The Dutch public transport (OV) system consists of regional and line-based concessions, in which contracting authorities – usually provincial governments, and sometimes city regions or municipalities – work together with transport companies to serve passengers. Some authorities choose to take a strong lead, viewing transport operators primarily as partners for marketing and execution. Others grant operators more freedom in designing and managing the transport network. In any case, effective cooperation between both parties is crucial. A public transport concession can easily span ten years, and the added value that a partnership between government and operator can create largely depends on the quality of their collaboration.
It is therefore no surprise that cooperation between contracting authority and operator is a key theme in every tender. Contracting governments want to know how operators intend to build a constructive working relationship that supports the authority’s strategic policy goals. In their development plans, operators often outline how they will structure their teams, establish meeting frameworks, evaluate the partnership, and report to the authority. Increasingly, authorities and operators are opting for an innovative approach: collaborating through a digital concession portal.
The concession portal is a digital (cloud-based) platform accessible via a web browser. Through the portal, the operator and the contracting authority share all relevant information about their contract and the concession. The portal supports various types of data and documents and can easily generate overviews, charts, and reports. This eliminates the need for back-and-forth email communication and ensures everything is accessible to stakeholders at any time. All information in the portal has a traceable change history, so nothing is lost during personnel transitions. Specific documents or portal sections can be restricted with flexible access rights, allowing key stakeholders in the concession to access the information relevant to them.
Verifying Promises with Real-Time Management Information
Authorities select transport operators based on promised outcomes and performance for a given price. The portal allows them to verify whether the operator is delivering on those promises in a timely manner. Management information is always available to the authority, enabling them to monitor, for example, whether customer satisfaction or passenger growth aligns with the commitments made in the proposal. Operators can upload supporting documentation or provide links to external portals.
Overview of Requirements and Compliance
All requirements from the Invitation to Tender (Program of Requirements) can be included in the portal and assigned to a responsible party. Authorities can easily verify compliance. Automatic update requests can be scheduled periodically (e.g., every six months or annually). The responsible party uploads supporting evidence where needed, such as safety certifications or proof of contact with municipalities in the concession area.
Implementation Plans for Contract Takeover
When a concession transitions to a new operator, an implementation period begins with numerous essential tasks – both project-based and recurring. For instance, introducing zero-emission vehicles and installing charging stations. The operator can upload an implementation timeline into the portal, with each action assigned to a responsible owner. Deliverables can be linked to a formal acceptance process, allowing the authority to approve completed items via the portal.
Annual Plans
Many authorities require yearly plans from their operating partners, such as transport plans (routes and schedules), marketing plans, or social safety strategies. Passenger representation groups often have legal rights to participate, subject to deadlines and procedural steps. The portal helps ensure timely compliance and transparent documentation of input and approvals.
Initiatives Show Visible Contribution to Delivering Ambitions
Government collaboration with PT operators is aimed at achieving concrete policy goals – for example, reducing CO₂ emissions with zero-emission buses or improving the business climate through enhanced accessibility. The portal allows the province to display these ambitions on a single screen using the OGSM framework. Operator initiatives can be linked to progress or performance indicators, clearly showing how they contribute to the province’s objectives.
Meeting Actions and Decisions
Another common use of the portal is to log meeting outcomes. Both parties can formally approve meeting minutes, link decisions to specific requirements, and track discussions on agenda items over time. This provides full transparency and traceability of joint decision-making throughout the concession period. If a concession manager leaves midway, all essential knowledge remains accessible.
Several Dutch provinces now work with a digital concession portal, and more operators are incorporating this approach in their tender submissions. It allows them to offer governments the highest levels of transparency and operational effectiveness: immediate access to performance data and reports, fully traceable agreements, and real-time insight into the status of requirements and actions. This creates added value across the board and helps foster a streamlined partnership focused on achieving the province’s goals.
Watch the video ‘Digital Contract Management’ to hear about the experiences of the Province of North Holland.
Meer lezen? In OV Magazine lees je een interview met Reinier Verkaik, destijds senior concessiebeheerder in de Provincie Noord-Holland, over hun ervaring met digitaal contractbeheer via het concessieportaal.
Werk jij voor overheid of een OV-vervoerder en wil je meer weten over het concessieportaal? Stuur een mailtje naar info@bizaline.com met de onderwerpregel “concessieportaal” en we nemen zo snel mogelijk contact met je op.
