Find a TenderPlanned procurementPreliminary market engagement notice
Published 20 Jul 2026, 16:50 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Group ERP · UK public procurement notice

Authority: Transport for Greater Manchester (Public body)

ServicesAbove threshold
Planned pipeline valueValue not publishedpipeline notice, not a live tender
Tender notice expected 1 Apr 2027from the planned procurement notice
Contract term 6 yrsends 1 Jan 2034 · up to 1 Jan 2038 with extensions · starts 1 Jan 2028

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Background

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) delivers the transport policies set by the Greater Manchester Mayor and GMCA and owns Metrolink, the UK's largest light rail network.

At TfGM we're working hard to deliver the Bee Network, the Mayor's vision to make travel easier in our dynamic city-region - the UK's largest regional economy outside London with a diverse population of more than 2.8 million people. The Bee Network aims to deliver a single, recognisable iconic bus, Metrolink and active travel brand.

TfGM implements the decisions made by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and its TfGM Committee to improve transport services and facilities in Greater Manchester. We co-ordinate public transport and other types of travel - like driving, cycling and walking - throughout the ten district areas of Greater Manchester and we work closely with bus, tram and train operators to help put the customer first and improve the journey experience.

By investing in new, modern transport interchanges, smarter travel information and our Bee Network app we're making it easier for residents and visitors to get around on public transport.

With our partners at Highways England and the ten local authorities we work to keep our roads safe and ease congestion. Our strategic management of the Key Route Network keeps traffic flowing on some of Greater Manchester's busiest roads.

We're also planning for a more sustainable future. Through the Greater Manchester 2040 Transport Strategy and Air Quality Action Plan we aim to make our city-region a cleaner, greener and healthier place to live, work and play in.

For more information, visit www.tfgm.com ↗.

TfGM has been exploring options to replace its SAP ERP system, which is approaching end‑of‑life support and no longer aligns with the organisation's changing requirements. This has strengthened the case for considering a more integrated approach to ERP, one that could support both individual organisational priorities and emerging Group‑wide ambitions.

To understand what a future approach might look like, GMCA, GMFRS, TfGM and strategic partner GMP jointly commissioned a Group & Partner ERP feasibility assessment in late 2025 (collectively referred to as 'Group ERP'). The assessment brought together colleagues from all four organisations and concluded that there is a strong appetite to progress a Group ERP. Taken together, the findings create a compelling environment for moving forward - not simply to modernise existing systems, but to establish a shared digital foundation that supports more consistent processes, harmonised data and clearer insight across the Group, while respecting the distinctive needs, identities and statutory responsibilities of each organisation.

Our vision is to establish a unified Group ERP that transforms how we plan, manage, and deliver services - strengthening our financial management, giving clearer visibility and control over what we spend, improving how we support and develop our people, and enhancing collaboration in ways that respect the distinct identities and statutory responsibilities of each organisation. This will enable the Group to create greater value for the communities and places we serve across Greater Manchester.

CPV: Software package and information systems · Software programming and consultancy services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published
Lot #1PlannedRenewal 6 yrs
Contract period: 1 Jan 2028 – 1 Jan 2034 (6 yrs) · up to 1 Jan 2038 with extensions
Delivery: North West
Extensions: Extension options published

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published

How Transport for Greater Manchester buys Software programming and consultancy services (CPV 7220), and who usually turns up

Transport for Greater Manchester’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: Software programming and consultancy services (CPV 7220) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.

Question for the bid
This buyerTransport for Greater Manchester · division 72
What to do with it
How often do SMEs win?
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.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 0 of 3 known-size awards · market: CPV 7220 · North West England, n=15
0 of 333%

No small-firm winners recorded among this authority’s published awards in this sample.

How often do local suppliers win?
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 registered in North West England.

A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 3 of 8 known-location awards · market: CPV 7220 · North West England, n=22
38%18%

Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered outside North West England.

How long to a decision?
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.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 11 decided notices · market: CPV 7220 · UK-wide, n=12
77 days41 days

Half of these awards were announced within 77 days of the bid deadline.

How often single-bid or direct?
i

How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.

Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.

Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.

Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: at least 5 of 8 procurements with awards had no recorded rival · market: CPV 7220 · North West England, n=28
63%79%

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.

Last 36 months.

