Department for Transport NaPTAN and NPTG

Tender description

Pre-market engagement An expression of interst document was issue by DfT to all suppliers on the DOS6 framework. Following this an online supplier event was hosted by DfT. For access to the slide deck please email DDaT.CRM@dft.gov.uk Work done so far General Over the last couple of years, we have delivered technical enhancements to performance, stability and security. Improvements have been made to service design functionality, e.g. updated the interface for updating NaPTAN stops, introduced a process for the bulk deletion of NaPTAN stops and made historical NaPTAN data publicly available. The next phase of work will focus on improving the data quality and use of NaPTAN, as well as maintaining the functionality and security of the system. Rail replacement bus data The department is currently working with stakeholders to determine potential data sources and to introduce this data to NaPTAN to support operators to meet their legislative responsibilities. We aim to achieve a minimum viable product by winter 2025, with the ambition to develop an on-going sustainable rail replacement data pipeline and service thereafter. Accessibility data We conducted a discovery and alpha with some Local Transport Authorities, data consumers, and passengers with accessibility requirements in early 2024 to explore user need, the potential benefits and challenges of integrating accessibility information into NaPTAN and technical feasibility. We swiftly transitioned to private beta with an initial focus on creating data to present what accessibility attributes are present at bus stops as they make up over 90% of the NaPTAN dataset. Accessibility features include whether the bus stop is marked, does it have a shelter, whether the kerb is high enough to deploy a ramp for a wheelchair, etc. We have initiated user research with a small group of data consumers and also investigating whether we can use other sources of data from institutions such as Ordinance Survey data on pavements. Moreover, we are also running a pilot to test whether Artificial Intelligence (AI) models/agents can be utilised to determine what features are present at a bus stop to a high level of confidence. Which phase the project is in Beta Existing team The supplier must ensure the relevant roles are available to undertake this work, including but not exclusive to, the following functions: Maintaining the day-to-day core services, including security, technical support, maintaining our APIs and adding, editing, or deleting data within the databases. First-line support for NaPTAN inbox management (Mon-Fri 9-5, excluding Bank Holidays) and administrative support. Maintain and improve the performance, stability, and security of the systems. Adhere to Governments Secure by Design principles (including undertaking penetration testing of the system). Progress technical improvements to the service. Provide a Subject Matter Expert (SME) to provide advice and support, resolve complex queries, represent the department at industry and interest group forums. Continue the development and improvement of systems for ingesting, holding and publishing rail replacement and accessibility data Conduct user research to inform and iterate on service design. Provide the secretariat function for board and governance meetings and manage risks and issues. Conduct regular engagement with the NaPTAN ecosystem Mange updates to the NaPTAN and NPTG websites and any other public or internal facing materials. Work across various DfT departments to ensure policy alignment, share learnings, and strict governance and security requirements are adhered to. We have the following expectations The Subject Matter Expert (SME) must have a proven track record in the field of public transport. We understand that an SME in this field is a unique skill-set, therefore a supplier may seek to sub-contract an SME for this project. The supplier will have the ability to navigate DfT’s cloud infrastructure (GCP Google Cloud Platform), ensure good development processes including managing the tools and testing environments; central code control, maintaining development standards; automate deployment; development operations (agile engineering/dev ops). Address where the work will be done Work can be undertaken remotely, however we expect the supplier to work on-site when required (Great Minster House, 33 Horseferry Road, Westminster, London SW1P 4DR). Working arrangements The supplier is expected to work full-time, 37 hours per week (7.4 hours per day), Monday to Friday. The supplier will provide first-line technical support during business hours (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, excluding Bank Holidays). Expenses must align with DfT Travel and Subsistence policy, with no expenses incurred within the M25 corridor and all other proposed travel approved by the buyer prior to mobilisation. Provide more information about your security requirements: Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) Provide more information about your security requirements: Security Check (SC) Provide more information about your security requirements: • All supplier team members whose roles require them to access DfT’s GCP environments must have a valid Security Check (SC) level clearance in place. • Remaining team members must have Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) • Shortlisted suppliers will be requested to complete the DfT’s Risk Ledger Assessment. Enter the expected contract length: 2 years Extension period: 1 year Special terms and conditions The Supplier must comply with the following technical principles and standards: • DfT Architecture Principles (see uploaded document) • Technology Code of Practice   • Government Digital Standards   • Government Service Manual • National Cyber Security standards   • Secure by Design • Cloud Security principles   • Open Standards principles   • Web Content Accessibility Guidelines • Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies - GOV.UK • Supplier Code of Conduct (HTML) - GOV.UK Open API specification:  • Swagger  • Gov Restful Open API  • Open-Source