Road Based Passenger Transport Services

This tender for road-based passenger transport services, structured as a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS), suffers from a critical lack of detailed documentation and essential procurement criteria, significantly hindering transparency and fair competition.

The tender states 'Restricted procedure' but describes a 'Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS),' which is an open procedure for admission. This fundamental inconsistency raises significant legal compliance questions regarding the chosen procurement route. The absence of explicitly detailed mandatory exclusion grounds, eligibility, and financial requirements is a severe omission, potentially violating public procurement principles.

While the overall scope of services (Lot 1: traditional bus, Lot 2: demand-responsive) is clear, the lack of specific requirements and the absence of any attached documents make the tender highly ambiguous for potential bidders. The reference to a '2020 Bus Strategy' without providing access or detailed extracts further reduces clarity.

The tender is critically incomplete. The complete absence of any attached documents, mandatory exclusion grounds, eligibility requirements, financial requirements, and evaluation criteria (as flagged by automated checks) means bidders cannot adequately prepare or understand the full scope of expectations.

The severe lack of detailed requirements and the absence of procurement documents create a highly unfair bidding environment. Without clear criteria, the contracting authority retains excessive discretion, potentially leading to arbitrary decisions and hindering fair competition. The reliance on an unspecified '2020 Bus Strategy' without public access could also disadvantage bidders not privy to its contents, potentially tailoring requirements implicitly.

From a bidder's perspective, the tender is impractical to respond to effectively due to the critical lack of information. Bidders cannot assess their suitability, prepare compliant proposals, or understand the qualitative criteria without the full documentation. For the contracting authority, managing a DPS without clear initial criteria will be challenging.

A significant inconsistency exists between the stated 'Restricted' procedure and the description of a 'Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS).' While a DPS can be used within a restricted procedure context for subsequent call-offs, the initial setup of a DPS is typically open. This fundamental procedural discrepancy needs clarification.

The provided information does not include any specific sustainability criteria, such as environmental, social, or innovation aspects, which are increasingly important in public transport procurement. The automated checks also confirm the absence of green, social, or innovation focus.