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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

LCRCA Bus Franchising Contract Management System

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority · Tender notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 30 Sept 2026, 12:00.

Opportunity overview

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) is on a journey to take back control of the city region's bus network through Bus Franchising. The LCRCA will become responsible for 100% of the bus network and will award contracts to operators to run these services on their behalf, with key performance metrics in place with constant monitoring of their performance. To support LCRCA's Bus Franchising service, LCRCA wish to procure a new Bus Franchising Contract Management System (CMS), with a combined performance payment calculator (PPC). The LCRCA Bus Franchising service is scheduled to go-live on September 6th 2026 and the new CMS (with PPC) must therefore be procured well in advance of this date and must be fully operational and ready for go-live use by 1st August 2026 (1x month before Bus Franchising go-live). The fully operational go-live date of the 1st August is the minimum date requirement and ideally, LCRCA would expect the Supplier to achieve an operational go-live date in June/July 2026. Background LCRCA have an existing CMS which has been in operation for (approx.) 4yrs and is used for the management of the supported bus network data (approx. 331x contracts across 16x operators, ranging from single school journeys to general daily services). Note: The current LCRCA CMS is used for the management of the supported bus network data only, and is not used for the current commercial network (approx. 240K trips per month). LCRCA are looking to engage with a Supplier to provide Contract Management capabilities that will allow the LCRCA to ensure each Bus Franchising Operators' service payment accurately reflects the contract in place and incorporates any performance measure adjustments. LCRCA's Bus Franchising CMS will need to deliver the following:? • Business as usual Franchise Contract management (new/change/cancel). • Contract changes, temporary, emergency and permanent. • Excellent UI, maximum automation. • Ability to ingest bus timetable data in TxC format. • Logging of breaches/fixed penalties.? • Data export and dashboards. LCRCA's Bus Franchising PPC will need to deliver the following:? Ability to hold/refresh indexed elements used in payment calculations. Integration with AVL data to calculate Indexed Lost Mileage, which has been approved by LCRCA. Logging of Excusing Events and how data can be excluded from the calculation. The calculation of bonus/deductions for: Start Point punctuality. Intermediate point punctuality. Vehicle compliance. Customer Complaints. Breaches. Partnering & Growth element. Patronage element. Calculation of Service payment in line with payment schedule. Calculation of performance adjustment. Logging of miscellaneous payments. Self-Billing invoice creation. Approval & authorisation (by different roles) for payment. Integration with payment system.

Classification

  • CPV48000000 — Software package and information systems
  • CPV72000000 — IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Lots

  • Lot 1£912k

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
DN787667
Status
cancelled
Above Threshold
Yes
Procurement Method
open
Main Procurement Category
services
How to submit
Bidders wishing to respond to this tender opportunity are requested to log in to their ProContract Due North portal account. The tender can be located by searching its description or using the DN reference number provided. Once you have accessed the tender, you will be able to view and complete the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ). All responses must be submitted via the Proactis portal before the stated deadline. This PSQ stage is mandatory and will determine which suppliers progress to the next stage of the procurement process. To register for this tender opportunity and other public sector tenders, please visit: https://procontract.due-north.com/SupplierRegistration/Register
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure

Procedure

Features
The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority (LCRCA) is implementing bus franchising, taking full responsibility for the city region's bus network. To support this, LCRCA requires a Contract Management System capable of meeting franchising requirements, including performance monitoring and compliance with key metrics. This opportunity will follow a competitive flexible procurement process: Expression of Interest & PSQ Stage Interested suppliers must register their interest via The Chest procurement portal. Upon registration, suppliers will gain access to the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ). The PSQ must be completed and submitted through The Chest before the stated deadline. Only suppliers who successfully pass the PSQ evaluation will progress to the next stage. Closed Invitation to Tender (ITT) Stage Shortlisted suppliers will be invited to participate in the closed ITT stage. At this point, they will receive the full tender pack, including: Detailed specifications Supporting tender documents Instructions for submission and evaluation criteria This process ensures that only qualified suppliers proceed to the ITT stage, enabling LCRCA to select a solution that meets its operational and strategic objectives for bus franchising.

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Expected award period

Ends
1 Feb 2026, 23:59

Tender Period

Ends
28 Nov 2025, 12:00

Enquiry period

Ends
19 Nov 2025, 12:00

Submission terms

Electronic Submission Policy
notAllowed

Languages

en

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
cancelled

Value

Amount
912,000
Currency
GBP
Including VAT
1,140,000

Suitability

Sme
Yes

Award criteria

Criteria

Criterion 1
Name
Price
Type
price

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
30
Weight
percentageExact
Criterion 2
Name
Quality
Type
quality

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
70
Weight
percentageExact

Contract period

Ends
31 Jul 2031, 23:59
Starts
1 Aug 2026, 00:00

Selection criteria

Criteria

Criterion 1
Type
technical
Description
Technical Overview As part of this procurement process, bidders will be required to complete a Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ). The PSQ will include questions designed to assess technical capability, relevant experience, and compliance with initial requirements. All responses must be submitted via The Chest procurement portal by the stated deadline. The PSQ will outline the key technical requirements for the proposed Contract Management System. These requirements will cover areas such as: System functionality to support bus franchising operations Performance monitoring and reporting capabilities Integration with existing LCRCA systems and data sources Security, scalability, and user accessibility standards Suppliers who successfully pass the PSQ stage will be invited to the closed Invitation to Tender (ITT) stage. At this point, they will receive the full specification, along with all supporting tender documents, enabling them to provide a detailed technical and commercial proposal.

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UKD72
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Id
48000000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Software package and information systems
Entry 2
Id
72000000
Scheme
CPV
Description
IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Published documents

Entry 1
Id
conflictOfInterest
Description
Not published
Document Type
conflictOfInterest
Entry 2
Id
069508-2025
Format
text/html
Notice Type
UK4
Description
Tender notice on Find a Tender
Document Type
tenderNotice
Published
29 Oct 2025, 16:03
Entry 3
Id
071834-2025
Format
text/html
Notice Type
UK12
Description
Procurement termination notice on Find a Tender
Document Type
tenderCancellationNotice
Published
7 Nov 2025, 08:39

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Id
GB-PPON-PNDZ-8253-CJJM
Name
Liverpool City Region Combined Authority

Roles

buyer

Address

Region
UKD72
Country
GB
Locality
Liverpool
Postal Code
L3 1BP
Country Name
United Kingdom
Street Address
1 Mann Island

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Id
publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Description
Public authority - sub-central government

Identifier

Id
PNDZ-8253-CJJM
Scheme
GB-PPON

Contact

Award information

Award 1
Id
1
Status
cancelled
Status Details
Due to an administrative error, the UK4: Tender notice for LCRCA Bus Franchising Contract Management System has been withdrawn. The tender will be republished in due course.
Final Status Date
7 Nov 2025, 00:00

Related lots

1

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Liverpool · UKD72 · L3 1BP · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKD72 · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. ocds-h6vhtk-05d693-2025-11-07T08:39:41ZTender notice on Find a Tender ·