Supply, Installation and Support of On-Bus Destination Display Equipment and Audio Visual Announcements (AVA)

What the buyer is asking for

South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority is procuring the design, supply, installation, commissioning, integration, maintenance and support of on-bus destination display equipment and an audio visual announcement (AVA) system for the South Yorkshire franchised bus fleet, together with the supporting back office and content management software. The requirement covers 723 vehicles, being the whole franchised fleet including vehicles used on school services, driver training vehicles and operator spare vehicles. Destination display equipment is required for all 723 vehicles together with a 2% spares allowance, giving 738 destination display units, and AVA is required for all 723 vehicles. The assumed fleet composition is 35% single deck and 65% double deck. The fleet is brought into service in three phases, with Go Live Dates of 4 September 2027, 10 September 2028 and 10 September 2029. The estimated split is approximately 406 vehicles in Phase 1, 190 in Phase 2 and 127 in Phase 3. These are estimates and the number of vehicles in each phase may be more or less. The Authority may elect not to proceed with Phase 2 and/or Phase 3, on written notice given not less than three months before the first purchase order for that phase falls to be issued under the agreed delivery and installation programme, in accordance with the contract terms. Equipment is expected to be fitted at the vehicle manufacturer's premises during vehicle build, and ordered in batches against an agreed delivery and installation programme. The supplier is required to provide a fully maintained service for the contract term, including remote monitoring and diagnostics, fault response and repair, spares, software and firmware updates, obsolescence management and a helpdesk. The solution must comply with the Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023 and must operate without dependency on the Authority's separately procured AVL system or Vehicle Compute / IP Edge Gateway. The requirement is not divided into lots. The destination display equipment and the AVA system are technically interdependent, both presenting route, destination and next stop information drawn from a single source of timetable, route and stop data, and dividing the requirement would place the risk of that interface with the Authority rather than the supplier. The Authority reserves the right to order up to a maximum of 1,100 destination display units and up to a maximum of 1,100 AVA units during the contract period at the rates tendered, without a further tendering exercise, to allow for fleet growth and replacements. These are separate maximums for each type and not a combined total. Orders are subject to the maximum contract value stated in this notice. The contract has an initial term to 10 September 2032, with up to four further periods of twelve months each at the Authority's sole discretion, to a maximum end date of 10 September 2036. The total value stated includes the optional additional orders and the extension periods.

How this is scored

Published by the buyer. A winning response is written to these weightings, not to the question.

• 40%pricePriceThe total maximum percentage available for price is 40%. The lowest priced compliant tender receives the full 40%. Marks are deducted from other tenders in proportion to the percentage by which they exceed the lowest price. For example, where a tender is 10% more expensive than the lowest, 10% is deducted from the maximum available. Price is evaluated on the Evaluated Total Price calculated in Part 6 (Pricing Schedule).
• 50%qualityQualityThe total maximum percentage available for quality is 50%. Quality is assessed through seven questions set out in Part 5 (Tender Submission), weighted as follows as a percentage of the quality score: Q1 Bus franchising, passengers and accessibility 13%; Q2 Delivery and installation 21%; Q3 Integration and dependencies 14%; Q4 Service, support and performance 29%; Q5 Team and contract management 8%; Q6 Relevant experience 7%; Q7 Desirable requirements 8%. Each response is scored on a 0 to 5 scale. A minimum score of 3 (Acceptable) is required on every quality question other than Q7, and an overall quality threshold of 50% of the available quality marks applies. Tenders failing either threshold will be eliminated. Q7 is scored but is not subject to the minimum score threshold. Part 3 Annex A (Technical Response Schedule) is assessed on a pass or fail basis and is not scored. A response of 'Non-compliant' against any requirement marked 'Must' will result in the tender being rejected.
• 10%qualitySocial ValueThe total maximum percentage available for social value is 10%. Social value is assessed through the Social Value Portal using the National TOMs framework, split 40% quantitative and 60% qualitative. Tenderers must select and commit to measures from the TOMs available on the Portal for this procurement and return the Social Value Delivery Plan with their tender, in accordance with Appendix A (Social Value Instructions). Commitments made will be monitored through the Portal for the duration of the contract and will form part of the contract.

