Official UK procurement notice
GBR Online Retail - Market Engagement
Authority: DFT Operator Limited 'DFTO' (Central government)·On behalf of: NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITED
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionBackground
This preliminary market engagement exercise is being conducted by DfT Operator Limited (DFTO) on the basis described in this notice and in the accompanying documents.
The Fares, Ticketing and Retail (FTR) Programme brings together teams from across the rail industry to transform how passengers purchase and use tickets. By modernising outdated fares, enhancing the passenger experience and unlocking retail innovation, the FTR Programme will improve passenger journeys, drive commercial growth and achieve greater cost efficiency across the rail network.
We intend to make retail, easy, reliable and smart for passengers using modern technology to bring excellence to the experience. The retail experience will be built on a tech stack containing future-facing technology allowing us to take advantage of retail technical advances as these appear.
Through bringing together cross-sector expertise, the FTR Programme is delivering impactful changes for passengers now, ahead of the transition to Great British Railways (GBR). These modernisations will help bring decades of fragmentation and inefficiency to an end through a simpler, more unified railway owned by the public, for the public under GBR.
The FTR Programme is actively steering a series of transformational, cross-industry initiatives re-shaping fares, ticketing and retail. They include trials of easier to understand fares, introduction of tap-in, tap-out payments, and the introduction of smart ticketing. The Government released the Railways Bill on 5 November, sharing its policy position on GBR Online Retail in the related information and consultation-see Railways Bill: tickets and retail - GOV.UK.
The FTR Programme is a collaboration between the Department for Transport (DfT), DFTO, Rail Delivery Group, Devolved and Regional Transport Bodies, and train operators. It is governed by DfT. The FTR Programme regularly engages with other industry stakeholders and delivery partners including ticketing retailers and campaign groups.
Project Description
The GBR Online Retail project will deliver the passenger-facing channel for GBR, GBR Online (website and app), at launch. The aim is to provide a high-quality national retail and journey information service, aligned with broader GBR branding and transition. This preliminary market engagement exercise will set out the current direction and seek supplier insight ahead of procurement.
We will create a unified GBR Online digital experience that:
- Simplifies customer experience and opportunity to increase revenue as a result
- Realises cost efficiencies from reduction in duplication of websites and apps across DfT operator brands and nationalrail.co.uk
- Enables improved service information authority and aligned post journey support
- Supports wider FTR initiatives (e.g., fares reform, delay repay, railcards).
GBR Online Retail will operate within a fair and open retail market, designed to foster real improvements for passengers and taxpayers, including innovation in customer service, wider ticketing availability and diverse options to support digital journeys.
Emerging Scope
It is currently envisaged that there would be two phases of work under the GBR Online Retail project:
Phase 1 launch scope (non-exhaustive)
- Ticket retailing and associated services (purchase, fulfilment across paper/Barcode/ITSO, seat & cycle reservations, Passenger Assist).
- Journey planning with clear pricing, comparison and best fare guidance.
- Live service information including disruption and future travel advice.
- Post-sale customer support (changes, refunds, Delay Repay).
Phase Two : TOC integration - over up to 12-months post-launch to integrate capabilities, across all Department for Transport (DfT) publicly owned operators. Beyond the Phase 1, GBR may expect the solution to be continually developed and enhanced based on a roadmap that is agreed with GBR and regularly updated based on customer and market needs. It is anticipated that this may see the phase-out of some services delivered in place of new capabilities.
A significant outcome to GBR of any procurement would be the delivery of an end-to-end accredited online national rail ticket retailing solution, associated payment gateway service and CRM platform, which provides flexibility with regards to future scope and access to APIs for ongoing development opportunities.
Project Objectives
GBR Online Retail will serve as the direct digital sales channel for GBR, supporting the FTR Programme's objectives by delivering a streamlined, accessible, and inclusive ticketing experience. Passengers will benefit from clear fare choices, simplified ticketing across digital and physical formats, and personalized journey information. The platform is designed to integrate railcards, concessions, and support services, ensuring inclusivity from launch.
GBR's ticketing website will combine the existing 14 rail operator websites and apps into one - with the previous websites ceasing to function. The solution will integrate with industry initiatives such as Fares Reform and Delay Repay, accelerate new product development, and support innovative customer propositions.
Key outcomes include a trusted one-stop shop for tickets, best price guarantees, seamless support, and a unified customer experience. For the rail industry, benefits include lower operational costs, increased brand impact, and a platform that drives innovation and competitiveness. The approach emphasises continuous improvement, data-driven customer insights, and rapid response to market opportunities. Hooks will be built in to enable the use of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence.
