Buying a system, not a kit of parts [electric railway procurement]

The electric railway industry is part way through a complete transformation of the way it procures its infrastructure. It has long been recognised that a railway system is quite different from the straightforward sum of its components, but how different depends on the skill of the responsible party. Gone now are the days of huge, client funded engineering departments with seemingly limitless budgets and the former "manufacturing sector" is having to adapt, learn new skills and take on more and more responsibility. The author details how, when preparing and evaluating the latest complicated system proposals, it is no longer sufficient just to pick the cheapest.