Code   • When code should be open or closed   If you require links to the standards please email DDaT.CRM@dft.gov.uk Special terms and conditions The next phase of development for the accessibility workstreams will deliver new functionality that will require ongoing technical development, user research, testing and dev ops. The DfT reserves the right to terminate the agreement at each phase where the supplier has not met the deliverables set out in agreed statement of works. Write the term or acronym: Alpha Write the term or acronym: BPSS Write the term or acronym: CD Write the term or acronym: CI Write the term or acronym: DfT Write the term or acronym: GCP Write the term or acronym: Live Write the term or acronym: PO Write the term or acronym: Public Beta Write the term or acronym: SC Write the term or acronym: SbD Are you prepared to show your budget details?: Yes Indicative maximum: 3000000 Provide further information: The £3million budget shall cover the full contract term including any extensions. Confirm if you require a contracted out service or supply of resource Contracted out service: the off-payroll rules do not apply Summary of work The Department for Transport (DfT) seeks a delivery partner to maintain the functionality and security of the: · National Public Transport Access Nodes (NaPTAN) - the comprehensive dataset of public transport stops in Great Britain. This includes all points where a passenger can get on or off public transport including bus stops, rail stations, airports, ferry piers, tram stops, underground stops, and taxi ranks. · National Public Transport Gazetteer (NPTG) - a dataset of localities (cities, towns, villages, and other settlements) in Great Britain. It provides a common frame of reference for the NaPTAN schema. The supplier will also deliver new elements through continuous improvements to the services, such as enhancing data quality and introducing new accessibility data via NaPTAN. NPTG and NaPTAN together enable computerised public transport information systems to provide stop finding and referencing capabilities using consistent, meaningful names for places and stops. These datasets are available as open data, meaning they can be downloaded at no charge and freely used, re-used, and redistributed by anyone. NaPTAN and NPTG data is available in CSV or XML format. NaPTAN and NPTG are well established and technically robust services. They are fully cloud based, platformed to Google Cloud Platform. Development is done in primarily in C# (using .NET), however some parts of it uses Javascript (NodeJS) and some Python for data analysis. There are a few public Application Programming Interface (API) endpoints which have been developed which allow users to download the datasets. Swagger is utilised to automate the API documentation and helps ensure documentation is up-to-date by using code annotations to produce API endpoint reference documentation. NaPTAN uses Terraform for Infrastructure as Code (IaC) to make sure all deployments are versioned and can be easily replicated automatically when required. Where the supplied staff will work London Where the supplied staff will work No specific location (for example they can work remotely) Why the work is being done NaPTAN and NPTG are nationally significant datasets which forms an integral part of the data transport network in Great Britain, and as such we will continue to support and develop these services. The business problem you need to solve We are focusing on maintaining the functionality and security of the systems, as well as improving data quality. In addition, we are enhancing NaPTAN by building new accessibility features into our service. Accessibility data There is a lack of comprehensive, centralised, and reliable information about the accessibility of public transport stops in Great Britain. This creates challenges for individuals with diverse access needs when planning journeys using public transport. The intention is to improve the availability and quality of accessibility information by incorporating this data into NaPTAN. Rail Replacement bus data Rail replacement services are needed when a scheduled train cannot service a rail line due to planned and unplanned engineering work and emergency circumstances. The Public Ser-vice Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023 (PSVAIR) came into force on 1 October 2023. The PSVAIR requirements provide that digital visible and audio route and upcoming stop information must be incorporated into onboard accessible information provision by local transport service providers. These regulations are intended to ensure that passengers fully understand their journey and onboard and alight at the correct stop. Although the application of the PSVAIR regulations is intended to particularly benefit disabled passengers, they will also assist any passenger on an unfamiliar rail replacement bus journey. The temporary nature of rail replacement services means that many passengers will be travelling on a bus route they have rarely travelled before. Bus and coach operators (operators) are advised to use NaPTAN data to ensure consistency in relation to bus stop names given to passengers by other media channels, such as websites, transport applications, or paper timetables. Although NaPTAN holds data on all public transport stops in Great Britain, the locations of rail replacement stops are not currently available. First user type: Local Transport Authority First user type: NaPTAN team member First user type: Data Consumers First user type: Passengers Questions and Clarifications 1. General - Supplier are unable to access the event clarifications. Please contact CCS and advise you are unable to access the event clarifications. While CCS are looking into this, DfT will broadcast clarification questions to all suppliers rather than add them to the event clarification section. Last Updated: 8 October 2025, 10:25 2. We note that there are no Nice to have questions published in Stage 1 of the procurement. Is this correct? Yes this is correct. DfT are not using Nice to Have criteria for this procurement. Last Updated: 8 October 2025, 09:10