Smartcard Retail Service Providers

Translink is seeking expressions of interest from reputable and competent service providers for the provision of an already-established network of retail Agents who could potentially sell Translink’s commercial smartcard products to our customers.

United Kingdom-Belfast: Smart card readers

2014/S 078-137857

Contract notice – utilities

Services

Directive 2004/17/EC

Section I: Contracting entity

I.1)Name, addresses and contact point(s)

Translink
3 Milewater Road
For the attention of: Marcia Clarke
BT3 9BG Belfast
UNITED KINGDOM
Telephone: +44 2890354076
E-mail: marcia.clarke@translink.co.uk

Internet address(es):

General address of the contracting entity: www.translink.co.uk

Address of the buyer profile: http://translink.co.uk/Corporate/Procurement/

Further information can be obtained from: The above mentioned contact point(s)

Specifications and additional documents (including documents for a dynamic purchasing system) can be obtained from: The above mentioned contact point(s)

Tenders or requests to participate must be sent to: See above
Internet address: www.e-Sourcingni.bravosolution.co.uk

I.2)Main activity

Railway services
Urban railway, tramway, trolleybus or bus services

I.3)Contract award on behalf of other contracting entities

The contracting entity is purchasing on behalf of other contracting entities: no

Section II: Object of the contract

II.1)Description

II.1.1)Title attributed to the contract by the contracting entity:

Smartcard Retail Service Providers.

II.1.2)Type of contract and location of works, place of delivery or of performance

Services
Service category No 27: Other services
Main site or location of works, place of delivery or of performance: Northern Ireland.
NUTS code UKN0

II.1.3)Information about a public contract, a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system (DPS)

The notice involves a public contract

II.1.4)Information on framework agreement

II.1.5)Short description of the contract or purchase(s):

Translink is the brand name for the public transport group of operating companies of Ulsterbus, Northern Ireland Railways and Citybus, which trade under the brand name Metro. Since 2002, Translink have offered and continue to offer discounted commercial ticket products loaded onto non-personalised pre-printed smartcards which are read by Wayfarer (Parkeon) supplied electronic ticket machines. Last year, our customers made 11 million journeys on Translink commercial smartcards and this figure continues to increase year on year.
As part of Translink’s strategy to continue to extend their range of discounted products on smartcard media, Translink is seeking expressions of interest from reputable and competent service providers for the provision of an already-established network of retail Agents who could potentially sell Translink’s commercial smartcard products to our customers.
Please see the full PQQ for further details.

II.1.6)Common procurement vocabulary (CPV)

30233300, 34980000, 30162000

II.1.7)Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)

The contract is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA): yes

II.1.8)Information about lots

This contract is divided into lots: no

II.1.9)Information about variants

Variants will be accepted: no

II.2)Quantity or scope of the contract

II.2.1)Total quantity or scope:

Translink require the supplier to:
— Already have an established network of retail agents across Northern Ireland to supplement Translink’s existing network of retail agents and bus and rail station ticket offices.
— Already have all of those retail agents equipped with hardware capable of updating Mifare 1k Classic smartcards. These are not ITSO based smartcards but instead have proprietary smartcard security keys.
— Provide the necessary technical expertise and skilled resource to work with Translink’s ticketing system supplier, Parkeon Wayfarer, to ensure that all Translink smartcards can be electronically validated and updated by the supplier’s equipment.
— Advise Translink on costs to set up any new additional agents or to introduce any new Translink smartcard product types. Ensure adequate training is provided for new agents on all Translink products and for existing agents on any new Translink products.
— Top-up/Update both existing and future Translink commercial smartcard products for Translink customers.
— Manage delivery of new Translink fares and smartcard product types on a timely basis to their network of agents so that these will be purchased by the customer at the correct time.
— Deal with initial customer queries and complaints relating to issues or errors with their commercial smartcard product.
— Demonstrate that they provide the necessary training to their network of retail agents on successfully updating Translink commercial smartcards.
— Demonstrate that they provide maintenance and support, within agreed response times, to their network of retail agents in the event that a smartcard top-up device goes faulty.
— Charge Translink on a commission basis, within agreed timescales for invoicing, for each smartcard top-up transaction.
— Control debt management of their network of agents without any need for Translink to intervene in this area.
— Demonstrate that they have introduced measures to prevent and manage fraud within their network of agents.
— Ensure adequate stock control items of literature associated with Translink products to be distributed to customers.
— Provide Translink with electronic output files, in an agreed format, which can be (i) fully audited against every smartcard transaction and (ii) loaded into Translink’s back office management reporting software.
— Have the ability to provide a secure electronic refund facility to Translink customers.
The expected annual volumes and monetary value of transactions which the supplier will be required to undertake are currently unknown but Translink currently sell over GBP 11 m (over 700,000 transactions) in smartcard top-ups annually from their existing network of Agents, and bus and rail stations. See Appendix A for information on where customers can currently top-up their Translink smartcards.
Translink expect the supplier to provide detailed reports, when requested, on any card failures returned to the supplier, which Translink suspect to have been rendered electronically faulty by the supplier’s equipment.
Translink expect the supplier to form and maintain a business relationship with Parkeon Wayfarer in order to ensure that Translink’s commercial smartcards can be updated on the supplier’s equipment.
Important note for this procurement:
Translink procured and implemented their existing Ticketing System in 2001/02, throughout our Bus and Rail operations network. At the time, this was a leading-edge transport ticketing system allowing us to pioneer smartcard deployment, with Translink having the largest UK smartcard scheme prior to Oyster implementation by Transport for London in 2003.
As these ticket machines are now over 10 years old, spares of key component parts for the existing equipment are now however increasingly difficult to obtain due to obsolescence and machine faults are becoming increasingly prevalent. As a result, life expectancy of the existing ticketing equipment will not extend beyond 2017.
Translink therefore plans to replace our existing ticketing system during 2016/17 following an open procurement exercise due to take place in 2014/15. The Next Generation Ticketing Project will ensure on-going business continuity and compliance whilst also presenting an opportunity to realise additional fares revenue and passenger numbers as a result of the enhanced customer experience delivered through new and additional ticketing equipment, systems and technologies.
Respondents to this Smartcard Retail Service Providers procurement exercise should be aware of this Next Generation Ticketing project and the possibility that Translink may need to move to an alternative technological set-up replacing our current Parkeon Wayfarer equipment, our proprietary smartcard security keys and/or our existing Mifare 1k Classic smartcard media. Translink will obviously keep the successful supplier fully apprised of the ongoing situation as it unfolds in the future.

II.2.2)Information about options

Options: yes
Description of these options: An initial period of 2 years with 3 options to extend the contract -first option of a 1 year extension and 2 options x 2 year extensions.
Provisional timetable for recourse to these options:
in months: 24 (from the award of the contract)

II.2.3)Information about renewals

This contract is subject to renewal: yes
In the case of renewable contracts, estimated time-frame for subsequent calls for competition:
in days: 84 (from the award of the contract)

II.3)Duration of the contract or time limit for completion

Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information

III.1)Conditions relating to the contract

III.1.1)Deposits and guarantees required:

If required this will be listed in PQQ and ITT documentation on www.e-sourcingni.bravosolution.co.uk

III.1.2)Main financing conditions and payment arrangements and/or reference to the relevant provisions governing them:

If required this will be listed in PQQ and ITT documentation on www.e-sourcingni.bravosolution.co.uk

III.1.3)Legal form to be taken by the group of economic operators to whom the contract is to be awarded:

If required this will be listed in PQQ and ITT documentation on www.e-sourcingni.bravosolution.co.uk

III.1.4)Other particular conditions:

The performance of the contract is subject to particular conditions: yes
Description of particular conditions: These will be listed in PQQ and ITT documentation on www.e-sourcingni.bravosolution.co.uk

III.2)Conditions for participation

III.2.1)Personal situation of economic operators, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers

Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: If required this will be listed in PQQ and ITT documentation on www.e-sourcingni.bravosolution.co.uk

III.2.2)Economic and financial ability

Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: If required this will be listed in PQQ and ITT documentation on www.e-sourcingni.bravosolution.co.uk

III.2.3)Technical capacity

Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: If required this will be listed in PQQ and ITT documentation on www.e-sourcingni.bravosolution.co.uk

III.2.4)Information about reserved contracts

III.3)Conditions specific to services contracts

III.3.1)Information about a particular profession

Execution of the service is reserved to a particular profession: no

III.3.2)Staff responsible for the execution of the service

Legal persons should indicate the names and professional qualifications of the staff responsible for the execution of the service: no