This buyer20 lots with bid counts · all categories
0% had one bid
The market15 lots with bid counts · CPV 7220 · UK-wide
20% had one bid
Buyer / market · select a colour for counts
1 bid0% / 20%
Buyer: 0 of 20 lots with published bid counts. Market: 3 of 15 lots with published bid counts.
2–330% / 13%
Buyer: 6 of 20 lots with published bid counts. Market: 2 of 15 lots with published bid counts.
4–660% / 20%
Buyer: 12 of 20 lots with published bid counts. Market: 3 of 15 lots with published bid counts.
7+10% / 47%
Buyer: 2 of 20 lots with published bid counts. Market: 7 of 15 lots with published bid counts.

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.

Last 36 months.

This buyer15 lots with estimate and award · all categories
53% below estimate
The market10 lots with estimate and award · CPV 7220 · UK-wide
40% below estimate
Buyer / market · select a colour for counts
Below estimate53% / 40%
Buyer: 8 of 15 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 4 of 10 lots with an estimate and award.
Within ±2%20% / 30%
Buyer: 3 of 15 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 3 of 10 lots with an estimate and award.
Above estimate27% / 30%
Buyer: 4 of 15 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 3 of 10 lots with an estimate and award.
2

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.

Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list

Lot #1CPV 722072 monthsEstimate not published
Expected competition
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 47 past lots.

A forecast, not a list of bidders.

—No model forecast yet9% single-bid risk
Past bids on 47 similar lots
1 bid9%
4 of 47 similar past lots received 1 bid (9%).
2–328%
13 of 47 similar past lots received 2–3 (28%).
4–621%
10 of 47 similar past lots received 4–6 (21%).
7+43%
20 of 47 similar past lots received 7+ (43%).
Comparable past lots usually drew 5 bids.
Commercial price forecast
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.

—Estimate not published
The buyer published no estimate for this lot, so there is nothing to forecast against. A price prediction here would be a number about a number we do not have.

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.

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.

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
20 Jul 2026, 16:50 BST
Last source update
20 Jul 2026, 16:50 BST
Authority reference
DN817489
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-068434
Latest notice
Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
Classification (CPV)
Software package and information systemsSoftware programming and consultancy services
Delivery area
North West (UKD3)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06cf39 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Submission deadline
—

Timeline

20 Jul 2026 → 1 Jan 2028 · 4 dates
  1. Planning notice published93 days ago
    20 Jul 2026, 16:50 BST
  2. Market engagement19 days ago
    1 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST

    The market engagement undertaken is intended to support constructive supplier feedback on strategy and other elements of the upcoming procurement, it should not be interpreted as a commitment to proceed with any specific solution, value, vendor, or delivery approach. The information provided does not constitute a formal procurement, nor does it guarantee that respondents will be invited to participate in subsequent stages. Instead, the pack is designed to gather insight, explore feasibility, and help us shape a well-informed path forward.

    Please note the market engagement deadline may extend beyond the deadline noted.

    The market engagement for this procurement may involve (but is not limited to):

    • Product/system Demonstrations
    • Request for Information
    • Face to face supplier meetings
    • Benchmarking
    • Events

    We encourage all interested parties to respond to any market engagement requests openly and thoughtfully, as your input will play an important role in refining our requirements and future strategy.

    All market engagement documentation will be available via Pro Contract under the DN reference noted above. You can access Pro Contract here:

    procontract.due-north.com/Login ↗

    With the below reference:

    DN817489

    Interested organisations are required to complete the 'Request for Information', which is designed to obtain information of key interest to TfGM to understand the capabilities of the marketplace.

    Organisations are invited to respond to all questions, as completely and openly as possible.

    All information provided by an organisation will be treated as confidential as set out within the document.

    Word counts/submission limitations are documented within the Request For Information document.

    If organisations have any questions about this RFI, such questions should be submitted to TfGM via the ProContract messaging facility. The question and response may be circulated to all organisations, with anonymity of the organisation preserved.

    Suppliers are required to submit their Request For Information responses by close of business (5pm) on Monday 17th August. Any submissions after this time will not be accepted.

  3. Today
    21 Oct 2026
  4. Tender notice expectedin 163 days
    1 Apr 2027, 23:59 BST
  5. Contract starts
    1 Jan 2028

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    20 Jul 2026, 16:50 BST
    UK2

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

Transport for Greater Manchester

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PNJQ-2746-NWYT 2 Piccadilly Place, Manchester, North West, M1 3BGContact email

Official documents & specifications (1)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure