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planningFind a Tender · planning

Operational Communications Platform (OCP)

Buyer: Transport for London →

BuyerTransport for London
Statusplanning
DeadlineNot published
ValueValue not published
Published9 Mar 2026

What is being bought

Transport for London is conducting a preliminary engagement to establish the availability and appetite of the market to improve efficiency and consistency of TfL incident communications. The Operational Communications Platform (OCP) will provide a single portal for sending out bulk communications around ongoing incidents to relevant stakeholders across multiple channels (such as email, SMS and potentially Teams messages). Primary users will be the Surface Control Centre (SCC) and Rail Control Centre (RCC). The platform will provide auditable logging of (and reporting on) communications, and facilitate message creation and distribution (including the use of pre-defined templates, distributions lists, etc.). It is envisioned that the solution will reuse existing enterprise capabilities (including TfL's Azure tenancy for sending emails and teams messages) and potentially integrate with other third-party services for SMS delivery via API (for example, gov.notify). This initiative is essential to simplify and standardise communication across TfL's operational control centres, replacing fragmented and outdated methods with a unified, modern platform. By moving away from a heavy reliance on SMS-based messaging and adopting app-based delivery, the organisation can significantly reduce ongoing communication costs while improving message traceability and user experience. The proposed solution will also enhance operational resilience by supporting full failover capability and off-network access, ensuring continuity of communication during system outages or emergencies. Additionally, the platform will incorporate identity and access management features, including integration with TfL's Directory Management Lifecycle (DML) processes to effectively manage user provisioning, movers, and leavers. This will strengthen security, streamline user administration, and ensure compliance with governance standards. The total estimated contract value is to be confirmed. We are seeking input on initial upfront capital investment and the operational/subscription cost for the first year, and potential future year extensions.

Delivery location

UKC, GB · UKD, GB · UKE, GB · UKF, GB · UKG, GB · UKH, GB · UKI, GB · UKJ, GB · UKK, GB

Categories

IT software package 48517000Programming services of systems and user software 72211000Railway traffic control software development services 72212140Platform interconnectivity software development services 72212211IT software development services 72212517Backup or recovery software development services 72212710Data security software development services 72212732

Lot details

Lot 1

No lot description published.

Statusplanning
Contract periodFrom 27 Mar 2027 to 26 Mar 2028
SME suitabilitySuitable for SMEs

What is included

ItemCategoryQuantity
1IT software package, Programming services of systems and user software, Railway traffic control software development services, Platform interconnectivity software development services, IT software development services, Backup or recovery software development services, Data security software development servicesNot published

Comparable-procurement analytics

Benchmarked against retained Find a Tender procedures with CPV division 48. The category anchor is IT software package (48517000); this is a deliberately broad market comparator. The comparison is shown at several levels rather than pretending one company or region is always the best benchmark.

Comparison setProceduresReported bids per procedureNamed award suppliersPrice evidence
Market: CPV division 483,4761 median · 6.2 average (1,156 of 3,476 with a bid count)1.5 average (1,323 of 3,476 with named award suppliers)Not published
Same buyer9Not publishedNot publishedNot published
Delivery region: UKC2251 median · 3.3 average (87 of 225 with a bid count)1 average (101 of 225 with named award suppliers)Not published

“Reported bids” is an official aggregate, sometimes reported per lot; it is the closest available competition measure. “Named award suppliers” are winners, not all applicants.

Price-outcome signal

Not enough comparable procedures currently publish both a GBP tender value and a usable lowest-valid-bid value to calculate a responsible price-reduction benchmark. Tenderline deliberately does not infer a saving from named award suppliers or from missing award values.

Procurement strategy & market signals

Framework agreementNot published
Dynamic purchasing systemNot published
Competitive procurementNot published
Recurring requirementNot published
Procurement method rationaleNot published
Rationale classificationsNot published
Special regimeconcession
Covered byNot published
Submission policyNot published
Selection criteriaNot published
Risk detailsNot published

Planning & early market engagement

BudgetValue not published
No-engagement rationaleNot published
Planning documents1
Planning milestones1
MilestoneTypeDueStatus
For more information, and the opportunity to complete a Market Sounding Questionnaire (MSQ), contact OCP@tfl.gov.uk to express your organisation's interest.engagement23 Mar 2026scheduled

Related procurements

No linked framework, prior procurement or reprocurement published.

Documents & submission route

Source data inventory

Diagnostic view. “Not published” means this current release does not provide a value.

