---
title: "Bus RTPI Soft Market Testing Exercise - RFI"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0528a2"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0528a2"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0528a2.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0528a2.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "CAMBRIDGESHIRE AND PETERBOROUGH COMBINED AUTHORITY"
published: "2025-05-29"
---

# Bus RTPI Soft Market Testing Exercise - RFI

Buyer: CAMBRIDGESHIRE AND PETERBOROUGH COMBINED AUTHORITY  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0528a2

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## Summary

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority is spearheading a public procurement process focused on a soft market testing exercise for a bus real time passenger information (RTPI) system. As of 29 May 2025, the process is in the planning phase and involves a consortium including Central Bedfordshire Council, Bedford Borough Council, Luton Borough Council, West Northamptonshire Council, North Northamptonshire Council, and Milton Keynes City Council. The project centres around the procurement of a goods category under the software package and information systems sector. Interested parties should note the crucial upcoming date of 13 June 2025, by which a market engagement exercise is to be completed. The project spans several regions, including UKF24 (West Northamptonshire), UKF25 (North Northamptonshire), and others in the East, reflecting the broad geographical reach.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in software development, system integration, and ongoing technological support for passenger information systems. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs), are particularly suited to compete, as the procurement process is structured to accommodate these types of organisations. The breadth of the consortium highlights the potential for long-term collaboration and a multi-regional impact, offering growth potential for businesses capable of providing innovative solutions in public transport information technology.

## Notice

Cambridgeshire's Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) current consortium members consist of, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority, Central Bedfordshire Council, Bedford Borough Council, Luton Borough Council, West Northamptonshire Council, North Northamptonshire Council and Milton Keynes Council. The RTPI consortium members are seeking input from the market for the provision, installation and ongoing support for a bus real time passenger information system. This will include migrating existing RTPI display assets from multiple providers into one system and exploring the provision of solutions other than displays to disseminate bus RTPI to bus users.

### Planning Information

At present, it is undecided if the local authorities will procure a new RTPI contract on their own or as a consortium. This may be a simple contract for the services required or the setting up of a new framework, similar to that procured before. Each local authority is currently assessing the pros and cons for the two procurement options and will confirm their preference in the next few months.
This market assessment is not part of the procurement process, but is purely investigative in nature, to potentially assist the RTPI consortium members in defining a specification, tender document and contract for the project.
Each of the local authorities wishes to understand the current market position better via the questions supplied below.
The same information will be gathered from all providers who have been invited to participate in the soft market testing exercise.
Please note, this advert relates to a soft market testing exercise only and is NOT a call for competition.
Any contracts for services or supplies relating to this exercise will be subject to a separate procurement process in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023 (published 24th February 2025) and involvement in the soft market testing does not give the consultant / contractor any advantage in the separate procurement process.
All participants in this soft market testing exercise shall be responsible for their own costs in relation to it (including third party costs) and the RTPI consortium members shall have no liability to any participant.
Register for opportunity here:
https://procontract.due-north.com/Login?ReturnUrl=/Advert?advertId=968d72fe-5432-f011-8136-005056b64545&fromRfxSummary=True&rfxId=94abd7af-5532-f011-8136-005056b64545

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028381-2025 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 29 May 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 13 Jun 2025 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 2 Mar 2026 - 1 Mar 2031 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Planning |
| Lots status | Planning |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | CAMBRIDGESHIRE AND PETERBOROUGH COMBINED AUTHORITY |
| Additional buyers | BEDFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL; CENTRAL BEDFORDSHIRE COUNCIL; LUTON BOROUGH COUNCIL; MILTON KEYNES CITY COUNCIL; NORTH NORTHAMPTONSHIRE COUNCIL; WEST NORTHAMPTONSHIRE COUNCIL |
| Locality | HUNTINGDON |
| Post town | Peterborough |
| Postcode | PE29 3TN |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire |
| ITL 3 | TLJ12 Milton Keynes |
| Local authority | Milton Keynes |
| Electoral ward | Central Milton Keynes |
| Westminster constituency | Milton Keynes Central |
| Delivery location | TLF24 West Northamptonshire, TLF25 North Northamptonshire, TLH11 Peterborough, TLH12 Cambridgeshire CC, TLH21 Luton, TLH24 Bedford, TLH25 Central Bedfordshire, TLJ12 Milton Keynes |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 48 - Software package and information systems

### Codes

- 48000000 - Software package and information systems

## Release History

- 29 May 2025 at 09:59 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028381-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/028381-2025
  29th May 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://procontract.due-north.com/Login?ReturnUrl=/Advert?advertId=968d72fe-5432-f011-8136-005056b64545&fromRfxSummary=True&rfxId=94abd7af-5532-f011-8136-005056b64545
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0528a2. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0528a2.json.