Published date: 8 December 2023
This notice was replaced on 9 May 2024
This notice does not contain the most up-to-date information about this procurement. The most recent notice is:
Awarded contract (published 9 May 2024)
Closed opportunity - This means that the contract is currently closed. The buying department may be considering suppliers that have already applied, or no suitable offers were made.
Contract summary
Industry
Transport services (excl. Waste transport) - 60000000
IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support - 72000000
Location of contract
United Kingdom
Value of contract
£125,000
Procurement reference
KENT001-DN702739-11204264
Published date
8 December 2023
Closing date
19 January 2024
Closing time
12pm
Contract start date
1 April 2024
Contract end date
31 March 2028
Contract type
Service contract
Procedure type
Open procedure
Any interested supplier may submit a tender in response to an opportunity notice.
Contract is suitable for SMEs?
Yes
Contract is suitable for VCSEs?
No
Description
In March 2021, the UK Government publish a new National Bus Strategy setting out a framework for bus service recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic and a vision for future bus service improvements across the UK. The national strategy placed a requirement on all Local Transport Authorities to create a Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). Kent County Council's (the Council) Bus Service Improvement Plan published in October 2021 set out a vision for how the Authority will try to improve bus services in Kent over the coming years. Initiatives proposed to be delivered sit within eight areas: bus priority; highways initiatives; fares and ticketing; BRT and MaaS; network developments; bus stop infrastructure; public transport information; and air quality.
Kent County Council are now implementing the initiatives agreed with the Department for Transport utilising the funding made available. As part of the Public Transport Information BSIP project area, Kent County Council are looking to procure and deliver a Bus Passenger Information Portal for the public. This is seeking to provide a one-stop-shop for Kent public transport information, including an interactive bus map with pop up timetables, real time bus and rail departure times and multi-modal journey planning functionality. This is seeking to generate increased usage of public and sustainable modes of transport through improved quality of service information.
The Bus Passenger Information Portal would be publicly accessible and free to all users. It would be open for use by the 1,578,500 people who live within the Kent County Council area and those who plan to visit the area from elsewhere. Prior to the pandemic, Kent's bus services reached on average 179,000 journeys on weekdays, 118,000 on Saturdays and 44,000 on Sundays. While there has been a reduction in patronage since the pandemic, the platform will have a large audience of users, with the ambition being that the tool helps contribute towards the patronage recovery.
It is noted that during the lifetime of the contract under a separate procurement exercise, Kent County Council is planning to install QR codes across all bus stops within the County to provide real-time bus departures. It is the expectation that the QR codes would provide a direct link to the interactive bus map as procured as part of this contract, and that the Map provider will provide unique URL links to each specific stop which will be incorporated within the QR codes at no additional cost.
About the buyer
Contact name
Adam Chilvers
Address
Invicta House
Maidstone
ME14 1XX
United Kingdom
Website
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