MMBF Bid Operations Planning Support

Provided operational expertise, extensive scheduling and timetabling services, and bid support during the Expression of Interest and Request for Tender phases for Keolis Downer Rail

Client: Keolis Downer Rail

Project Description

Mmbf

Public Transport Victoria conducted a worldwide competitive tender process for the Melbourne Metropolitan Bus Franchise (MMBF), which covers the operations of approximately 30% of Melbourne’s public bus network. The Franchise operates over 500 buses in the eastern and western regions and included the Doncaster Area Rapid Transit services, school services and major SmartBus Orbital services.

Phillip Boyle & Associates provided operational expertise, extensive scheduling and timetabling services, and bid support during the Expression of Interest and Request for Tender phases for Keolis Downer Rail. We played a key role in developing the bid strategy and all aspects of the operating plan and depot strategy.

Highlights

Although KDR’s bid was ultimately unsuccessful, its high-quality submission and operating solution was commended by the evaluation panel. Phillip Boyle & Associates was responsible for developing a solution that delivered substantial savings in operating resource requirements. It also contributed to a comprehensive and innovative depot strategy.

Scope of Works

Key Tasks

Phillip Boyle & Associates was actively involved in the bid strategy. Key tasks included:

Developing optimised operating plans for existing services using HASTUS
Creating alternative service plans with optimised service levels and increased efficiencies
Planning and developing the franchise depot strategy
Researching and writing sections of the operating plan, fleet strategy and depot strategy.

Key Challenges

The bid timelines were tight, given the size of the operations being tendered, and required substantial resourcing from Phillip Boyle & Associates over the EOI and RFT phases. The Franchise covered the diverse operations of multiple companies and these had to be incorporated into a single coherent operating plan. Additionally, the nature of the service types (including the high-profile SmartBus services) and the different environments in both regions required a significant data collection and analysis task and operational planning task. Finding suitable depot options was also challenging as it was difficult to find suitable and available sites, so the depot strategy took time to research and evolve.