Introduction
The Department for Transport ("DfT") announced On 15
August 2012, at the end of a 15 month procurement process, that it
intended to award the West Coast Main Line rail franchise
("the franchise") to First West Coast, a subsidiary of
First Group. On 3 October 2012 the DfT announced that it was to
cancel the award after discovering significant flaws within the
procurement process, leaving the procurement system in the UK in a
precarious position.
The Facts
Virgin Trains has run the franchise for the past 13 years, with
the current contract due to expire on 9 December 2012. After the
DfT announced that it was to award the franchise to First West
Coast, more than 150,000 people signed a petition which demanded
that the decision be reconsidered. Sir Richard Branson even went as
far as to offer to run the line on a not-for-profit basis, whilst
the DfT reviewed the competition.