CPV: Automatic fare collection · Sale of travel tickets and package tours services · Software package and information systems · Software-related services · Tickets · Transport tickets
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedPipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published
How DFT Operator Limited 'DFTO' buys Calculating and accounting machines (CPV 3014), and who usually turns up
DFT Operator Limited 'DFTO'’s own published record, next to the published market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Calculating and accounting machines (CPV 3014) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Here, local means the winner is registered in the region where that contract was delivered.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered in Greater London.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards were announced within 53 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
The buyer’s share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid23%
2–315%
4–638%
7+23%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Below estimate22%
Within ±2%44%
Above estimate33%
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1CPV 3014Estimate not published
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. The bar shows 13 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid23%
2–315%
4–638%
7+23%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Planned procurement
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 1 Dec 2025, 15:43 GMT
- Last source update
- 1 Dec 2025, 15:43 GMT
- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-078591- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Not published
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05ec30Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
1 Dec 2025 → 2 Jan 2027 · 3 dates- Planning notice published323 days ago1 Dec 2025, 15:43 GMT
- Market engagement261 days ago31 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMT
To facilitate market engagement, DFTO intends to hold an open day supplier session followed by a series of additional engagement activities, with further details provided in the MOI.
The open day supplier session is to be held on 11th December 2025 ,online via Microsoft Teams or equivalent.
Before further information on the scope and engagement process of this project can be shared, suppliers must review and sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).
Suppliers intending to participate in the Pre Market Engagement are required to notify DFTO by submitting an expression of interest and completing the NDA. Both must be uploaded via the Message Centre through the Delta E-Sourcing Platform link below by 17:00 on 8th December 2025 :
www.delta-esourcing.com/respond/8U5B2W69TG ↗
Upon submission of the completed NDA, access shall be granted to the Memorandum of Information. This document outlines the project background, objectives, and key timelines, including the formal next steps in the market engagement process.
If you wish to request access to the MOI after 8th December 2025, please contact [email protected]. We will arrange for an NDA to be signed and provide access to the MOI and published engagement materials upon request; however, participation in the engagement sessions cannot be guaranteed. Those who miss the deadline to participate in the market engagement sessions may still submit a request however inclusion is at DFTO discretion.
Publication of this notice does not bind DFTO or subsidiaries, or any related person, in any way regarding the subject matter of this notice and it is possible that no procurement process will be launched in respect of the subject matter of this Pre-Market Engagement Exercise or that no resulting contract will be awarded. DFTO expressly reserves the right to amend details of the anticipated scope, requirements, contract duration, start and end dates, or any other matter, detailed within this notice. In no circumstances will DFTO be liable for any costs incurred by the suppliers.
This preliminary market engagement exercise does not constitute a formal procurement process, and participation in it does not confer any advantage or guarantee of success in any future procurement exercise.
Where used throughout this notice, the meaning of Train Operating Companies includes all and any of those train operating companies who, currently or in the future, provide services for the carriage of passengers by railway:
a) under a franchise agreement with the Secretary of State within the meaning of section 23(3) of the Railways Act 1993 or
b) under, or secured under, the Secretary of State's duty in section 30(1) of the Railways Act 1993; or
c) in accordance with legislation which supersedes or amends the powers referred to in a) and b), including where such powers are transferred from the Secretary of State to another body.
The list of current providers of services for the carriage of passengers by railway under these provisions can be found at www.gov.uk/guidance/public-regi… ↗.
Novation or Assignment
The conduct of this preliminary market engagement exercise, any subsequent procurement process, and / or any resulting contract, may be transferred, novated or assigned by DFTO to (or delivered for the benefit of) one or more Train Operating Companies, or any successor parent company to a Train Operating Company, or any other relevant entity, following a corporate restructuring or similar circumstance, or to align to the allocation of responsibilities between relevant sector participants, including those entities that are owned (directly or indirectly) by the Secretary of State for Transport. This may include, for example, novation of any resulting contract(s) to Great British Railways after it is launched.
Depending on the contracting approach, any resulting contract(s) may be a utilities contract (special regime contract) for the purposes of the Procurement Act 2023.
If you have any questions or require assistance, please contact [email protected] directly.
- Today20 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 74 days2 Jan 2027
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Preliminary market engagement notice published1 Dec 2025, 15:43 GMTUK2
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Pipeline notice- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
11 public bodies on the noticeOther public bodies
- C2C RAILWAY LIMITEDProcuring entityContributor
- Department for TransportProcuring entityContributor.
- GA TRAINS LIMITEDProcuring entityContributor
- LONDON NORTH EASTERN RAILWAY LIMITEDProcuring entityContributor
- NETWORK RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE LIMITEDProcuring entityContributor
- NORTHERN TRAINS LIMITEDProcuring entityContributor
- RAIL DELIVERY GROUP LIMITEDProcuring entityContributor
- SE TRAINS LIMITEDProcuring entityContributor
- SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY LIMITEDProcuring entityContributor
- TRANSPENNINE TRAINS LIMITEDProcuring entityContributor
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender