Travel Services Tender London
Third party season ticketing retailing trial.
United Kingdom-London: Travel agency and similar services
2014/S 199-352321
Contract notice – utilities
Services
Directive 2004/17/EC
Section I: Contracting entity
I.1)Name, addresses and contact point(s)
ATOC Limited
200 Aldersgate Street
For the attention of: Peter Twigg
EC1A 4HD London
UNITED KINGDOM
Telephone: +44 2078418218
E-mail: peter.twigg@atoc.org
Further information can be obtained from: ATOC Limited
200 Aldersgate Street
For the attention of: Peter Twigg
EC1A 4HD London
UNITED KINGDOM
Telephone: +44 2078418218
E-mail: peter.twigg@atoc.org
Specifications and additional documents (including documents for a dynamic purchasing system) can be obtained from: ATOC Limited
200 Aldersgate Street
For the attention of: Peter Twigg
EC1A 4HD London
UNITED KINGDOM
Telephone: +44 2078418218
E-mail: peter.twigg@atoc.org
Tenders or requests to participate must be sent to: ATOC Limited
200 Aldersgate Street
For the attention of: Peter Twigg
EC1A 4HD London
UNITED KINGDOM
Telephone: +44 2078418218
E-mail: peter.twigg@atoc.org
I.2)Main activity
Section II: Object of the contract
II.1.1)Title attributed to the contract by the contracting entity:
II.1.2)Type of contract and location of works, place of delivery or of performance
Service category No 27: Other services
Main site or location of works, place of delivery or of performance: Nationwide.
NUTS code UK
II.1.3)Information about a public contract, a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system (DPS)
II.1.5)Short description of the contract or purchase(s):
In the year to mid-August 2014, the rail industry issued 29 200 000 season tickets. The bulk (83 %) were weekly tickets, while monthlies accounted for 16 %. Annuals accounted for 1 % of issues. However the value of these sales is split differently; weeklies 33 %, monthlies 31 %, annuals 35 %. The volume and value of Seasons with other validity periods is relatively marginal.
The principal objectives of the trial will be: i) to gauge the scale of the market for season ticket purchases through third party retail channels; ii) to evaluate the practicality, both operational and economic, of third party retailers being able effectively to operate the associated issuing and support procedures; and iii) to assess the level of satisfaction among season ticket purchasers who have used third party retail channels.
Participants must be able to issue rail Season Tickets, including London Travelcard Seasons, with duration of either one week or any validity between 1 month and 1 year, on ticket stock appropriate to the type of season being sold, such ticket stock to be procured through normal industry procurement channels. This should apply either in the case of a customer purchasing a Season for the first time, or in the case of a customer renewing an existing season ticket.
All seasons must be issued on a Ticket Issuing System (TIS) which has been approved by Rail Settlement Plan Ltd, who will issue appropriate accreditation waivers for the duration of the trial. Any costs associated with activating a TIS’s season ticket issuing functionality will be borne by the participant. There will be no requirement for participants to issue seasons on smart-cards, although those who have TIS capable of doing so are free to offer such a service during the trial.
Participants must be able to offer the full range of ‘after sales’ services to holders of Season Tickets purchased from them. Examples of these requirements are:
Calculate and process refunds on unused or partly used season tickets;
provide replacement season tickets where the original has been lost, stolen or damaged;
provide replacement season tickets where the original becomes illegible or ceases to activate ticket barriers;
change one season ticket for another where the holder wishes to change the journey part way through the validity of a season ticket (for example following home relocation), calculating any refund due to, or payment due from, the holder as appropriate.
Participants should devise expeditious methods for fulfilling orders, and should give particular consideration to how they will cater for customers’ immediate travel needs in the event that a Season Ticket they have sold ceases to work or becomes lost. It will not be possible to offer a ‘ticket on departure’ (TOD) service for season tickets during the trial period.
Where specified to meet operational management and fraud prevention requirements, participants must keep a record of season ticket sales (including relevant personal data relating to the holder). In such cases holders must be notified that their details will be shared with the relevant train companies and/or Transport for London, for the purposes of operational management and research.
Participants will be responsible, at their own cost, for advertising to their customer base that they are able to retail season tickets during the trial period. ATOC is likely to conduct co-ordinated media relations activities with interested parties and relevant industry stakeholders.
ATOC will schedule a programme of formal reviews during the trial period, and will conduct an assessment of its success on conclusion. The success of the trial will be objectively measured against 3 main criteria:
The volume of Season Ticket sales made by participating agents;
Overall customer satisfaction with sales made by agents; and
Participant’s ability effectively to perform the issuing procedures.
II.1.6)Common procurement vocabulary (CPV)
63510000, 63512000
II.2.2)Information about options
II.2.3)Information about renewals
II.3)Duration of the contract or time limit for completion
Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information
III.1.2)Main financing conditions and payment arrangements and/or reference to the relevant provisions governing them:
III.1.4)Other particular conditions:
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1.1)Type of procedure
Some candidates have already been selected (if appropriate under certain types of negotiated procedures): no
IV.2.1)Award criteria
IV.3.4)Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
IV.3.5)Language(s) in which tenders or requests to participate may be drawn up
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.3)Additional information:
Availability of a Ticket Issuing System (TIS) approved by Rail Settlement Plan Ltd which is capable of issuing (or being developed to issue) Season Tickets. Any costs associated with activating a TIS’s season ticket issuing functionality will fall to the participant.
Ability to meet ATOC’s set-up timescale
An indication of the proposed approach to dealing with customers’ potential ‘after sales’ requirements.
Availability of, or the ability to provide by start of trial, a secure customer data management system. It shall be the responsibility of participants to ensure compliance with, and registration under, Data Protection legislation as necessary.
Credible and effective customer awareness marketing activity plans.
Interested parties should submit a response covering each of the above criteria in no more than 10 pages in total. Responses should be submitted electronically in either Word or PDF format and forwarded to the email address provided in this notice by the specified deadline.
(MT Ref:141433)
VI.5)Date of dispatch of this notice: