Procurement of Countdown3 (CD3) Services

Description

LBSL is a wholly owned subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL) responsible for maintaining and enhancing a reliable, accessible and high-quality bus network access London. As part of this objective, it is imperative that LBSL provides customers with timely and accurate real time passenger information on the bus network. This Contract Notice relates to the CD3 procurement which is intended to secure the ongoing support and maintenance of all LBSL on-street real time information displays over the life of the contract (further details on these displays is available in the CD3 Tender Documentation available on SAP Ariba). This will ensure that the major passenger information benefits which are delivered through the provision of the displays will continue. The CD3 contract will have an initial term of six years, with extension options potentially bringing the overall arrangement to a maximum duration of 10 years. The estimated total value of £58m indicated in II 1.5 includes up to £46m of potential future investment that is not currently committed. This amount is included to cover potential future investments focusing on the delivery of enhanced customer experience and accessibility which may be commissioned by TfL during the term of the Contract under programmes such as BCAP (Bus Customer Action Plan) An important element of the contract will be the ability for LBSL to request from the supplier new and innovative types of real time information displays throughout the term and to add these to the contract price book as part of a single, long-term contract. Another important element of the contract will be the ability for LBSL to make additional investments to on-street signage throughout the term to meet changing business needs. As such, the volume of signage under the contract may either increase or decrease during the term. Further details in this regard are set out in the procurement documents. Lot 1: The CD3 procurement will cover the supply, installation and maintenance of the Countdown Smart Signs (CDSSs) and their integration with Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) APIs, as well as the provision of a Remote Management Tool (RMT) and its integration with TfL's systems. This will include the following key areas: a) the conversion of all existing CDSSs to receive their RTPI data via a publish and subscribe model from a Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT) broker and ultimately the iBus2 RTI API2, as opposed to the current "push" of arrival prediction data from the CD2 Back-Office; b) a technical refresh of existing CDSSs to ensure the CDSSs can continue to be maintained for the duration of the CD3 contract including any upgrade to internal components to enable the following functions: i) request the RTPI and messaging for the stop associated with the CDSSs from an API; ii) enable remote management and configuration of the CDSSs without attending the CDSSs; and iii) utilise remotely programmable e-SIM comms, to allow reconfiguration of the CDSSs' SIMs, c) communications upgrade of all existing CDSSs; d) provision of an RMT, that will interface with, monitor and manage the CDSSs, their firmware, behaviours and configuration; e) provision of an interface either directly from the RMT, or from a supplier's Information Technology Service Management (ITSM) tools to TfL/LBSL's ITSM platform, for end to end service management; f) supply and install any new components required to upgrade the CDSSs in order to achieve the above transition to a publish and subscribe model under support of the CD3 services; and g) maintenance and support of the small number of alternate displays, and a mechanism to ensure that LBSL can access new and innovative types of real time information displays throughout the term.