Official UK procurement notice
P-3265 Bus Real Time & Supporting Services
Authority: Translink (Public body)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionTranslink seek to engage with suppliers that can provide a suitable solution for a comprehensive Real-Time Bus tracking, prediction generation, operational and historical monitoring, display content and management solution across its Metro and Ulsterbus Fleet (c. 1660 buses). The solution will be used by Bus Service Operators to effectively monitor and manage Bus fleet related operations in real time as well as Passenger Information and Communication throughout Northern Ireland.
Translink require the system to be capable of interfacing with on-street and on-board non-proprietary hardware through RTIG-T047 protocol, ensuring the provision of RTPI on existing Metro, Glider, and Ulsterbus services continues without interruption. Additionally, suppliers will be required to provide all necessary maintenance services.
Before embarking on a tender process, we wish to engage with the marketplace to gather information which will be used to inform the sourcing strategy for this contract and thus, the procurement process. We are therefore seeking to engage with experienced Real Time Passenger Information and associated providers, which are capable of fulfilling the requirements listed above.
It is anticipated that this contract will commence Q2 2027.
Our requirements include, but are not limited to the following:
- An open data approach to enable integration to ensure interoperability with other client systems to enhance data flow and automate manual processes.
- Integrate with future systems and journey planners.
- Provide comprehensive maintenance services for on-street and on-board hardware.
- Ensure minimal quantity and frequency of faults and maintain the serviceability of the system.
- Fleet Management & Live Vehicle Tracking.
- Provide a predictive analysis solution that can support decision-making for control room staff
- Driver Interface & Public Address system for Glider.
- Performance and Management Reporting.
- Provide drivers with intelligence on service performance and communication options.
- Provide accurate and timely information about bus arrivals and departures at stops.
- Provide on street display content management services.
- Facilitate automated audio-visual next stop announcements on vehicles, configurable to multiple languages and tailored branded graphics.
- Improve disruption management including passenger messaging.
- Support future methods for providing information to passengers.
- Implement a solution compatible with RTIG national standards for Traffic Signal Priority.
CPV: Buses and coaches · Industry specific software package
How this framework works
From the published notice- Framework period
- 5 yrs · up to 8 yrs from 1 Apr 2027
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedWhat it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
- “P-3265 Bus Real Time & Supporting Services” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract.
Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published
How Translink buys Motor vehicles for the transport of 10 or more persons (CPV 3412), and who usually turns up
Translink’s published record next to the market for the same work. Compared with other frameworks and DPS only. Whole-market view: Motor vehicles for the transport of 10 or more persons (CPV 3412) →
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.
Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered. The market figure counts awards delivered in Northern Ireland.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners were registered in the region where that award was delivered.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards have an award date within 157 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.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Missing bid counts may hide more single-bid awards. This share is a minimum.
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 bid6% / 0%
2–329% / 14%
4–624% / 14%
7+41% / 71%
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.
On a framework or DPS, prices are agreed when work is called off.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Not comparable on a framework or DPS: the price is set later, on each call-off.
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 3412Published estimate£5.0m
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 34 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid41%
2–326%
4–615%
7+18%
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
- Goods
- Notice status
- Planned procurement
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Utilities
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 18 Sept 2025, 15:37 BST
- Last source update
- 18 Sept 2025, 15:37 BST
- Authority reference
P-3265- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-057813- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-059d6aFind a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- —
Timeline
18 Sept 2025 → 1 Apr 2027 · 4 dates- Planning notice published18 Sept 2025, 15:37 BST
- Market engagement357 days ago31 Oct 2025, 23:59 GMT
Translink will issue a Pre Market Engagement questionnaire and invite suitable companies to present during October 2025.
Requests to participate AND for copies of the Pre Market Engagement questionnaire please email [email protected]
- Tender notice expected52 days ago1 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
- Today24 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 159 days1 Apr 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Preliminary market engagement notice published18 Sept 2025, 15:37 BSTUK2
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
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