Official UK procurement notice
Private Medical Benefits Administrator
Authority: Transport for London (Public body)·On behalf of: TOWERS WATSON LIMITED
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionTransport for London (TfL) is seeking to procure an Administrator for its Private Medical Benefit under new contract commencing on the 1 April 2027. The contract will run for an initial three-year period with an option to extend for a further two years (1+1), at TfL's sole discretion.
The Administrator will be expected to manage the Private Medical Benefit on behalf of TfL, including assessing claims and paying treatment costs. The scheme is currently financed via a trust with c. 7,100 employees and their eligible dependants. TfL does not guarantee any minimum number of Scheme Members or volume of activity under the contract.
The administration service is of critical importance to TfL. The successful Administrator will be expected to deliver high quality service to both TfL and the Scheme Members, including an efficient claims process, responsive member helpline and proactive account management support.
TfL is seeking an Administrator that can effectivley procure and manage medical treatment spend while supporting positive member outcomes. The selected provider should be able to demonstrate robust cost control capabilities and experience of managing claims spend through appropriate treatment pathways. This includes the use of mechanisms such as direct access to musculoskeletal services and open referral networks, which form part of the benefit design and help deliver an effective claims journey whilst controlling costs.
Bidders must also demonstrate their ability to manage the implementation and transition of the scheme effectively, ensuring continuity of service and minimal disruption to TfL and Scheme Members.
The estimated contract value stated within this notice is based on the anticipated administration fees and stop-loss insurance premiums over the maximum potential contract term of five years. The estimated value stated in this notice reflects projected administration fees and stop loss insurance premiums across the maximum potential five year contract term. The stated value is indicative only and should not be interpreted as a guarantee of contract spend, supplier revenue or membership levels during the term of the contract.
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 5 May 2031, 23:59 BST.
- How the procedure runs: This procurement is being conducted using the Competitive Flexible Procedure under the Procurement Act 2023. Bidders will submit an Initial Tender comprising qualification, technical, commercial and contractual responses. Qualification requirements will be assessed first and only bidders meeting the Conditions of Participation and mandatory qualification requirements will progress to full evaluation. TfL will evaluate compliant tenders against the published award criteria and may seek clarifications where required. TfL reserves the right to undertake one or more rounds of negotiation with compliant bidders on technical, commercial, contractual and delivery matters. Following negotiation, TfL may refine its requirements, award criteria, evaluation methodology and tender documentation where permitted under the Procurement Act 2023 and will communicate any changes equally to all participating bidders. Following negotiations, bidders may be invited to submit a Final Tender. TfL reserves the right to award the contract on the basis of Initial Tenders without negotiation. The contract will be awarded to the bidder submitting the Most Advantageous Tender.
CPV: Financial and insurance services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1RenewalPublished value£14,480,000
What 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).
Published sub-criteria (3)
- Technical quality criteria: 75%
- Commercial criteria: 15%
- Social Value criteria: 10%
Published award criteria (3)
- Technical quality criteria
- Social Value criteria
- Commercial criteria
- Price carries 15 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 1.5 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Closed
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 5 May 2031
- First published
- 17 Apr 2026, 10:28 BST
- Last source update
- 20 Jul 2026, 13:56 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 21 Dec 2026
- Authority reference
WS2526527732- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-068249- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0684e8Find a Tender
- How it runs
This procurement is being conducted using the Competitive Flexible Procedure under the Procurement Act 2023. Bidders will submit an Initial Tender comprising qualification, technical, commercial and contractual responses. Qualification requirements will be assessed first and only bidders meeting the Conditions of Participation and mandatory qualification requirements will progress to full evaluation.
TfL will evaluate compliant tenders against the published award criteria and may seek clarifications where required. TfL reserves the right to undertake one or more rounds of negotiation with compliant bidders on technical, commercial, contractual and delivery matters. Following negotiation, TfL may refine its requirements, award criteria, evaluation methodology and tender documentation where permitted under the Procurement Act 2023 and will communicate any changes equally to all participating bidders.
Following negotiations, bidders may be invited to submit a Final Tender. TfL reserves the right to award the contract on the basis of Initial Tenders without negotiation. The contract will be awarded to the bidder submitting the Most Advantageous Tender.
How it was run
Official notice- Requests to participate (first stage)
- 20 Aug 2026, 15:00 BST
- Submission deadline
- 20 Aug 2026, 15:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 31 Jul 2026, 15:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Access to the procurement documents is restricted.
Suppliers wishing to participate in this procurement must be registered on SAP Ariba. s1-eu.ariba.com/Sourcing/Main/ad/sel… ↗
Once registered, suppliers should notify TfL of their interest in the opportunity by contacting [email protected] and providing their organisation name and Ariba Supplier ID. TfL will then add the supplier to the relevant Ariba Sourcing Event, enabling access to the procurement documents and participation in the tender process.
All communication must be conducted via the Ariba portal.
Applications or, where applicable, tenders must be submitted to the above-mentioned address
Timeline
17 Apr 2026 → 1 Apr 2027 · 7 dates- Planning notice published191 days ago17 Apr 2026, 10:28 BST
- Market engagement176 days ago1 May 2026, 23:59 BST
Transport for London intends to hold optional one‑to‑one meetings with interested suppliers.
The meetings will be used to explain the requirement, what our priorities are, proposed procurement route and any Q&A's.
We are anticipating to host the one-to-one meetings on the 30th of April and 1st of May 2026, but if required and possible we can schedule the meeting for a different date and time.
To register your interest and arrange a one-to-one meeting, please contact Chris Stratton ([email protected])
Participation in this early market engagement is entirely voluntary and is not a condition of participation in any subsequent procurement process. No supplier will receive any preferential treatment or advantage as a result of taking part.
- Tender notice published97 days ago20 Jul 2026, 13:56 BST
- Clarification questions by86 days ago31 Jul 2026, 15:00 BST
- Submission deadline66 days ago20 Aug 2026, 15:00 BST
- Today25 Oct 2026
- Award decision expected byin 58 days21 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 158 days1 Apr 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
6 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 17 Apr 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published17 Apr 2026, 10:28 BSTUK2
- Preliminary market engagement notice published17 Apr 2026, 13:28 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published20 Jul 2026, 13:56 BSTUK4
- Published value published: £14,480,00020 Jul 2026, 13:56 BST
- Status changed to active20 Jul 2026, 13:56 BST
- Procurement method changed20 Jul 2026, 13:56 BST
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
2 public bodies on the noticeOther public bodies
- TOWERS WATSON LIMITEDProcuring entityTowers Watson Limited is supporting TfL with this procurement as external healthcare advisors
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender