Planning

003415 - Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) for Digital Bus Passes (Home to School Transport)

DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

12 May 2026 at 09:34

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Durham County Council is planning a public procurement process to explore digital alternatives for their Home to School Transport bus passes, currently involving physical passes issued for around 7,000 students. This preliminary market engagement (PME) phase aims to reduce costs, enhance efficiency, and strengthen fraud controls through a digital solution. Interested providers can engage with this opportunity by accessing the relevant questions and submitting responses by Friday, 29th May 2026, at 12 noon. The procurement stage is currently in planning, with contracts expected to be effective from 1st September 2026 through 31st August 2030. The main industry category for this opportunity is goods, specifically industry-specific software packages. The process encourages bids from firms offering digital solutions that can interface with other systems and manage pass lifecycle comprehensively.

This tender represents a significant opportunity for businesses in the digital and software development sectors, particularly those experienced in creating verification systems, fraud prevention, and mobile applications. Companies that can provide hybrid digital/physical options and display a capacity for policy-driven business rules will be well-positioned to benefit from this contract. By participating in preliminary market engagement, organisations can directly influence the scope and requirements of the future formal tender, paving the way for potential long-term partnerships with a prominent local government authority in the UK.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

003415 - Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) for Digital Bus Passes (Home to School Transport)

Notice Description

Durham County Council (DCC) are looking to explore a digital alternative to physical Home to School Transport bus passes to reduce costs, improve efficiency, strengthen fraud controls, and enhance user experience. The Council currently issues 7,000 physical passes involving manual processing, printing, and posting. This creates delays, requires high admin effort, and offers limited real-time visibility over eligibility, pass status, and usage. We are engaging the market to understand available digital solutions, technologies, and indicative costs to inform a future business case. Scope * Digital bus passes via mobile devices. * Verification (visual/scannable) including offline options. * Real-time activation/deactivation. * Technical capability to interface with other digital systems eg. Flexiroute. * Fraud-prevention features. * Hybrid digital/physical options for users who are digitally excluded. * Pass lifecycle management, including issuing, suspension, reinstatement, replacement, expiry, and renewal where applicable. * Support for policy-driven business rules (e.g. eligibility changes or temporary entitlement). This notice forms part of our preliminary market engagement, offering you the opportunity to share feedback and comments before the opportunity is released for formal tender submissions. Interested providers can access the written response questions, free of charge, by registering on the Open Portal at www.open-uk.org The deadline for completed responses is Friday 29th May 2026 at 12 noon.

Planning Information

Interested providers can access the written response questions, free of charge, by registering on the Open Portal at www.open-uk.org The deadline for completed responses is Friday 29th May 2026 at 12 noon.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06966d
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/043344-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

48 - Software package and information systems

CPV Codes

48100000 - Industry specific software package

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
12 May 20262 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
29 May 20263 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Aug 2026 - 31 Aug 2030 4-5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DURHAM 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
DURHAM
Postcode
DH1 5WB
Post Town
Durham
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLC North East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLC41 Durham
Delivery Location
TLC14 Durham
Local Authority
County Durham
Electoral Ward
Framwellgate and Newton Hall
Westminster Constituency
City of Durham

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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