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The Decision-Making Service Support For Disabled Persons Railcard

Rail Delivery Group

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

10 Sep 2026 at 12:45

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

03 Aug 2026 at 17:37

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

12 Jun 2026 at 17:55

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Rail Delivery Group Ltd procured a service partner to operate an independent Decision-Making Service for Disabled Persons Railcard applications across the United Kingdom. The service reviews and validates applications and supporting evidence, then decides whether applicants meet the eligibility criteria and rules for purchasing a railcard. It operates within Rail Delivery Group’s customer relationship management system and covers application assessment and outcomes. It does not include customer contact handling such as inbound calls, webchat or general enquiries. This is a services contract covering administrative processing, data analysis and support associated with railway transport. The buyer is Rail Delivery Group Ltd, and the appointed supplier is Nimbus Disability, a large voluntary, community and social enterprise. The requirement was structured as one lot and was identified as suitable for both small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community and social enterprises.

The procurement is complete: Rail Delivery Group Ltd awarded the contract to Nimbus Disability on 3 August 2026, and the contract was signed on 14 August 2026. The award and contract value is £1,746,715 gross. The contract runs from 5 October 2026 to 4 October 2029, with renewal options of two years in one-year increments, allowing a maximum end date of 3 October 2031. It was an above-threshold, open procedure under the utilities regime. Enquiries closed on 3 July 2026, bids were due by 13 July 2026 at 12:00, and the award period ended on 7 August 2026. Five bids were received, with four reaching the final stage. Evaluation weighted technical and quality at 70% and commercial criteria at 30%. No subcontracting was proposed.

This award demonstrates demand for specialist, high-volume eligibility assessment for a national rail concession scheme, rather than a general customer contact centre. A credible competitor would need to assess applications consistently against published eligibility rules, validate supporting evidence and produce defensible decisions, while working securely within a buyer’s customer relationship management infrastructure. Relevant strengths include case management, document and data validation, quality assurance, accessibility-aware services for disabled people, and the ability to handle sensitive personal information at scale. Experience supporting public services, transport concessions or benefits-style eligibility decisions would be directly relevant. The competition attracted five bids and four final-stage bids, including three from small and medium-sized enterprises and one from a voluntary, community or social enterprise, indicating that the requirement can be contested by more than just the largest outsourcing providers.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

The Decision-Making Service Support For Disabled Persons Railcard

Notice Description

We are seeking to appoint a Service Partner to manage an independent Decision-Making Service (DMS) function within the service that will provide decisions on a Disabled Persons Railcard applicant's eligibility to purchase a DPRC according to eligibility criteria and rules. The service will focus exclusively on the review, validation, and outcome of DPRC applications, operating within the Rail Delivery Group's (RDG) CRM infrastructure. This procurement does not include the provision of a customer contact handling service (e.g. inbound calls, webchat, or general enquiries). Instead, it is centred on the processing and assessment of applications and supporting evidence to determine customer eligibility.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06b47c
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085858-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

63 - Supporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services

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

75 - Administration, defence and social security services

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

63711000 - Support services for railway transport

72253000 - Helpdesk and support services

72316000 - Data analysis services

75100000 - Administration services

75121000 - Administrative educational services

79512000 - Call centre

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£1,800,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£1,800,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£1,746,715 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
£1,746,715 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
10 Sep 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
13 Jul 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
3 Aug 20262 months ago
Contract Period
5 Oct 2026 - 4 Oct 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Rail Delivery Group
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
EC4V 3DS
Postcode Area
Central London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
City of London
Electoral Ward
Castle Baynard
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Nimbus Disability

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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