22nd October 2020
Solent Transport — a partnership comprising of Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth City Council, Southampton City Council and Isle of Wight Council — has received funding from the Department for Transport as part of its Future Transport Zone (FTZ) bid to develop and launch a Mobility as a Service (MaaS) platform.
£2.4 m has been allocated to fund the development, launch and operation of the platform until Summer 2024, beyond which it is targeted that the platform will be financially self-sustaining on a rolling basis.
Portsmouth City Council is undertaking a procurement exercise on behalf of the partnership to award a contract for delivery of the platform.
The FTZ bid has secured funding to the value of £2.4m for the development of the MaaS to be launched in July 2021 and remain in operation until summer 2024, beyond which it is targeted that the platform will be financially self-sustaining on a rolling basis and ideally provide an ongoing income stream which can be shared by the parties. The £2.4m value stated does not include the sales turnover processed via the platform (concession value) and any direct revenue generation associated with the platform during the initial operational term of 3 years or beyond, which it is hoped and is anticipated will be significant.
The platform is to provide a digital transport service that enables users to access, pay for and get real-time information on a range of public and private transport options.
The key elements for delivery are summarised as follows:
The platform is to be developed on an iterative partnership basis with Solent Transport, the constituent local authorities and importantly local universities who will assist in the delivery of key research activities to answer specific questions about the applicability of MaaS to an area like the Solent, which, in turn will generate learnings for other parts of the UK.
Undertaking of research and monitoring will inform ongoing continuous improvement of the platform and associated services. Much of the work leading up to the launch will be around relationships with existing public transport operators to ensure access to data and agreements about ticket acceptance.
Application is via submission of completed supplier selection questionnaire (SSQ) by 20 November 2020.
Following evaluation of completed SSQs the Council will invite the highest scoring 3-5 suppliers to submit tenders. While the council does not intend to enter into a competitive dialogue or negotiated procedure, the council does intend to offer opportunity within the tender period for detailed discussions, clarifications and the testing of proposals via 1-1 meetings.
The procurement timetable is as follows:
Joint applications from supplier groups, either via lead/subcontract arrangements through to formalised consortium structures which will seek to form new legal entities are expressly allowed for and encouraged under the procurement procedure. The Council is keen to help facilitate the establishment of new working relationships in this regard.
The target date for contract award is 12 March 2021 with launch then targeted for July 2021.
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