--- title: "Mobile Smart Ticketing (MST)" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-067e73" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-067e73" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067e73.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067e73.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "RAIL DELIVERY GROUP LIMITED" published: "2026-04-13" --- # Mobile Smart Ticketing (MST) Buyer: RAIL DELIVERY GROUP LIMITED Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-067e73 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-067e73) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067e73.json) ## Summary The Rail Delivery Group Limited, based in London, United Kingdom, is progressing through the planning stage of a tender process titled "Mobile Smart Ticketing (MST)", centred around the development of digital-first ticketing for the rail industry. This initiative is part of the Utilities sector and involves the migration of physical ITSO media to a digital format, aiming to reduce costs and enhance customer experience. The preliminary market engagement notice was published on 13 April 2026, with an email contact deadline for stakeholders to express interest in participating by 21 May 2026. Geographical areas targeted include several UK regions such as UKC, UKD, UKE, UKF, UKG, UKH, and UKI through to UKK, with the contract period anticipated to commence on 1 June 2026, spanning until 31 May 2030, subject to possible renewal until 2034. This tender presents substantial opportunities for businesses involved in railway traffic control software development services, notably those with capabilities in secure digital ticketing solutions, mobile wallet ecosystems, and scalable national deployments. Companies with expertise in API-driven integrations, high availability systems, and monitoring capabilities aligned to rail standards stand to benefit. Additionally, businesses focused on interoperability across technologies and cost-efficient fulfilment strategies could find significant growth potential through participation in this initiative. The MST project encourages collaboration with industry partners to forge innovative solutions and explore a centrally orchestrated fulfilment layer, revealing further business expansion avenues. ## Notice The rail industry is progressing toward digital-first ticketing to reduce cost of sale, improve customer experience, and enable flexible products such as season tickets, PAYG and a roadmap toward single and return tickets. The Mobile Smart Ticketing (MST) initiative (migrating physical ITSO media to a digital format) aims to enable secure, standards-based ticket fulfilment to mobile devices. Initial launch will centre on a pilot for Season tickets, followed by PAYG, and then expansion into singles and returns. In addition, current fulfilment methods for rail (e.g. barcode, physical smartcard, paper) are isolated today, with retailers and integrators required to support multiple fulfilment technologies, each with distinct standards and operational overhead. Mobile Smart Ticketing offers the potential for the following: * Elimination of the downsides of current plastic ITSO cards which have to be obtained and updated prior to travel; * Customers will no longer have to use a separate app to view journey history and product validity; * Improved gate line speeds - customers will benefit from features such as NFC reader functionality, removing the need to unlock devices or open apps to pass through gates; * Over-the-air cancellations will also deliver enhanced fraud protection to the industry. A national rail pilot is targeted for delivery by mid-end 2027, focusing on: * Limited geography and/or Train Operating Company (TOC) deployment; * Season ticket products as initial use case to prove the technology and proposition; * Expansion path to PAYG. Beyond the pilot, RDG in collaboration with industry partners (e.g., FTR Programme, TOCs, etc) will develop a scalable roadmap to deliver singles and returns. Alongside the Mobile Smart Ticketing initiative, there is an opportunity to explore whether a centralised fulfilment orchestration layer could: 1. Reduce complexity for retailers/integrators; 2. Standardise interfaces across fulfilment media; 3. Lower long-term cost of sale; 4. This is exploratory and not a defined requirement of the pilot. Requirements are as follows: Functional Requirements * Support secure mobile ticket fulfilment aligned to ITSO Version 2.1.5; * Enable season ticket products at launch; * Provide clear roadmap to PAYG and singles & returns enablement; * Support lifecycle management (issue, update, revoke, renew, replace, etc); * Enable inspection/validation in existing rail environments. Technical Requirements * Compatibility with secure element-based implementations (DESFire); * Integration with existing retailing and RDG back-office systems; * Scalable architecture for a national deployment; * Support for multiple mobile wallet ecosystems; * API-driven integration model. Operational Requirements * High availability and resilience; * 24/7 customer support and recovery mechanisms (lost device, change of device, re-provisioning); * Enhanced monitoring and reporting capabilities; * Security and compliance aligned to RSP rail standards. Commercial Requirements * Transparent pricing model (setup, per-transaction, ongoing OPEX, lifecycle costs); * Scalable commercial structure for national rollout with economies of scale; * Clarity on licensing and third-party dependencies. Strategic / Future Requirements * Potential flexibility to support additional fulfilment media; * Potential to integrate with a central fulfilment orchestration layer; * Interoperability across TOCs and geographies. ### Planning Information To receive a copy of the MST MOI / MEQ please email Sam Stevens: sam.stevens@raildeliverygroup.com ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/033252-2026 | | Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 13 Apr 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 21 May 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 31 May 2026 - 31 May 2030 | | 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 | RAIL DELIVERY GROUP LIMITED | | Locality | LONDON | | Post town | Central London | | Postcode | EC4V 3DS | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLI London | | ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West | | ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London | | Local authority | City of London | | Electoral ward | Castle Baynard | | Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster | | 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 - 72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support ### Codes - 72212140 - Railway traffic control software development services ## Release History - 13 Apr 2026 at 11:55 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/033252-2026 - 9 Apr 2026 at 07:35 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/032151-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/033252-2026 13th April 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/032151-2026 9th April 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-067e73. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067e73.json.