Bus Contract Management System (Bus CMS)

Transport for Wales (TfW) is seeking a supplier to provide, implement and support a Contract Management System (CMS) to underpin the delivery of franchised bus services across Wales.

The Welsh bus network currently comprises around 700 routes, tendered individually by local authorities within a deregulated market. On behalf of Welsh Ministers, TfW will transition this network to a franchised model by 2030, adopting a four-phase regional rollout (South West Wales, North Wales, South East Wales, Mid Wales). It is anticipated that approximately 120 total contracts will be let across those phases.

Managing contracts of this number and complexity requires a single system that can scale with each phase, hold data and contractual obligations consistently across the whole network and support accurate performance and payment management. The central aim is to automate as much of the contract management process as possible, reducing manual intervention and minimising risk of error.

The system is required to support five core contract management processes:

Contract recording and general compliance

Contract change

Performance management (including an incentive and deduction regime)

Operator payments

Asset reporting/management for fleet and depots

These processes will be supported by four key features:

Contract register

Performance management module (PMM)

Payment performance calculator (PPC)

Operator access portal

The CMS must integrate with a range of TfW systems, in some cases through TfW middleware. A maximum of 7 integrations is anticipated for day one.

A minimum of 150 licenses will be required once the network is fully franchised, comprising at least 30 internal TfW users and at least 120 external operator users, with tiered role-based-access controls. The supplier will also provide implementation, training for TfW teams and c.100 bus operators, and ongoing support and maintenance.

The contract will be awarded under the Competitive Flexible Procedure of the Procurement Act 2023 (PA23), for an initial term of five years with the option to extend by up to three further period of twelve months, giving a maximum term of eight years. The solution must be fully operational by June 2027.