Utilising technology to maximise efficiency

GB Railfreight manage over 1,100 people, 156 locomotives and over 1,400 wagons. They operate over 2,000 trainloads a week and move 22% of Britain’s rail freight with 99% reliability. In order to keep everything moving they need reliable and scalable technology which can help them keep their operations on track. At Cripps our team of technology lawyers work closely with GB Railfreight and help them with all aspects of their technology procurement cycle.

The challenge

GB Railfreight are a rapidly growing railway transport logistics company moving over 2,000 trainloads of freight each week. They are regularly updating and improving their technology stack to ensure they maximise operational efficiency whilst maintaining reliability. GB Railfreight’s technology includes operations planning and performance software, safety and risk management software, location tracking and event management tools and data acquisition and analytics tools.

GB Railfreight’s customers include Aggregate Industries, Crossrail, Drax, EDF Energy, MSC UK, Network Rail and Tarmac. Those customers have high demands and as a result GB Railfreight need their technology suppliers to provide high levels of scalability and strong service levels which can meet the demands of their business and provide backend support to ensure any problems are identified and fixed promptly.

Our approach

We have been involved with GB Railfreight for many years. We have invested time in understanding their ethos, their vision and their ambitions for the future. We have also assisted them with their customer contracts which has helped us to understand the demands and requirements placed on them by their customers. This 360 knowledge has been crucial in allowing us to support them with their technology procurement activities.

We have a identified a team of experts from our technology, commercial contracts, intellectual property, data protection and employment teams to provide the specialist skills and sector knowledge needed to support GB Railfreight with their technology procurement. We have spent time understanding what drives their business to ensure our legal advice is commercial and practical and that it meets their requirements.

The outcome

We have helped the team at GB Railfreight to leverage technologies such as cloud computing and data analytics to increase operational efficiency and deliver value for them and their customers. Our team of accessible, responsive and knowledgeable lawyers work alongside GB Railfreight’s in-house legal team through the lifecycle of technology procurement from the initial tender stage through to exit and migration.

GB Railfreight have a culture of continuous improvement and expect their suppliers to provide a first rate service. We help them to ensure their contracts are fit for purpose and contain suitable warranties, meaningful service levels, robust liability provisions and practical exit and transition strategies. We also have a team of commercial dispute resolution lawyers who are also on hand to assist in the event that problems occur and contracts need to be enforced.

How we made a difference

We have been able to support GB Railfreight’s in-house legal team in relation to their technology procurement activities by providing expert advice which is relevant to their industry and suitable for their commercial objectives. We have assisted with all aspects of the technology buying process including drafting and negotiating contracts with the software developers and suppliers at the start of procurement lifecycle and supporting with exit, transition and migration when old systems are being replaced.