--- title: "Customer Engagement and Relationship Management" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-078e07" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078e07" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078e07.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078e07.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "DFT OPERATOR LIMITED" published: "2026-10-22" --- # Customer Engagement and Relationship Management Buyer: DFT OPERATOR LIMITED Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078e07 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078e07) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078e07.json) ## Summary DFT Operator Limited (DFTO) is planning a Customer Engagement and Relationship Management solution to provide shared capability for a consistent, coordinated and personalised customer experience across Great British Railways (GBR). The emerging scope covers software and related services for digital customer engagement and marketing communications; rail service, journey and disruption updates; customer enquiries, complaints and case management; using customer data for segmentation and personalisation; and maintaining a trusted, unified view of customer identity, profiles, consent and preferences. The solution is intended to support customers and staff across GBR. DFTO is exploring commercial off-the-shelf software delivered as a service, covering one or more capability areas, with systems integration to connect services into a seamless experience. Suppliers may offer a complete solution or capabilities in particular areas. This is at the planning stage: DFTO is conducting preliminary market engagement to shape the procurement strategy, scope, specification, business case and final contract requirements; it is not an invitation to tender. DFTO expects to hold a supplier webinar on 4 November 2026 at 11:00 GMT and invite attendees to complete a feedback questionnaire by 17 November 2026. It is considering suitable framework agreements as a possible route to market. The planned contract period is 1 August 2027 to 31 July 2032, with a possible extension to 31 July 2037. The procurement is above the relevant financial threshold, but no contract value is stated. It is planned as one lot, with no evaluation criteria or final procedure set out yet; the emerging scope may change following engagement. The work is likely to suit software-as-a-service providers and systems integrators with experience in customer relationship management, marketing communications, customer service and case management, customer data platforms and digital personalisation. Suppliers may contribute a focused product or service in one capability area, or combine products and integration expertise to cover several or all requirements. The buyer is seeking input on market capability, delivery models, transition approaches, commercial structures, indicative costs, barriers to participation and factors affecting suppliers’ interest or ability to bid. This gives suppliers with relevant rail or other complex, multi-channel customer-service experience an opportunity to inform the eventual scope and procurement approach. The planned lot is marked as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises, so specialist and smaller providers may also be well placed to contribute. ## Notice DFT Operator Limited (DFTO) is undertaking preliminary market engagement to help inform the procurement strategy, contract scope and specification for a Customer Engagement and Relationship Management (CERM) Solution that will provide the shared capability needed to deliver a consistent, coordinated and personalised customer experience across GBR. Emerging Scope The proposed CERM solution encompasses the following key capability areas: 1. Customer Engagement & Marketing Communications Design, manage and deliver coordinated customer engagement and marketing communications across digital channels and customer lifecycle stages. 2. Service & Journey Communications Deliver timely, relevant rail service, journey and disruption-related communications before, during and after travel, across digital channels. 3. Customer Support & Case Management Manage customer enquiries, complaints, support interactions and case resolution consistently across customer service channels. 4. Customer Data Activation & Personalisation Consume, segment and activate customer data to support personalised engagement, communications and customer experiences. 5. Foundation Customer Data Services Maintain, manage and make available a trusted and unified view of customer identity, profiles, consent, preferences and related customer data across customer engagement and support services and the wider ecosystem. These capability areas represent the current high-level scope and may be refined following market engagement. Purpose of Preliminary Market Engagement DFTO would like to understand what COTS SaaS cover one or more (or all) of the requirements including approach to systems integration to provide a seamless experience to GBR customers and staff and indicative costs to support the development of procurement methodology and business case. DFTO is contemplating utilising suitable framework agreements as a potential route to market. ### Planning Information To facilitate market engagement, DFTO will hold a webinar for interested suppliers on 04/11/2026 at 11:00 GMT setting out the requirement and approach to procurement. Please register your interest to attend by completing the form located at https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/RePj8T7kWr Following the webinar, you will be invited to respond to a questionnaire with your feedback by 17/11/2026 The purpose of this questionnaire is to understand market capability, delivery models, transition approaches, commercial structures and indicative costings, potential barriers to participation and any factors that may influence supplier interest or ability to bid. Responses will be used to help shape the final procurement approach, tender documentation and contract requirements. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100032-2026 | | Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Framework | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | SME | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 22 Oct 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 1 Aug 2027 - 1 Aug 2032 | | 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 | DFT OPERATOR LIMITED | | Locality | LONDON | | Postcode area | South East London | | Postcode | SE1 8SW | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLI London | | ITL 2 | TLI4 Inner London - East | | ITL 3 | TLI45 Lambeth | | Local authority | Lambeth | | Electoral ward | Waterloo & South Bank | | Westminster constituency | Vauxhall and Camberwell Green | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 48 - Software package and information systems - 72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support ### Codes - 48310000 - Document creation software package - 48480000 - Sales, marketing and business intelligence software package - 48600000 - Database and operating software package - 48700000 - Software package utilities - 72227000 - Software integration consultancy services - 72250000 - System and support services - 72260000 - Software-related services ## Release History - 22 Oct 2026 at 14:38 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100032-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100032-2026 22nd October 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/RePj8T7kWr - 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-078e07. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078e07.json.