Tender

Concessionary Travel Management

KENT COUNTY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

TenderUpdate

14 May 2026 at 10:08

TenderUpdate

12 May 2026 at 07:48

Tender

06 May 2026 at 15:47

Summary of the contracting process

Kent County Council is inviting tenders for the management and administration of its concessionary travel schemes, including the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS), the Kent Travel Saver, and the 16+ Kent Travel Saver. This procurement falls under the industry category of transport systems consultancy and technical analysis services, with services to be delivered in the UKJ4 region of the United Kingdom. The procurement process is currently at the tender stage, with key dates including an enquiry period ending on 4th June 2026 and a final tender submission deadline of 12th June 2026. The procedure being followed is an open competitive flexible procedure with stages including negotiation and final tender submissions.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in transport consultancy, data analysis, and financial forecasting to expand their portfolio and footprint within public sector contracts. The successful supplier will engage in technical administration and consultancy, providing advice on regulatory compliance, and data management needs in conjunction with Kent County Council's growth and environment priorities. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are particularly encouraged to participate, given the suitability criteria outlined for this procurement. Interested bidders can acquire tender documents and submit their responses via the Kent Business Portal, using the access code provided, facilitating a broad range of qualified suppliers to engage and secure long-term engagement till 2030, with potential extensions through 2032.

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Notice Title

Concessionary Travel Management

Notice Description

Kent County Council are seeking to appoint a supplier for the management and administration of its concessionary travel schemes which include the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS), the Kent Travel Saver and the 16+ Kent Travel Saver. This requirement is for the technical administration and associated financial forecasting activities for statutory and discretionary Concessionary Travel Schemes within the Growth, Environment and Transport Directorate and the provision of associated consultancy services. The Council has a statutory duty under The Transport Act (2000), as amended by the Travel Concessions (Eligibility) Act (2007), to provide a concessionary bus pass scheme for qualifying individuals. This is the England National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS). The ENCTS scheme for Kent involves the management of a scheme, covering circa 240,000 passes and 17 million annual trips based upon data from 2024/25. The budget for ENCTS is circa PS18 million per annum. The Kent Travel Saver provides discounted travel for students in the year groups 7 to 11, who are not entitled to statutory home to school transport. The scheme encompasses 22,000 2 passes, with a gross annual cost of PS14.7 million, net of PS5.1 million to the Council due to pass fee income and contributions from Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding. The 16+ Travel Saver provides discounted travel for those eligible who are staying on sixth form, attending further education college, work, learning providers or apprenticeship provider. The scheme is administered by the Council in conjunction with educational establishments, who are provided with funding from national government to provide bursaries for those on low incomes. The supplier will be required to: * Provide technical advice on scheme compatibility with statutory regulations; * Provide forecasted pass use, trips and costs for the scheme year ahead; * Publish scheme details in line with statutory requirements; * Collect data from operators directly, analyse data to identify use and calculate re-imbursement; * Advise the authority on re-imbursement, interim payments and reconciliations; * Respond to enquiries from bus operators * Respond to the DfT in relation to regular or ad hoc enquiries on behalf of the Council * Provide technical support to the Authority in negotiations with Operators; and * Ensure the accuracy and quality of usage data. The Supplier will be expected to support the Council in the development of the KTS scheme and the 16+ Travel Saver Scheme As part of the Invitation to Tender (ITT) stage of this opportunity, all interested organisations should use the following access code (4F7A4392DS) to view the tender documents for this procurement and submit your response, via the Kent Business Portal (https://www.kentbusinessportal.org.uk/).

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: The periods for extension will consist of either two single-year extensions or the full two (2) year period.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0692a2
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/044286-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services


CPV Codes

71311200 - Transport systems consultancy services

71621000 - Technical analysis or consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£780,000 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
£780,000 £500K-£1M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
14 May 2026Today
Submission Deadline
12 Jun 20264 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
30 Sep 2026 - 30 Sep 2030 4-5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
KENT COUNTY COUNCIL
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
MAIDSTONE
Postcode
ME14 1XQ
Post Town
Rochester
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ4 Kent
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ45 Mid Kent
Delivery Location
TLJ4 Kent

Local Authority
Maidstone
Electoral Ward
Penenden Heath
Westminster Constituency
Maidstone and Malling

Further Information

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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