Section IV: Procedure

IV.1)Type of procedure

IV.1.1)Type of procedure

Negotiated
Some candidates have already been selected (if appropriate under certain types of negotiated procedures): no

IV.2)Award criteria

IV.2.1)Award criteria

The most economically advantageous tender in terms of the criteria stated in the specifications or in the invitation to tender or to negotiate

IV.2.2)Information about electronic auction

An electronic auction will be used: no

IV.3)Administrative information

IV.3.1)File reference number attributed by the contracting entity:

007/0157/13 Project 14426

IV.3.2)Previous publication(s) concerning the same contract

IV.3.3)Conditions for obtaining specifications and additional documents

Payable documents: no

IV.3.4)Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate

26.5.2014 – 15:00

IV.3.5)Language(s) in which tenders or requests to participate may be drawn up

English.

IV.3.6)Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender

IV.3.7)Conditions for opening of tenders

Section VI: Complementary information

VI.1)Information about recurrence

This is a recurrent procurement: yes
Estimated timing for further notices to be published: The Translink Group may make a call for competition at the end of the fixed contract period or after option(s) have been taken up; the Translink Group reserve the right to make a call for competition at any point deemed appropriate by the Translink Group and may make no call for competition should the requirement no longer be classified by the Translink Group as recurring.

VI.2)Information about European Union funds

The contract is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: no

VI.3)Additional information:

Let’s work together:
Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TranslinkB2B for opportunites worth GBP 30,000 or more.

Check out our website at www.translink.co.uk/Corporate/Procurement/

Participate in tenders at www.e-sourcingni.bravosolution.co.uk

1. Browse to the eSourcing portal: www.e-sourcingni.bravosolution.co.uk

2. Click the “Click here to register” link;
3. Accept the terms and conditions and click “continue”;
4. Enter your correct business and user details;
5. Note the username you chose and click “Save” when complete;
6. You will shortly receive an email with your unique password (please keep this secure);
7. Login to the portal with the username/password;
8. Click the “PQQs Open to All Suppliers” link (these are PQQs open to any registered supplier);
9. Click on the relevant PQQ to access the content;
10. Click the “Express Interest” button in the “Actions” box on the left-hand side of the page. This will move the PQQ over to the “My PQQs” page (this is a secure area reserved for your projects only);
11. Click on the PQQ code, you can now access any attachments by clicking the “Settings and Buyer Attachments” in the “Actions” box on the left-hand side of the page;
12. You can now Reply or Reject (please give a reason if rejecting);
13. Note the deadline for completion, then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the PQQ.
If you require any further assistance the BravoSolution help desk is available Mon – Fri (8:00 am – 18:00 pm) on:
— Email: help@bravosolution.co.uk

— Phone: uk 08003684850 Phone (outside UK): +44 2033496601
Note: Do not leave completing your PQQ/ITT response until the last minute, late responses shall be rejected. The contracting authority reserves the right not to award any contract as a result of this competition.
About the Translink Group:
Throughout the documentation, both “Translink” and “Group” refer to the same corporate entities. Both shall be taken to comprise the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHC) in addition to its main operating subsidiaries Citybus Ltd, Northern Ireland Railways Company Ltd and Ulsterbus Ltd.
The Translink Group provide integrated public transport across Northern Ireland. The organisation is one of Northern Ireland’s largest employers with approximately 4,000 employees and a turnover in excess of GBP 168 m. Over 81 million passenger journeys are made on Translink Group services each year.

VI.4)Procedures for appeal

VI.4.1)Body responsible for appeal procedures

Please see section VI.4.2

Body responsible for mediation procedures

Not applicable

VI.4.2)Lodging of appeals

Precise information on deadline(s) for lodging appeals: Translink will incorporate a standstill period at the point information on the award of the contract is communicated to tenderers. That notification will provide full information on the award decision. The standstill period, which will be for a minimum of 10 calendar days, provides time for unsuccessful tenderers to challenge the award decision before the contract is entered into.
The Utilities Contracts Regulations 2006 provide for aggrieved parties who have been harmed or are at risk of harm by a breach of the rules to take action in the High Court (England, Wales and Northern Ireland).

VI.4.3)Service from which information about the lodging of appeals may be obtained

Please see section VI.4.2

VI.5)Date of dispatch of this notice:16.4.2014