TSC Franchising Report

[HH]

I do like the idea of being transparent with the bids after the awards.

Bidders wouldn't - their rivals would get to see their plans, which they view as commercially sensitive.

 

[HH]

Sitting in front of my PC, I don't understand your logic. At present TOCs basically have to put up with what NR decides/agrees to do so the TOC is notionally below NR. If the TOC dictated what NR should do then it would be the other way round. In this case the so-called vertical integration actually means that the TOC and NR work together to find the optimum solution and determine the optimum spend. In my mind this means they are officially on an equal footing and want to work together. This is neither vertical nor horizontal but working together and most firms find that is good. At the end of the day, the variable money comes from the passengers.

As Chief Planner intimated, your view of the current situation is woefully short of reality. In reality NR shouldn't even be treated as one organisation - not only is there is constant tension between the Routes and the Centre, but most people in the organisation don't even appear to know half of what their company does. If you look at the NR/TOC relationship therefore, they have even less of a clue about what each other does and there is a great deal of suspicion and resentment on both sides. So-called Deep Alliances haven't exactly been a rip-roaring success...

 

[infobleep]

Bidders wouldn't - their rivals would get to see their plans, which they view as commercially sensitive.

Surely after the event it shouldn't matter.

 

[HH]

Surely after the event it shouldn't matter.

This just shows that you don't understand business at all. Plans are portable, i.e. if I have a USP I would it expect it to help me win other bids before details became widely known; details would help my rivals knowing what they had to do to beat it.

I can tell you, with authority, that most bidders have strengths that rivals are demonstrably not aware of, given how much weaker their own offerings are in those areas.

That bidders take this seriously is also evident in the contracts given to many senior staff, e.g. requiring 12 months notice and the care taken to avoid conflict among advisers.

Basically there is zero chance of bidders agreeing to this.

 

[infobleep]

This just shows that you don't understand business at all. Plans are portable, i.e. if I have a USP I would it expect it to help me win other bids before details became widely known; details would help my rivals knowing what they had to do to beat it.

I can tell you, with authority, that most bidders have strengths that rivals are demonstrably not aware of, given how much weaker their own offerings are in those areas.

That bidders take this seriously is also evident in the contracts given to many senior staff, e.g. requiring 12 months notice and the care taken to avoid conflict among advisers.

Basically there is zero chance of bidders agreeing to this.

Could they not find a way to force companies to comply or make it in their interests to comply. After all they seem to be able to medal with the Govia Thameslink Railway franchise. I know that's a different type.