United Kingdom17 days leftOpen

Tamar Bridge Toll Collection Service

Tender Overview

ORGANIZATION

Cornwall Council

LOCATION

Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, United Kingdom

VALUE

£8,460,096

DEADLINE

February 20, 2026 at 00:00

CATEGORY

Other

CPV CODE

79941000

REFERENCE

006085-2026

Project Timeline

Contact Information

View Original

Original Tender Description

Tolls collected at the Tamar Bridge represent the major source of income for the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry which are operated and maintained as self-financing infrastructure. Despite offering a range of automated and cash-free payment options, a physical presence is still required in each of the five mixed mode toll lanes and to support our two automated lanes. This high-profile 24/7/365 service has been contracted out since 1986, with the current contract expiring on 31 March 2027. The Authority seeks to procure a new arrangement with an initial contract term of three years, with optional extensions of up to five years in total, in any combination, giving a maximum possible duration of eight years. The structure and flexibility of the extension options are necessary due to ongoing investigations into the potential implementation of an Open Road Tolling (ORT) system. Introduction of ORT would directly affect future service requirements, and the potential for change requires that the Authority retain discretion over if, and for how long, the extension options are exercised. The contract incorporates a cleaning requirement for the adjoining buildings, providing some onsite flexibility of resources for the appointed contractor. It is envisaged that a TUPE transfer of staff will be necessary.
⚠️

MANDATORY EXCLUSION GROUNDS

  • No specific requirements provided.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • No specific requirements provided.
🔧

TECHNICAL CAPABILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • Provide 24/7/365 toll collection services at the Tamar Bridge.
  • Maintain a physical presence in each of the five mixed-mode toll lanes.
  • Support the two automated toll lanes.
  • Perform cleaning requirements for the adjoining buildings.
  • Manage a potential TUPE transfer of existing staff.
  • Be prepared for potential changes in service requirements due to the possible implementation of an Open Road Tolling (ORT) system.
  • Demonstrate capability to operate a high-profile service.
  • Demonstrate experience in toll collection services.
💰

FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS

  • No specific requirements provided.
📋

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

  • Submit a bid by the deadline: 2026-02-20T00:00:00.
  • Propose an arrangement for an initial contract term of three years.
  • Propose an arrangement that accommodates optional extensions of up to five years in total, in any combination, giving a maximum possible duration of eight years.

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HTM
Planning Notice
General Information006085-2026.html
Summary:
This preliminary market engagement notice details an upcoming tender for a 24/7/365 Tamar Bridge toll collection service, including physical presence, cleaning, and TUPE, for an initial three years with optional extensions up to eight years, valued at an estimated £7,050,080.
DOC
OCDS Record
OCDS Data006085-2026_ocds_record.json
Summary:
This document is an OCDS record detailing a planned procurement by Cornwall Council for 24/7/365 toll collection services at the Tamar Bridge, including building cleaning, with an initial 3-year contract and optional extensions up to 8 years, and potential TUPE transfer of staff.
DOC
OCDS Release Package
OCDS Data006085-2026_ocds_release.json
Summary:
Cornwall Council seeks a contractor for 24/7/365 toll collection and associated cleaning services at the Tamar Bridge for an initial three years with potential extensions up to eight years, anticipating a TUPE transfer.
PDF
Official PDF Version
General Information006085-2026_official.pdf
Summary:
Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council are conducting a soft market assessment for a new 24/7/365 toll collection service contract for the Tamar Bridge, including physical presence, cleaning, and potential TUPE transfer, with an initial 3-year term and flexible extensions up to 8 years due to potential future Open Road Tolling.

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65
Good

Tender Quality Score

This tender, currently in a planning stage, provides a clear service description and key contract terms but suffers from significant omissions regarding procedural details, evaluation criteria, and comprehensive bidder requirements, impacting its overall quality and fairness.

Score Breakdown

Legal Compliance75/100

The tender correctly identifies the CPV code and is free of disputes. However, the absence of a defined procedure type and code is a significant legal omission for a formal tender, even if understandable for a preliminary market engagement notice. The estimated value is above EU thresholds, implying full regulatory compliance will be required.

Procedure type and code are undefined.
Liable person is not specified.
Clarity70/100

The service description is detailed and clearly explains the operational context, contract duration, and the rationale for extension options due to potential ORT implementation. Technical requirements are clear. However, the critical absence of specified evaluation criteria and detailed exclusion, eligibility, and financial requirements significantly reduces overall clarity for potential bidders.

No evaluation criteria specified.
Exclusion, eligibility, and financial requirements are not detailed.
Completeness65/100

Basic information such as title, organization, reference, value, duration, and location are well-provided. However, the tender is incomplete due to the missing procedure type, evaluation criteria, and comprehensive details for exclusion, eligibility, and financial requirements, which are fundamental for a full tender package.

Missing procedure type and code.
Missing evaluation criteria.
Fairness60/100

The estimated value is disclosed, and the technical requirements do not appear to be tailored to a specific company. However, the lack of specified evaluation criteria severely compromises transparency and objectivity, making it difficult for bidders to prepare competitive proposals. The absence of e-submission also creates an unnecessary barrier to equal access.

No evaluation criteria specified, impacting transparency and objectivity.
No e-submission support, limiting equal access for bidders.
Practicality60/100

The contract start date and duration are clearly specified, and the financing context is provided. However, the lack of electronic submission support is a significant practical drawback in modern procurement. Direct document URLs are not explicitly provided, though documents are summarized.

No electronic submission support.
Document URLs are not explicitly provided.
Data Consistency75/100

Dates are logical and consistent, and there are no reported disputes or suspensions. Most key fields are populated. However, the 'Type', 'Procedure', and 'Liable Person' fields are empty, and a 'Missing reveal date' is flagged, indicating some data gaps.

Key fields ('Type', 'Procedure', 'Liable Person') are unpopulated.
Missing reveal date.
Sustainability30/100

The tender does not explicitly incorporate green procurement, social criteria (beyond the legal requirement of TUPE), or innovation focus as part of the evaluation or requirements. The mention of potential Open Road Tolling is an operational consideration, not a sustainability or innovation requirement for the bidder.

No explicit green procurement criteria.
No explicit social criteria (beyond TUPE).

Strengths

Clear and detailed service description, including rationale for contract flexibility.
Estimated value, duration, and contract start date are clearly specified.
CPV code is correctly assigned and location information is provided.
Documents are available and summarized, indicating transparency of information.
Requirements do not appear to be tailored to a specific company.

Concerns

Absence of defined procedure type and code.
Critical lack of specified evaluation criteria.
Missing detailed exclusion, eligibility, and financial requirements.
No support for electronic submission.
Lack of explicit sustainability (green, social, innovation) criteria.

Recommendations

1. Clearly define the procurement procedure type and code in the formal tender documents.
2. Develop and publish comprehensive evaluation criteria to ensure transparency and fairness.
3. Provide detailed exclusion, eligibility, and financial requirements for all bidders.

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B
Tender Quality Score
65/ 100 · Good

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