--- title: "Operational Communications Platform (OCP)" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06656e" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06656e" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06656e.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06656e.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "TRANSPORT FOR LONDON" published: "2026-03-09" --- # Operational Communications Platform (OCP) Buyer: TRANSPORT FOR LONDON Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06656e [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06656e) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06656e.json) ## Summary Transport for London is inviting market participation in the planning stage for its "Operational Communications Platform" initiative, aimed at enhancing incident communication efficiency across its operational control centres. This procurement, classified under IT software and services, seeks input on the technological framework to establish a unified communication portal for stakeholders, leveraging both existing enterprise systems and potential third-party integrations. Located in London, TfL has scheduled the engagement milestone with a due date for expressions of interest on 23rd March 2026. Interested parties can contact TfL at OCP@tfl.gov.uk to participate in the preliminary engagement questionnaire. The tender offers lucrative opportunities for IT software developers, system integrators, and businesses skilled in data security and railway traffic control software development. SMEs and VCSEs are notably encouraged to participate, with the procurement process offering suitability for concession contracts above regulatory thresholds. The contract promises significant business growth potential by collaborating with TfL to design a robust operational communications tool that will standardise message distribution and enhance the resilience and security of TfL's communication processes. Prospective partners will contribute to modernising TfL's operational infrastructure and meet governance standards required by central government public authorities. ## Notice Transport for London is conducting a preliminary engagement to establish the availability and appetite of the market to improve efficiency and consistency of TfL incident communications. The Operational Communications Platform (OCP) will provide a single portal for sending out bulk communications around ongoing incidents to relevant stakeholders across multiple channels (such as email, SMS and potentially Teams messages). Primary users will be the Surface Control Centre (SCC) and Rail Control Centre (RCC). The platform will provide auditable logging of (and reporting on) communications, and facilitate message creation and distribution (including the use of pre-defined templates, distributions lists, etc.). It is envisioned that the solution will reuse existing enterprise capabilities (including TfL's Azure tenancy for sending emails and teams messages) and potentially integrate with other third-party services for SMS delivery via API (for example, gov.notify). This initiative is essential to simplify and standardise communication across TfL's operational control centres, replacing fragmented and outdated methods with a unified, modern platform. By moving away from a heavy reliance on SMS-based messaging and adopting app-based delivery, the organisation can significantly reduce ongoing communication costs while improving message traceability and user experience. The proposed solution will also enhance operational resilience by supporting full failover capability and off-network access, ensuring continuity of communication during system outages or emergencies. Additionally, the platform will incorporate identity and access management features, including integration with TfL's Directory Management Lifecycle (DML) processes to effectively manage user provisioning, movers, and leavers. This will strengthen security, streamline user administration, and ensure compliance with governance standards. The total estimated contract value is to be confirmed. We are seeking input on initial upfront capital investment and the operational/subscription cost for the first year, and potential future year extensions. ### Planning Information For more information, and the opportunity to complete a Market Sounding Questionnaire (MSQ), contact OCP@tfl.gov.uk to express your organisation's interest. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020922-2026 | | Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | 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 | 9 Mar 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 23 Mar 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 27 Mar 2027 - 26 Mar 2028 | | 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 | TRANSPORT FOR LONDON | | Locality | LONDON | | Post town | East London | | Postcode | E20 1JN | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLI London | | ITL 2 | TLI4 Inner London - East | | ITL 3 | TLI41 Hackney and Newham | | Local authority | Newham | | Electoral ward | Stratford Olympic Park | | Westminster constituency | Stratford and Bow | | Delivery location | TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England) | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 48 - Software package and information systems - 72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support ### Codes - 48517000 - IT software package - 72211000 - Programming services of systems and user software - 72212140 - Railway traffic control software development services - 72212211 - Platform interconnectivity software development services - 72212517 - IT software development services - 72212710 - Backup or recovery software development services - 72212732 - Data security software development services ## Release History - 9 Mar 2026 at 14:01 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020922-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020922-2026 9th March 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - 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-06656e. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06656e.json.