What you must already have

Conditions of participation. These are pass or fail, so check them before writing anything.

• economic

  Suppliers must have a minimum annual turnover of at least twice the expected annual contract value in each of the last two financial years. For this procurement that threshold is £3,340,000. Suppliers self-certify against the threshold at tender stage. Where a supplier does not itself meet the turnover threshold, it may rely on a guarantor. A financial viability assessment will be carried out on the intended awardee and any guarantor only, using the Government Commercial Function financial viability assessment tool. A red rating triggers consideration of proportionate mitigation rather than automatic exclusion. Suppliers are asked to confirm that they hold, or are able to commit to obtaining by the date of contract award, the levels of insurance required by the contract. Insurance is not required to be in place before contract award. Full details are set out in ITT Part 4 (Procurement Specific Questionnaire).

• technical

  Suppliers must provide details of up to three contracts from the public or private sector demonstrating relevant experience. At least two of those contracts must involve the supply, installation and support of destination display and/or audio visual announcement equipment, or comparable on-bus passenger information equipment, for bus fleets of at least 200 vehicles, delivered within the past five years. Suppliers must confirm their cyber security arrangements. Cyber Essentials, Cyber Essentials Plus, ISO/IEC 27001 or any equivalent certification or standard will be accepted. Where any part of the contract is to be subcontracted, suppliers must demonstrate how they have previously maintained healthy supply chains with their subcontractors. Where organisational qualifications or standards are specified, suppliers may provide details of equivalent standards that equal or exceed those requested. Full details are set out in ITT Part 4 (Procurement Specific Questionnaire).

How contested is this?

Buyers publish how many bids they received. Across 24 comparable procurements we can tell you the typical field size, how often one of these goes uncontested, and whether the buyer awards on price or on quality.

Timeline

4 published dates · Europe/London

1. Tender notice published9 days ago

   28 Oct 2026, 12:13 GMT
2. Clarification questions byin 14 days

   20 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
3. Submission deadlinein 28 days

   4 Dec 2026, 12:00 GMT
4. Award decision expected byin 77 days

   22 Jan 2027, 23:59 GMT

Commercial outcome and contract awards

Nothing awarded yet

Notice history

2 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender

1. Pipeline or early engagement notice22 Sept 2026, 15:47 BST089773-2026
2. Tender notice28 Oct 2026, 12:13 GMT102021-2026

Payment terms

The audio visual announcement and destination display solution must operate independently of the Authority's AVL system and Vehicle Compute / IP Edge Gateway, which are being procured separately and have not been awarded. The outcome of those procurements, and the technical requirements of any platform subsequently contracted, are not known at the date of this notice. Integration with that platform, or changes required to accommodate it, may become necessary during the contract. Equipment is to be fitted at vehicle manufacturers' premises during vehicle build. The Authority's vehicle procurement and delivery programme is being run separately, and changes to vehicle build slots, delivery dates or manufacturers may affect the installation programme and the phasing of the contract. The size and composition of the franchised fleet may change during the contract term as a result of network review, changes to operator arrangements or changes to the Authority's franchising programme. The Public Service Vehicles (Accessible Information) Regulations 2023 apply to this requirement and compliance deadlines are phased by vehicle age. Changes to those Regulations, or to other applicable accessibility, safety or data protection legislation, may require changes to the solution. The contract term may extend to September 2036. Component obsolescence, end of manufacturer support, and changes to operating systems, security standards or communications infrastructure over that period may require equipment or software to be modified or replaced.

Documents

• The full tender documents are available through the Authority's e-tendering portal. Suppliers must register on the portal and express an interest in this opportunity to access them. Registration is free and open to all suppliers, and expressions of interest are accepted automatically. The documents comprise ITT Parts 1 to 6, Part 3 Annex A (Technical Response Schedule) and Appendices A, B and C.
• Tender notice on Find a Tender