This RFP is issued by Otago Regional Council (ORC), referred to below as “the Buyer” or “we” or “us”.

ORC aspires to the delivery of an inclusive, accessible, and innovative public transport network that connects Otago and contributes positively to our community, environment and economy.

The contracts for public transport services are divided into Units and the units are described in the Otago Regional Public Transport Plan. This procurement is for Unit 5 in Dunedin, which covers bus services from Dunedin to Green Island and onwards to Fairfield, Mosgiel, Abbotsford, and Brighton. Mosgiel is the most significant part of Dunedin for new housing development. The core route is Route 77 between Dunedin and Mosgiel, supported by a peak express (Route 78), a timed connecting service from Brighton and Abbotsford (Route 70) and a set of local circulators in Mosgiel (Routes 80 and 81).

This procurement represents the beginning of a new round of bus contracts for the Otago region, with the previous round of changes defined by the implementation of the Public Transport Operating Model (PTOM) and the new round defined by the incoming Sustainable Public Transport Framework (SPTF). Significant network changes were implemented in the last decade, including a significant redesign of many bus routes that was largely completed by 2017, the introduction of a publicly funded network in Queenstown, the introduction of the Orbus brand in Queenstown and Dunedin, the building of the Dunedin Bus Hub, and the implementation of the Bee Card.