Public Notice

Decision to enter into an exempted contract under paragraph 6 of Schedule 2 to the Procurement Act 2023.

Contracting Authority: TRANSPENNINE TRAINS LIMITED (TPT) - Company number 12544930.

Contract description:

Contract for:

1. The provision, development and maintenance of a customer contact centre for national rail journey planning and ticket sales; and to deliver fulfilment services and customer relations support services, including Assisted Travel Support, Web Usage support, a complaints and complements management service and an engagement service for lost property.
2. Customer Delay Repay processing service in relation to the Delay Repay Scheme on behalf of TPT consistent with the TOC’s Passenger’s Charter. This service will provide a processing service to handle claims and settle all correctly processed compensation claims via the permitted compensation schemes.

Over half a million customers contact TPT via the contact centre annually, with regulatory requirements applying such as compliance with the ORR’s Complaints Code of Practice.

Intended term: 3 years.

Proposed start date: 11 October 2026.

Estimated contract value: Approximately £8,130,000.

Counterparty: NORTHERN TRAINS LIMITED (NTL) - Company number 03076444.

Legal basis for exemption: This contract is an exempted contract under paragraph 6 of Schedule 2 to the Procurement Act 2023 (the affiliated persons exclusion) and therefore falls outside the regulated procurement provisions of the Procurement Act 2023. NTL is affiliated with TPT because both entities are subsidiary undertakings within the same corporate group and share a common parent, DFT Operator Limited (company number 07141122). On that basis, they are group undertakings for the purposes of section 1161(5) of the Companies Act 2006 and therefore fall within the concept of affiliated persons in paragraph 6(2) of Part 1 of Schedule 2 to the Procurement Act 2023. TPT is satisfied that the statutory turnover condition is met.

This notice is published to publicly confirm TPT’s decision to enter into this contract and the legal basis for the exemption.

This is not a procurement notice under the Procurement Act 2023 and will not be published on the Central Digital Platform. For further information, please contact: procurement.services@tpexpress.co.uk.

Publication date: 8th June 2026.