Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Transport for Greater Manchester
Transport for Greater Manchester, 2 Piccadilly Place
Manchester
M1 3BG
Contact
Mr Julian Benson
Telephone
+44 7944976931
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UK - United Kingdom
Internet address(es)
Main address
Buyer's address
one.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at
https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert/Index?advertId=b6070cc6-89d2-ef11-8133-005056b64545
Additional information can be obtained from the above-mentioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted electronically via
https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert/Index?advertId=b6070cc6-89d2-ef11-8133-005056b64545
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Other type
Transport Authority
one.5) Main activity
Other activity
Transport
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Contactless Bankcard Middle and Back Office (CBMBO) Service
Reference number
DN737145
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 48100000 - Industry specific software package
two.1.3) Type of contract
Supplies
two.1.4) Short description
Contactless Bankcard Middle and Back Office (CBMBO) agreement with respect to the implementation, operation and maintenance of Middle Office and Back Office services that shall enable contactless bankcard transaction processing compliant with bank card scheme Transit rules and token agnostic account based ticketing (including ITSO tokens).
two.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT: £90,000,000
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKD - North West (England)
- UKE - Yorkshire and the Humber
- UKF - East Midlands (England)
- UKG - West Midlands (England)
- UKL - Wales
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Transport for Greater Manchester (“TfGM”) now wish to procure a Contactless Bankcard Middle and Back Office (CBMBO) Service Agreement(“Agreement”) which shall enable the Implementation, operation and maintenance of a Middle Office Service and Back Office Service Option that will support delivery of TfGM’s Ticketing Schemes.
Given that over the term of the Agreement, Ticketing Schemes will be subject to frequent revision and development, re-configuration and extension of both the Middle Office Service and Back Office Service (Option) may be required to a number of additional transport and associated modes (in addition to those modes that are currently within scope of existing TfGM Ticketing Schemes). Consequently, the Middle Office Service and Back Office Service (Option) may be deployed on (but not limited to) Tram, Light Rail, Bus, Heavy Rail, Taxi, Car-Club, Car-Hire, Parking and Park and Ride, Micro mobility, Active Travel and other travel modes.
Additionally, the Place of Performance that is set out in section II.2.3 of this notice reflects a longer-term ambition of TfGM to extend Ticketing Schemes to areas that are adjacent to Greater Manchester (UKD-North West England, UKE Yorkshire and the Humber, UKF-East Midlands. UKG-West Midlands, UKL-Wales) and may or may not apply to the Agreement during the term.
The Supplier shall provide a Middle Office Service that shall:
- Integrate to Validators, Electronic Ticketing Machines, Gatelines, Revenue Inspection Devices, Retail Devices, other related Field Equipment Devices and other equipment that is capable of proving a Token ID such as (but not limited to Mobile Phones, Wearable Devices, ANPR Infrastructure; ITSO media, Smart-Cards, Barcodes, Magnetic Stripe Cards and biometric reading devices, as may be required to enable TfGM’s Ticketing Schemes. The estate of such infrastructure may be supplied, installed, commissioned, operated and maintained by an assortment of vendors and suppliers;
- Provide an encryption key that will be installed on each Platform Validator, Electronic Ticketing Machine and other Field Equipment Device that will ensure that all bankcard holder data that has been captured at these devices may be securely transferred to the Middle Office service for decryption;
- Tokenise customer bankcard information such that tokenised data may be consumed in the Back Office Service (Option) in relation to the application of business rules that determine product pricing;
- Process contactless bankcard data compliant with Payment Card Industries Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) v 4.0.1;
- Install and Commission (and if directed de-commission) Middle Offices and their supporting systems including any necessary connection to TfGM networks, civil works and testing; and
- Operate and maintain the deployed estate of Middle Office infrastructure to comply with the required standards;
The Supplier shall provide a Back Office Service (Option) that shall:
- apply business rules that are required to apply pricing in respect of TfGM’s Ticketing Schemes;
- apply the business rules that are required to enable TfGM’s contactless bankcard Pay as you Go (PAYG) Ticketing Scheme compliant with card scheme (Visa and Mastercard) Transit Model 2 scheme rules, and potentially enable the extension of TfGM’s contactless bankcard PAYG Ticketing Scheme to additional bank card schemes;
- Under an option to implement Account Based Ticketing, apply token-agnostic business rules in relation to TfGM’s Ticketing Schemes for Account Based Ticketing products;
- read ITSO media (for both digital and physical media compliant with the latest ITSO 2.1.5 standard) and ITSO Tokens;
- (as an Option) read two-dimensional Barcodes; and
- enable Account Based Ticketing products through the use of token agnostic identification;
Additionally, the Contactless Bankcard Middle and Back Office (CBMBO) Service Agreement will require Implementation Services to implement, test and deploy both the Middle Office Service and Back Office Service to operation, following which an Operational Service will be provided.
