Tender

RSSB2655 - T1140 Defining the requirements of a seat comfort selection process

RAIL SAFETY AND STANDARDS BOARD LIMITED

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

TenderAmendment

20 Dec 2017 at 13:44

Tender Notice
Tender

27 Nov 2017 at 15:02

Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Rail Safety and Standards Board Limited is seeking submissions for a tender titled "RSSB2655 - T1140 Defining the requirements of a seat comfort selection process". This project falls under the category of engineering design services within the rail industry and is focused on enhancing passenger comfort during rail travel. The tender is currently in the planning stage, with the submission deadline set for 29 December 2017. The anticipated contract period will commence on 5 February 2018 and conclude on 28 February 2019, and the total estimated contract value is £100,000, with a minimum value of £85,000.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in research, development, and engineering design services, particularly those with expertise in passenger comfort solutions. Companies that can provide innovative methodologies for assessing seat comfort, as well as applicable testing frameworks, would be particularly well-suited to compete. This initiative aims to improve customer satisfaction within the rail sector, making it a valuable opportunity for businesses looking to expand their influence in the transport industry by contributing to enhancing the overall passenger experience.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

RSSB2655 - T1140 Defining the requirements of a seat comfort selection process

Notice Description

The Rail Technical Strategy (RTS) provides strategic guidance to industry, underpinned by the 4Cs: Cost, Capacity, Carbon, and Customer. This research presents an opportunity to improve the customer experience, through enhancing passenger satisfaction of seat comfort. Passenger comfort during rail travel is an important aspect of the customer experience, and forms part of the rolling stock vision for comfortable and attractive train interiors (RTS, 2012). One key aspect of passenger comfort is the seat, and the comfort of the seating area may contribute up to 5% of the overall impact on customer satisfaction (Transport Focus, 2016). Recent passenger satisfaction scores revealed that 67% of passengers (n = 24,767) rated the comfort of the seats as satisfied or good (Transport Focus, 2017). This was below the national average of 83% passengers satisfied with their journey, and the industry wide target of achieving 90% satisfaction by 2035 (Long Term Planning Ahead Framework, 2010). Improvements in seat comfort may contribute to reaching this target, through offering passengers better value for money and comfort during their journey experience. Research, guidance and testing methodologies to determine seat comfort have previously been undertaken by the University of Southampton and the Roll2Rail programme . The Roll2Rail Attractiveness & Comfort Features Report (2017) called for future work to develop a seat comfort methodology to measure a range of design values that can be objectively assessed. However, as noted in the RSSB Knowledge Search (S240, 2016) on seat comfort, while few measures exist to quantify passenger seat comfort, a standardised specification is yet to be established. The lack of quantifiable parameters available to sufficiently assess and demonstrate passenger seat comfort may risk underperforming seat comfort, and thereby negating the customer experience. Quantifying seat comfort is a complex area that may depend on: (a) the human, (b) the product, and (c) the context (de Looze, 2003 ). Perceptions of comfort and discomfort occur through the interaction between the passenger and seat within a particular context. As such, passenger anthropometry and the activities performed while sat in the seat (e.g. reading, sleeping, working on a laptop), can have a bearing on the level of comfort experienced. The physical constraints of the seat design are also considered to impact passenger comfort. These include: (a) static factors (e.g. seat pan, backrest and armrest dimensions), (b) dynamic factors (e.g. vibration and pressure, cushion material), and (c) temporal factors (e.g. variation in journey length). Through assessing these parameters, it is expected that seat comfort can be quantified, and a seat comfort selection process can be developed, tested and validated. The seat comfort selection process should determine the minimum requirements for seat comfort, a defined testing methodology, and scoring system.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-4ab7e554-4d0e-41a8-82c4-e0085428ff5b
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/a83596d3-f04b-43a2-ba40-f0eb78387199
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure (below threshold)
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

71320000 - Engineering design services

72241000 - Critical design target specification services

73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£100,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
20 Dec 20178 years ago
Submission Deadline
29 Dec 2017Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
5 Feb 2018 - 28 Feb 2019 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
RAIL SAFETY AND STANDARDS BOARD LIMITED
Contact Name
R&D Business Partner
Contact Email
shareditt@rssb.co.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
EC2M 2RB
Post Town
Central London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI4 Inner London - East
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI43 Haringey and Islington
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Islington
Electoral Ward
Bunhill
Westminster Constituency
Islington South and Finsbury

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

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