote monitoring and operation of gas measurement devices, bundling installation, replacement and repair over a 24‑month period — a reminder that many buyers package field services with telemetry operations. Read the notice.
Taken together, these examples underline why rail is moving in the same direction: continuous, remote visibility of structural and operational behaviour to support decisions on safety, maintenance and investment.
Modern monitoring is as much about the data as the hardware. Specifications increasingly call for telemetry, data platforms and user access.
In February 2024, Ireland’s Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications sought a single‑supplier framework that combined telemetric groundwater monitoring equipment with the redevelopment of the Geological Survey’s data portal. Read the notice. In September 2025, Eurométropole de Strasbourg framed its water and wastewater network monitoring around remote management tools, level and pressure sensors, replacement speed measurement equipment, and access to a web server for data reception. Read the notice.
Earlier initiatives, such as EG.D’s plan to link PQ monitors to a head‑end and SCADA, point in the same direction: buyers expect instrumented assets to feed secure, accessible systems that staff can use in daily operations.
Recent procurements illustrate how public bodies structure remote monitoring frameworks and split scope into lots.
In October 2023, Établissement Français du Sang set up a single‑contractor framework with purchase orders, allocated in two lots: one for remote monitoring of building technical installations, the other for lone‑worker protection alarms. Read the notice. In August 2024, Métropole Européenne de Lille opted for single‑award framework agreements with purchase orders over four years, grouped into three lots covering metrology, remote management equipment and programmable logic controllers. Read the notice.
The Irish rail framework follows this pattern of bundling design, equipment and field delivery under one contract while using lots to organise the work. It aligns with a wider move to standardise components and data flows, and to phase deployment through call‑offs.
The remit — “remote and structural health monitoring systems” — is broad. That breadth gives space for varied technologies and approaches and will interest suppliers with capabilities spanning instrumentation, integration and commissioning. The single‑party design places clear accountability for system performance and field delivery with one provider, while the lot structure allows the buyer to organise the programme in manageable segments.
Regulatory drivers also shape monitoring programmes. In May 2024, a central government department in the Western Balkans sought equipment for water monitoring to meet EU directives on water quality and QA/QC, emphasising standardised measurement at defined sites. Read the notice. While the context differs, the thread is common: dependable data to evidence asset condition and compliance.
Within Ireland, remote monitoring frameworks continue to broaden beyond core operations. In December 2025, Uisce Éireann moved to establish a two‑lot framework for the survey, design, installation, maintenance and remote monitoring of security systems. Read the notice. The cross‑sector pattern is clear: frameworks that pair field‑based systems with remote oversight and data access.
This is a concise notice that sets a clear direction but leaves detail to the tender documents. As the procurement progresses, watch for:
For now, the framework marks a firm commitment to sensor‑enabled asset management in rail, and it adds momentum to a wider public‑sector shift towards remote monitoring of critical infrastructure.
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