Scope
Reference
tfl_scp_002558
Description
The London E-Scooter Trial launched in June 2021 and is managed by TfL in partnership with London Councils and London boroughs. A mandatory parking bay model is in place throughout the trial and there are currently 11 boroughs participating with around 1,600 parking bays and 4,000 vehicles available for hire. Since its launch more than 6.2 million trips have been made. There are currently two e-scooter operators who combined have a maximum permitted fleet size of 4,715 vehicles. This fleet size is reviewed quarterly and determined by parking bay capacity and operator performance. The trial currently operators a City Charges model whereby operators pay three types of fees: a) annual administration fee, b) monthly per vehicle fee, c) monthly per bay fee. More information on the trial can be found here: https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/electric-scooter-rental-trial
The trial runs in parallel to other shared micromobility schemes in London. This includes TfL's Santander Cycle Hire Scheme and other rental e-bike operators which are not under any licensing or regulatory control by TfL.
National e-scooter trials have been extended by the DfT up to May 2028. This procurement is seeking to award e-scooter concession contracts from September 2026 up to May 2028 with the option to extend beyond this in line with any future extension by the Department for Transport. We are looking for views from the market to inform the trajectory of our rental e-scooter trial in London.
This procurement is for 20 months with option to extend in increments up to an additional 2 years (please note the Department for Transport are currently permitting trials up until 31 May 2028 and any extensions are subject to any changes made by the Department for Transport beyond this point and are at the sole discretion of the Authority).
Value breakdown is as follows.
Breakdown is as follows
Year 1 £5,280,000 + VAT
Year 2 £3,680,000 + VAT (8 months)
Year 3 £5,760,000 + VAT
Year 4 £6,000,000 + VAT
Total value (estimated)
- £20,720,000 excluding VAT
- £24,864,000 including VAT
Contract dates (estimated)
- 27 September 2026 to 31 May 2028
- Possible extension to 31 May 2030
- 3 years, 8 months, 4 days
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 34114000 - Specialist vehicles
- 34144900 - Electric vehicles
- 34400000 - Motorcycles, bicycles and sidecars
- 34900000 - Miscellaneous transport equipment and spare parts
- 50110000 - Repair and maintenance services of motor vehicles and associated equipment
- 60112000 - Public road transport services
Contract locations
- UKC - North East (England)
- UKD - North West (England)
- UKE - Yorkshire and the Humber
- UKF - East Midlands (England)
- UKG - West Midlands (England)
- UKH - East of England
- UKI - London
- UKJ - South East (England)
- UKK - South West (England)
Engagement
Engagement deadline
8 October 2025
Engagement process description
Following this notice, engagement activities include:
Distribution of Market Sounding Questionnaire (MSQ).
Supplier Registration and Participation. Please note, registration to our supplier portal is not required at this stage or in relation to submission of MSQ responses.
The purpose of this Preliminary Market Engagement Notice is to:
i. provide advance notice that TfL is considering to undertake a tendering exercise to set up a new contract;
ii. understand the market interest in this procurement;
iii. identify suppliers who would like to participate in the Market Sounding Questionnaire (MSQ) as part of our Preliminary Market Engagement process to provide the services outlined in this procurement.
Interested suppliers should register their interest in this procurement by sending an email message by no later than 08 October 2025 to jamesvalentine@tfl.gov.uk.
Your Expressions of Interest email message should clearly state:
• Subject Title: tfl_scp_002558 - London E-Scooter Trial Phase 3
• Supplier name
• Contact details
The interested suppliers will then be sent a Market Sounding Questionnaire (MSQ) along with guidance notes. Responses should be submitted by 16:00 on 08 October 2025.
Following an assessment of responses received from the MSQ, we may hold further follow-up sessions with individual suppliers to gather their feedback. This will help us to finalise our procurement strategy.
This Preliminary Market Engagement Notice and the subsequent MSQ do not form part of a formal procurement process. TfL is not liable for any costs, fees or expenses incurred by any party participating in any aspect of this Preliminary Market Engagement Notice exercise. TfL cannot guarantee it will incorporate all or any feedback received into any subsequent procurement documentation.
Participation or non-participation in this Preliminary Market Engagement exercise will not disadvantage or advantage any supplier's ability to participate in any future procurement activity, including in particular any subsequent procurement process undertaken to deliver the project.
TfL is under no obligation to follow up this market engagement exercise in any way or with any interested parties.
TfL intends to publish any tender exercise in relation to this proposed sourcing activity using SAP ARIBA.
Interested parties will need to be registered on this system if they wish to participate at the below link:
https://s1-eu.ariba.com/Sourcing/Main/aw?awh=r&awssk=bRtskzOdPIXLDrbT&realm=TfL&dard=1
In the event of issues or difficulty with the registration please visit the SAP Ariba Supplier Registration Help Page:
If you have any queries regarding your registration, please contact:
Participation
Particular suitability
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
Procedure
Special regime
Concession
Contracting authority
Transport for London
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PHMT-6197-NWNZ
5 Endeavour Square
London
E20 1JN
United Kingdom
Contact name: James Valentine
Email: jamesvalentine@tfl.gov.uk
Region: UKI41 - Hackney and Newham
Organisation type: Public authority - central government