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Changes to notice

This notice has been edited. The previous version is still available.

Scope

Reference

CN250575

Description

Kent County Council are seeking to appoint a supplier for the management and administration of its concessionary travel schemes which include the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS), the Kent Travel Saver and the 16+ Kent Travel Saver.

This requirement is for the technical administration and associated financial forecasting activities for statutory and discretionary Concessionary Travel Schemes within the Growth, Environment and Transport Directorate and the provision of associated consultancy services.

The Council has a statutory duty under The Transport Act (2000), as amended by the Travel Concessions (Eligibility) Act (2007), to provide a concessionary bus pass scheme for qualifying individuals. This is the England National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS).

The ENCTS scheme for Kent involves the management of a scheme, covering circa 240,000 passes and 17 million annual trips based upon data from 2024/25. The budget for ENCTS is circa £18 million per annum.

The Kent Travel Saver provides discounted travel for students in the year groups 7 to 11, who are not entitled to statutory home to school transport. The scheme encompasses 22,000 2 passes, with a gross annual cost of £14.7 million, net of £5.1 million to the Council due to pass fee income and contributions from Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding.

The 16+ Travel Saver provides discounted travel for those eligible who are staying on sixth form, attending further education college, work, learning providers or apprenticeship provider. The scheme is administered by the Council in conjunction with educational establishments, who are provided with funding from national government to provide bursaries for those on low incomes.

The supplier will be required to:

• Provide technical advice on scheme compatibility with statutory regulations;

• Provide forecasted pass use, trips and costs for the scheme year ahead;

• Publish scheme details in line with statutory requirements;

• Collect data from operators directly, analyse data to identify use and calculate re-imbursement;

• Advise the authority on re-imbursement, interim payments and reconciliations;

• Respond to enquiries from bus operators

• Respond to the DfT in relation to regular or ad hoc enquiries on behalf of the Council

• Provide technical support to the Authority in negotiations with Operators; and

• Ensure the accuracy and quality of usage data. The Supplier will be expected to support the Council in the development of the KTS scheme and the 16+ Travel Saver Scheme

As part of the Invitation to Tender (ITT) stage of this opportunity, all interested organisations should use the following access code (4F7A4392DS) to view the tender documents for this procurement and submit your response, via the Kent Business Portal (/).

Total value (estimated)

• £780,000 excluding VAT
• £936,000 including VAT

Above the relevant threshold

Contract dates (estimated)

• 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2030
• Possible extension to 30 September 2032
• 6 years

Description of possible extension:

The periods for extension will consist of either two single-year extensions or the full two (2) year period.

Main procurement category

Services

CPV classifications

• 71311200 - Transport systems consultancy services
• 71621000 - Technical analysis or consultancy services

Contract locations

• UKJ4 - Kent

Participation

Particular suitability

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)

Submission

Enquiry deadline

28 May 2026, 12:00pm

Submission type

Tenders

Tender submission deadline

5 June 2026, 12:00pm

Submission address and any special instructions

/

Tenders may be submitted electronically

Yes

Languages that may be used for submission

English

Award decision date (estimated)

3 August 2026

Award criteria

Weighting description

The Price per Quality Point (PQP) evaluation methodology shall be used as detailed in the tender documentation.

Other information

Conflicts assessment prepared/revised

Yes

Procedure

Procedure type

Competitive flexible procedure

Competitive flexible procedure description

The procurement steps that shall be followed will be Participation Stage, Initial Tender Stage (ITT), Negotiation Stage, Invitation to Submit Final Tender Stage (ISFT) and Contract Award Stage.

Contracting authority

Kent County Council

• Public Procurement Organisation Number: PLDL-8938-YGYW

Sessions House, County Hall

Maidstone

ME14 1XQ

United Kingdom

Email: cameron.croucher [at] kent.gov.uk

Region: UKJ45 - Mid Kent

Organisation type: Public authority - sub-central government