Calling for tenders in the railway business is a major task and it determines highly the costs and benefits of the later safety systems. Special attention is paid to these early phases because 1. There are new company alliances for operation and maintenance (sometimes involving companies new in the railway business); 2. Comprehensive business cases are required including evaluation of all costs and benefits during the system lifecycle; 3. The evaluation of new, low-cost systems becomes necessary; 4. Change of legal frame due to new standards and laws. For this reason the procurement phases, analysing feasibility and specifying the requirements are sometimes long lasting due to revisions and re-specifications. If the tendering documents and specifications are very comprehensive and unspecific, this will lead to additional costs for legal support, bidding, and re-specification. To cope with these problems we present a general process that contributes to a more structured way to specify requirements. Tailoring the process leads to effective contracting. Key indicators - like safety and availability - are clearly specified and contractual agreed.
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