OCIDocds-h6vhtk-06656e
Latest release ID020922-2026
Latest release timestampMon Mar 09 2026 14:01:18 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Sourcefind-a-tender
Official notice URLNot published
Tender statusplanning
Procurement methodNot published
Procurement method detailsNot published
Main procurement categoryservices
Above thresholdYes
Legal basis2023/54
Tender period: startNot published
Tender period: endNot published
Expression of interest deadlineNot published
Enquiry deadlineNot published
Award period: startNot published
Award period: endNot published
Submission method detailsNot published
Submission languagesNot published
Electronic catalogue policyNot published
Total tender valueNot published
Tender lots in source1
Tender items in source1
Tender documents in source0
Awards in latest release0
Contracts in latest release0
Parties in latest release1

Notice history

DateEventReference
9 Mar 2026planning020922-2026

All source data

Unmodified official OCDS data retained by Tenderline for this procurement process.

Complete current OCDS release JSON
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  "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-06656e",
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    "id": "GB-PPON-PHMT-6197-NWNZ",
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          {
            "region": "UKD",
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            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
          },
          {
            "region": "UKE",
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          {
            "region": "UKF",
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            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
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    "title": "Operational Communications Platform (OCP)",
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    "description": "Transport for London is conducting a preliminary engagement to establish the availability and appetite of the market to improve efficiency and consistency of TfL incident communications.\nThe Operational Communications Platform (OCP) will provide a single portal for sending out bulk communications around ongoing incidents to relevant stakeholders across multiple channels (such as email, SMS and potentially Teams messages). Primary users will be the Surface Control Centre (SCC) and Rail Control Centre (RCC). The platform will provide auditable logging of (and reporting on) communications, and facilitate message creation and distribution (including the use of pre-defined templates, distributions lists, etc.). It is envisioned that the solution will reuse existing enterprise capabilities (including TfL's Azure tenancy for sending emails and teams messages) and potentially integrate with other third-party services for SMS delivery via API (for example, gov.notify). \nThis initiative is essential to simplify and standardise communication across TfL's operational control centres, replacing fragmented and outdated methods with a unified, modern platform. By moving away from a heavy reliance on SMS-based messaging and adopting app-based delivery, the organisation can significantly reduce ongoing communication costs while improving message traceability and user experience. \nThe proposed solution will also enhance operational resilience by supporting full failover capability and off-network access, ensuring continuity of communication during system outages or emergencies. Additionally, the platform will incorporate identity and access management features, including integration with TfL's Directory Management Lifecycle (DML) processes to effectively manage user provisioning, movers, and leavers. This will strengthen security, streamline user administration, and ensure compliance with governance standards.\nThe total estimated contract value is to be confirmed. We are seeking input on initial upfront capital investment and the operational/subscription cost for the first year, and potential future year extensions.",
    "specialRegime": [
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        "countryName": "United Kingdom",
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      },
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      },
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    }
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "planning": {
    "documents": [
      {
        "id": "020922-2026",
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        "format": "text/html",
        "noticeType": "UK2",
        "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
        "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
        "datePublished": "2026-03-09T14:01:18Z"
      }
    ],
    "milestones": [
      {
        "id": "engagement",
        "type": "engagement",
        "status": "scheduled",
        "dueDate": "2026-03-23T23:59:59Z",
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      }
    ]
  },
  "initiationType": "tender"
}
Complete JSON history (1 releases)
9 Mar 2026 · 020922-2026 · planning
{
  "id": "020922-2026",
  "tag": [
    "planning"
  ],
  "date": "2026-03-09T14:01:18Z",
  "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-06656e",
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    "name": "Transport for London"
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    "items": [
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          {
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            "country": "GB",
            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
          },
          {
            "region": "UKE",
            "country": "GB",
            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
          },
          {
            "region": "UKF",
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          },
          {
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          },
          {
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            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
          },
          {
            "region": "UKI",
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            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
          },
          {
            "region": "UKJ",
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            "scheme": "CPV",
            "description": "Programming services of systems and user software"
          },
          {
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            "scheme": "CPV",
            "description": "Railway traffic control software development services"
          },
          {
            "id": "72212211",
            "scheme": "CPV",
            "description": "Platform interconnectivity software development services"
          },
          {
            "id": "72212517",
            "scheme": "CPV",
            "description": "IT software development services"
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          {
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            "description": "Backup or recovery software development services"
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          {
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    "specialRegime": [
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        "region": "UKI41",
        "country": "GB",
        "locality": "London",
        "postalCode": "E20 1JN",
        "countryName": "United Kingdom",
        "streetAddress": "5 Endeavour Square"
      },
      "details": {
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          {
            "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment",
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        "id": "020922-2026",
        "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020922-2026",
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        "noticeType": "UK2",
        "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
        "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
        "datePublished": "2026-03-09T14:01:18Z"
      }
    ],
    "milestones": [
      {
        "id": "engagement",
        "type": "engagement",
        "status": "scheduled",
        "dueDate": "2026-03-23T23:59:59Z",
        "description": "For more information, and the opportunity to complete a Market Sounding Questionnaire (MSQ), contact OCP@tfl.gov.uk \nto express your organisation's interest."
      }
    ]
  },
  "initiationType": "tender"
}