Home ContractsRoad User Charging - Business Operations Service E…

Road User Charging - Business Operations Service Extension

WAC ID:638466

TransportAward noticeClosed2023/54

Source:	Find a Tender Service (FTS)
Notice Type:	Award notice
Buyer:	Transport for London
Main Category:	—
Procurement Method:	Direct award
Method Rationale:	The extension to the BOps Contract is a direct award under section 41 and Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023. This is on the basis that paragraph 7 of Schedule 5 (Additional or repeat goods, services or works - extension) applies. The grounds for this justification are set out in this section. The existing BOps services are delivered through highly complex, proprietary and tightly integrated systems embedded within TfL's live RUC environment. The BOps system and the interfaced EOps system support critical functions of RUC including charging, payments, enforcement and customer account management, operating continuously at significant scale. The BOps services are supplied as part of an interdependent architecture with tightly coupled data, systems and business processes, such that partial replacement or separation would not be technically feasible without material redesign. The BOps system and interfaces have been configured, integrated and optimised during the term of the contract for the requirements of RUC and rely on supplier-specific operational knowledge, configuration and control which cannot be replicated without substantial technical intervention. The services are dependent on a deeply integrated technical architecture comprising bespoke system components, interfaces, data structures and operational configurations that have been developed and refined during the term. These components are fully embedded within TfL's RUC systems and are not capable of being separated or re provided independently without material technical intervention. The scope and overall nature of the BOps services will remain substantially unchanged during the proposed extension. A change of supplier at this stage would necessitate the replacement or substantial re-engineering of core system components and interfaces. This would result in incompatibility with existing systems and infrastructure and would give rise to disproportionate technical difficulties in operation, maintenance, data integrity and service continuity. In particular, transition to an alternative supplier would introduce significant risks relating to system interoperability, operational resilience and enforcement accuracy. Accordingly, the continued supply of services by Capita is necessary to ensure compatibility with the existing technical environment and to avoid disproportionate technical and operational disruption. The conditions set out in paragraph 7 of Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023 are therefore satisfied and TfL considers that it may directly award the extension to Capita. Length of extension The extension is for an initial term of 5 years, with a limited optional extension to a maximum of 7 years. This reflects the minimum period strictly necessary to: - complete a compliant competitive procurement process - design and implement a replacement service model and technical architecture - undertake safe, controlled and phased transition to a new supplier Shorter contract durations have been carefully considered but rejected, as they would: - materially increase technical and transition risk - constrain the ability of bidders to design and mobilise a viable and compliant solution - undermine effective competition by reducing the feasibility of market entry and delivery TfL will have rights to terminate the extended BOps Contract, enabling TfL to transition to a replacement supplier at the earliest point at which it is technically feasible and operationally safe to do so, for example if mobilisation and testing take less time than the current programme assumptions allow for. This ensures that the duration of the extension represents a maximum necessary period rather than a fixed commitment. For these reasons, TfL considers that the length of the extension is necessary and proportionate and has taken commercial steps to ensure that if the procurement and mobilisation of the supplier of the new BEOps contract is achieved on a shorter programme than currently assumed, there are means to transition to the BEOps contract as soon as practicable.

Procurement timeline

All 3 notices for this procurement, oldest first.

View full lifecycle →

UK5Transparency notice· 11 Jun 2026
Extension of Road User Charging Business Operations Services (BOps)
UK5Transparency notice· 18 Jun 2026
Extension of Road User Charging Business Operations Services (BOps)
UK5Transparency notice· 12 Aug 2026Viewing
Road User Charging - Business Operations Service Extension

🤝 Need a consortium or subcontracting partner?

SMEs & Primes team up to win opportunities like this. Find partners on the board.

Find partners →

Award outcome

Awarded to

Capita Business Services LtdGB-COH-02299747

Award status:

Active

Contracting Authority

Organisation

Transport for London

5 Endeavour Square, London, E20 1JN

Description

Transport for London (TfL) has two contracts with Capita Business Services Limited (Capita) to supply systems and services in support of Road User Charging (RUC): (1) the Business Operations (BOps) contract, which provides a system for processing payments, multi-channel customer interactions, the receipt, handling and verification of associated records and interfaces with enforcement operations systems and other RUC systems; and (2) the Enforcement Operations (EOps) contract, which provides a system for processing Penalty Charge Notices, multi-channel customer interactions, regulatory compliance and interfaces with business operations systems and other RUC systems. TfL is preparing to launch a competitive procurement for a combined Business and Enforcement Operations (BEOps) contract to replace the existing BOps and EOps contracts, but there is insufficient time to procure and transition to the combined replacement before the current contracts expire on 25 September 2026. TfL has commenced market engagement in advance of launching the competitive procurement. Due to the scale and complexity of the existing services and the need to design, build, integrate and safely deploy a replacement solution, the full procurement, mobilisation and transition is expected to require a minimum of 5 years based on current programme assumptions. This includes the development of procurement documentation, the procurement itself followed by system design, development, integration with existing and future TfL systems, comprehensive testing, and phased migration of live services and data. TfL estimates that within this timeframe, the new BEOps Contract would be awarded approximately mid 2029. Transition activities will then lead to operational commencement between 2031 and 2032. Delivering this transition within a shorter timeframe would create unacceptable technical and operational risks, including risks to: - continuity of critical public-facing services; - compliance with statutory enforcement obligations; and - accuracy and integrity of charging and enforcement activities. Accordingly, TfL has awarded a contract extension to Capita to continue to supply BOps services for an initial term of 5 years, with a limited optional extension to a maximum of 7 years to allow TfL to procure and successfully transition to the new BEOPs contract.

About Transport for London

Published contracts in the last 12 months

590

total contracts

£7953.5m

total value

£71,652,806

average contract size

Typical categories

IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and supportArchitectural, construction, engineering and inspection servicesBusiness services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security