Purpose

Background:
Lincolnshire County Council requires the continued provision of an integrated digital solution comprising both a multimodal journey planning platform and a transport planning and analytics tool. This solution is intended to support public users as well as internal officers across Greater Lincolnshire, enabling effective journey planning and data-driven transport decision-making.
The current incumbent supplier, Via Technology Europe B.V., was appointed through a compliant direct award under a previous procurement exercise. The existing contract is due to expire at the end of June 2026.
The Council now aims to maintain and build upon this enhanced capability across Greater Lincolnshire to ensure continuity of service and support the ongoing development of the public transport network. The current solution aligns with this objective, offering seamless integration with existing systems such as the Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) service and Remix planning tools, while also capturing valuable journey data to inform future network planning and funding opportunities.
Procurement Process
Due to the imminent expiry of the current contract and the time required to undertake a full competitive procurement exercise, G-Cloud 14 has been identified as a compliant framework route to ensure continuity of service.
A framework catalogue approach has been considered, allowing the Council to:
• Access pre-approved suppliers under regulated procurement routes
• Ensure compliance with procurement regulations
• Undertake a proportionate and timely procurement process
This will also ensure the integration with existing systems and service continuity.
Contract
The proposed contract will:
• Be awarded for a term of 3 years
• Have a total contract value of £228,000 (£76,000 per annum)
• Cover the provision of both:
A journey planning platform
A transport planning and analytics tool
• Apply across Greater Lincolnshire
Budget:
The contract will be funded through the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) allocation for Lincolnshire, with approval for this use confirmed by the Department for Transport (DfT).
Risk:
Adverse Credit Status: VIA Technologies (Europe) Limited returned no credit score on UK credit check systems. The entity was listed as “Dissolved”, indicating potential legal and financial non-existence at the time of the check. The credit rating present a high risk to financial stability, contractual enforceability, and supplier reliability.
Crown Commercial Services (framework authority) was contacted to clarify the company’s status. CCS confirmed that the company has been reinstated, addressing the dissolution concern. CCS Commercial Finance team reviewed the financials and confirmed that the supplier meets 3 of the required financial metrics. As suppliers are required to meet at least 2 metrics, VIA Technologies (Europe) Limited exceeds the minimum threshold, supporting continued participation in the framework.
SLA Risk: Data Accuracy & Reporting Reliability. Poor or inaccurate reporting could affect KPI measurement, Performance monitoring, Payment or contract compliance decisions
Mitigation: The service included in the contract draft are Real-time analytics and KPI reporting dashboards, Direct data access to raw datasets, Automated validation and data processing tools (e.g., Citymapper data quality checks
The current solution is integrated with existing systems; transitioning to an alternative supplier would require migration and redevelopment, creating additional cost, delivery risk, and potential service disruption.

Decision

That the Executive Director of Place approve the award of a contract to Via Technologies Europe B.V. for the provision of a Transport journey planner software solution, enabling the public to plan journeys across multiple transport modes within the County.


That the Executive Director of Place delegates authority to the Head of Transport Services to take all decisions regarding this procurement up to and including execution of the contract.


That the Executive Director of Place delegates authority to the Head of Transport Services to make such decisions as are necessary to vary the contract through its term, provided that the contract’s total value does not exceed a 10% increase.

Alternative options considered

Do Nothing
This option was rejected as it would limit the Council's ability to access advanced transport planning, network analysis, and journey planning functionality required to support service improvements and strategic transport objectives. Failure to procure the solution could adversely impact the Council's ability to effectively plan and manage transport services.


Conduct a Further Competition under an Alternative Framework This option was considered but rejected as it would introduce additional procurement timescales and resource requirements without delivering any clear benefit. Citymapper and Remix are specialist transport planning and journey planning platforms that are integrated within a single supplier offering. A further competition was therefore unlikely to generate additional value or identify alternative suppliers capable of meeting the Council's specific requirements within the required timescales.
Invitation To Tender An open procurement process was considered but rejected due to the increased time, cost, and administrative burden associated with running a full procurement exercise. Given the specialist nature of the software and the availability of the solution through an established public sector framework, an open procedure was not considered proportionate or likely to achieve a better outcome.


FRAMEWORKS
Utilising framework agreements offers significant advantages to the Council. Framework suppliers have already met defined suitability and compliance criteria, including pre-agreed terms, service standards, and alignment to framework specifications. This reduces procurement timescales, minimises administrative effort, and limits the need for protracted contract negotiations.
The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) RM1557 G-Cloud 14, Lot 2 (Cloud Software) framework was identified as the most appropriate route, as it directly aligns with the Council’s requirement for cloud-based journey planning and transport analytics solutions.
Alternative frameworks were considered, including:
• Transport Technology RM6347: Lot 2 (Data Services) was identified as the closest alignment, given its coverage of transport data, scheduling, and simulation. However, it is primarily focused on the provision and use of data rather than
full transport planning platforms, and does not support the Council’s requirement for an interactive network design and analytics tool. Lot 7c (Transport Network Management) was also considered; however, this lot is focused on operational management and deployment of transport systems rather than strategic planning and modelling capability.
As such, the framework does not provide a suitable route for procuring a transport planning system.
• CCS RM6285 Back Office Software 2 (BOS2): This framework does not clearly cover the type of specialist transport planning and journey planning software required.