SBB launches tenders for long-term IT infrastructure contracts

SBB has begun a procurement round for technology that underpins daily rail operations. The Swiss Federal Railways published its first call for tenders on Monday, November 9, seeking providers for cloud services, data centres and platform services. Further calls are due to follow by December 7, and the railway expects to award contracts in the first half of 2027.

The framework agreements are valued at around CHF 100 million a year and could run for up to 20 years. SBB says the procurement is designed to safeguard its operational autonomy and limit dependence on individual IT providers. The systems involved support safety-critical functions, including rail operations, energy supply, ticketing and passenger information.

The tender process places long-term technology supply at the centre of SBB’s operating plans. Its design will determine how the railway sources essential digital services over the coming years, while keeping those systems available to support trains and passengers across Switzerland.

SBB plans three cloud models to spread its IT operations across different arrangements. The procurement combines a shared public cloud, an exclusive private cloud and a “sovereign cloud”. The sovereign option will fall under either Swiss law or European Union regulations.

The mix reflects SBB’s stated aim of protecting its operational autonomy and reducing reliance on individual providers. The railway’s cloud and platform services sit alongside data centres in the tender programme. Together, these services form part of the technical base for systems used in rail operations, energy supply, ticketing and passenger information.

SBB has framed the systems as safety-critical, making continuity central to the procurement. The tender is therefore about services that support both railway operations and passenger-facing functions. The planned framework agreements could remain in place for as long as 20 years, giving the contracts a much longer horizon than a short-term technology purchase.

A separate SAP tender is due to open in mid-November. SBB says SAP systems form part of its central IT infrastructure, and existing agreements are approaching their expiry. The new framework agreements are planned for five years, with an option to extend by up to three years.

The SAP procurement is distinct from the infrastructure contracts announced on November 9. Those contracts cover cloud services, data centres and platform services, and carry a much longer possible term of up to 20 years. SBB’s schedule puts both procurement exercises in motion as it seeks to secure services for its central technology environment.

The railway expects to award the infrastructure contracts in the first half of 2027. The SAP tender follows its own timetable, starting in mid-November, with the term of the future agreements set out in advance. Together, the processes cover separate parts of the IT infrastructure SBB relies on.

SBB is planning CHF 7 billion in digitalisation investment for rail infrastructure by 2045. The company says significant parts of the safety-critical infrastructure need renewal. Its 2027 budget sets aside CHF 1 billion for digitalisation, which SBB describes as a “first important step”. The railway says that budget would not cover all measures commissioned by the transport ministry.

The ministry confirmed SBB’s funding requirements for digitalisation of rail transport under the European Rail Traffic Management System, or ERTMS. Funding comes through various channels. SBB has stressed that this investment money does not come from the same pot as the contracts being tendered through simap.ch.

That distinction separates two strands of the railway’s technology plans: long-term service contracts for IT infrastructure, and investment to digitalise rail infrastructure. Both are part of SBB’s wider modernisation effort, with the planned work extending to 2045.