Systems and technical consultancy services

Tender description

In 2018, Transport for the North (TfN) will become the UK’s first sub-national transport body. TfN is working in partnership with transport operators, local transport authorities and the Department for Transport (DfT) to deliver the Integrated and Smart Travel (IST) Programme. We are working to introduce new initiatives that will make travelling on public transport easier and quicker for passengers across the North. We want to enhance choice and ensure passengers pay prices that are fair for the journeys they have made. By doing this, we will increase the number of people travelling by public transport and broaden people’s access to jobs. This programme is delivered in 3 tranches. The focus of this Prior Information Notice relates to Tranche 2 which involves a number of initiatives aimed at providing early benefits to the customer, predominantly focused on customer information. The Tranche includes a fares database, disruption messaging, open data hub, knowledge network and innovation activities. The availability of data to travellers and potential travellers, particularly data on current and future fares and also the provision of live data when services are disrupted is central to this proposition. To allow access to this data by App developers, the data is to be made available within an Open Data Hub. The programme will also provide benefits for operators through running a series of innovation pilots and through the implementation of a knowledge network where operators and LTAs can share resources. It is expected that Transport for the North will be a constituted body by the time of contract award. In the event that TfN is not an established body by the time of contracting, West Yorkshire Combined Authority will be the contracting authority acting on behalf of TfN. It would then be expected that the agreements with WYCA would novate over to TfN at the time of TfN becoming a constituted body. Market engagement is being used to enhance suppliers understanding of the programme and ensure the market is aware of the opportunity. Depending on the outcome of this engagement, the programme, TfN may opt to run one or more procurements using OJEU procedures or public sector framework agreements. Market engagement pursuant to this PIN will be used to inform the procurement of one or more suppliers to deliver the open data hub, fares solution, disruption messaging solution, knowledge network and innovation activities. Contracted supplier(s) will also provide advice and guidance to operators to assist operators with their processes and the equipment required to be compatible with the systems and processes implemented. Please note that IST market engagement does not represent the commencement of any formal procurement process and does not form part of the evaluation process. At this stage, the programme is seeking advice and insight from the market to inform future procurement activity. Please note that positions stated during market engagement are based upon current assumptions and may change as IST’s Sourcing Strategy developed further. The first all-market engagement conference/WebEx: will take place on Friday 19 January 2018 at 10:00 until 13:00. Interested parties should go to the e-tendering website https://in-tendhost.co.uk/westyorkshireca/aspx/Home to express an interest in the project. It is currently envisaged that WYCA will run multiple procurements on behalf of TfN for the elements outlined in below. Award will be post establishment of TfN and service contracts will awarded by TfN directly. This position remains subject to review and analysis by TfN including of feedback from the market engagements pursuant to this notice. To appoint one or more suppliers to deliver the following initiatives which are part of the Tranche 2 programme: 1) Fares: Extraction of fares data from public transport operators and the development of a tool to allow data to be received in a variety of formats, to be collated and stored in a manner that is in a similar format for dissemination in a meaningful manner to public transport operators and/or passengers; 2) Disruption Messaging: Collection and recording of transport disruption messages and dissemination of messages across multiple platforms. The disruption element of this project will necessitate similar activities to the fares initiative; 3) Open Data Hub: Supply of an open data hub and population of disruption messaging and fares data; 4) Knowledge Network: Development of an online portal for public transport operators and local transport authorities to share resources, templates, tools and guidance; 5) Innovation activities: A number of pilots aimed to deliver early benefits to the account-based back office. The first all-market engagement conference/WebEx: will take place on Friday 19 January 2018 at 10:00 until 13:00.