Potential Supplier Solutions will work in conjunction with a Platform Validator and Field Equipment Service, Electronic Ticketing Machine (ETM) Service, Merchant Acquirer and Payment Gateway Service and ITSO Contract Service that will be appointed by TfGM.
Since TfGM already operates a highly successful contactless bankcard PAYG scheme on Metrolink and Bus, supplier consideration of the arrangements to successfully transition from existing to new services, will be a critical consideration.
two.2.5) Award criteria
Price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents
two.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months
150
This contract is subject to renewal
Yes
Description of renewals
The agreement includes five options to extend the agreement in each case for a further 12 months. The total estimated value stated in II.1.5 includes the option periods.
two.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted: Yes
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: Yes
Description of options
The agreement includes five options to extend the agreement in each case for a further 12 months. The total estimated value stated in II.1.5 includes the option periods.
The requirements include a number of Options, including the provision of the: Back Office Service (including the Option to enable Account Based Ticketing (ABT) in the Back Office; and the Option to enable extension to Rail and other modes. .
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
Section three. Legal, economic, financial and technical information
three.1) Conditions for participation
three.1.1) Suitability to pursue the professional activity, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers
List and brief description of conditions
Information, formalities and necessary requirements to be met will be set out in an Invitation to Tender Document which can be obtained together with any instructions from https://procontract.due-north.com
three.1.2) Economic and financial standing
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents
three.1.3) Technical and professional ability
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents
three.2) Conditions related to the contract
three.2.3) Information about staff responsible for the performance of the contract
Obligation to indicate the names and professional qualifications of the staff assigned to performing the contract
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Open procedure
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
four.2) Administrative information
four.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number: 2024/S 000-028525
four.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date
24 April 2025
Local time
10:00am
four.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
English
four.2.6) Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender
Duration in months: 9 (from the date stated for receipt of tender)
four.2.7) Conditions for opening of tenders
Date
24 April 2025
Local time
10:30am
Section six. Complementary information
six.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement: No
six.3) Additional information
Interested suppliers must obtain a Invitation to Tender by registering an expression of interest for the opportunity entitled ‘Platform Validator and Field Equipment Agreement’ on the eTendering application ProContract via https://procontract.due-north.com
Any submissions that are not submitted by the ProContract eTendering tool will be disqualified.
Contract to be governed by English Law.
TfGM expressly reserves the right (subject to complying with its duties to comply with the principles of equal treatment, transparency and non-discrimination):
1) not to award any contract as a result of the procurement process commenced by the publication of this notice;
2) to make whatever changes it may see fit to the content and structure of the tendering competition;
3) to amend (a) contract(s) in respect of any part(s) of the services covered by this notice; and
4) to award contract(s) in stages and in no circumstances will TfGM be liable for any costs incurred by candidates.
Variant bids may be permissible within the parameters to be set out in the tender documentation.
An online ‘Bidders Event’ will be hosted on Microsoft Teams — Live on the 26 March 2025 and will include a short presentation on the scope and timeframe of the procurement process. Please contact procurement.CBMBO@tfgm.com in order to register an intention to attend.
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
High Court of England and Wales
London
Country
United Kingdom