Rail Customer Experience Survey data visualisation and communications support

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    "description": "1.\tOverview \nTransport Focus is the voice of Britain\u0027s transport users. As the independent watchdog for transport users, we listen to the public and find out their experience of using, or trying to use, Britain\u0027s railways and England\u0027s buses, coaches, trams and motorways and major \u0027A\u0027 roads. \nWe protect the interests and champion the needs of all transport users today and ensure they\u0027re at the centre of tomorrow\u0027s policy decisions and future investment.\nTransport Focus is looking for an agency to scope and deliver the online reporting of its new Rail Customer Experience Survey (RCXS) for the launch of its six-monthly official statistics reporting.\n2.\tBackground \nA.\tThe survey\nThe RCXS is a new, industry-wide survey of rail passenger experiences. Its aim is to provide regular, robust, and consistent customer insight data and the single source of truth for the industry.\nThe RCXS is a collaboration between Transport Focus, Department for Transport, Rail Delivery Group, Network Rail and the Customer and Revenue Growth Team (formerly part of Great British Railways Transition Team). We work closely with industry stakeholders such as train operating companies, mayoral and devolved authorities.\nApproximately ten thousand passengers a month are asked their views on their rail journey experience with the aim of speaking to an estimated 130,000 passengers every year. The RCXS fieldwork launched in July 2025 and will be continuously in field from this date. The first weighted results were published in December 2025.\nThe RCXS will provide crucial insight into rail customers\u0027 experience, supporting the industry in better understanding where it is performing well, where it needs to improve, and what elements of the journey matter most to customers.\nPassenger views will be used to help train operators improve the day-to-day service for passengers and inform industry decision-making for the improvement of rail services. This way, they can be at the forefront of driving systemic change to improve Britain\u0027s railways and make sure operators are delivering what customers want and need.\nAs well as positioning us as the official authority on RCXS results it also provides us with a high-profile platform every six months and will likely become the main way to assess how well Great British Railways is delivering for passengers.\nTransport Focus already uses the data quarterly to highlight industry performance on the journey elements that matter most to passengers through its rail scorecard. This builds on a long history in this space for Transport Focus having previously delivered one of the world\u0027s biggest passenger satisfaction surveys, the National Rail Passenger Survey and more recently the Rail User Survey.\nThe rail industry is responsible for regular RCXS internal industry reporting and dashboards available on the Rail Data Marketplace.\nIn addition to Transport Focus\u0027s reporting the following will be available as data products in the Rail Data Marketplace:\n\u2022\tCRG interactive dashboard (due in early 2026)\n\u2022\trespondent-level data requested via an API\n\u2022\tflat files containing respondent-level data\n\u2022\tNetwork Rail Insight Hub dashboard.\nA dashboard is currently not the preferred means to share Transport Focus\u0027s official statistic data to avoid duplications of industry dashboards.\nB.\tOutput - six-monthly publication\nTransport Focus will lead on the publication of the RCXS official statics every six months in May and November.\nTransport Focus is looking to an agency to help us scope out the key deliverables online and design the outputs in line with our style and brand.\nOur current practice of publishing individual PDF reports no longer keeps up with accessibility standards nor serves our audience\u0027s evolving digital expectations. \nA separate exercise is underway to tender for a new digital publication platform for all of Transport Focus\u0027s insight reporting (away from PDF downloads to HTML as default). Proposals for the RCXS reporting should be deliverable on/able to integrate to our existing infrastructure and WordPress CMS for the first six-month reporting in May 2026 and the ability to sit in or alongside the new digital publication platform in future iterations. Options such as microsite may be explored as an option but these would need to integrate with Transport Focus\u0027s website and significant reasons provided why options away from Transport Focus\u0027s existing URL should be pursued/explored within the discovery phase.\nC.\tDeliverables\nThe format of the output will be determined as the project develops, and by the nature of the story eventually selected and developed. \nBidders would be able to advise and help provide input how best to tell the story of the data whether that be website content, clear social media assets or other outputs.\nA key part of the project would be to develop a proposed look and feel (in line with brand guidelines) for the RCXS data viz and means of hosting this. Proposals should outline the approach to content/storytelling and development of static or animated assets which could be easily used on Transport Focus\u0027s website, on social media, within stakeholder briefings and for use with the press.\nKey pillars we need to report on:\nData report\n(Official statistic)\nIncludes methodology, definitions, and full data tables.\nLikely format: HTML summary + downloadable Excel files.\nCovers national, TOC, route, and journey purpose breakdowns.\nSummary report (Official Statistic)\nHighlights key findings in a clear, accessible format.\nMay include key drivers of satisfaction and subgroup analysis (sector, station performance).\nBased on journey stages or aspects we chose to pull out\nBespoke Commentary \nTransport Focus\u0027s independent take on what the data means.\nFocuses on accountability and areas needing improvement.\nThought leadership pieces signposting to future deep dives (e.g. accessibility, passenger assistance) and links to consumer standards\nTOC reports \nSummary and at a glance level per TOC\nHighlights TOC specific key drivers\nConsistent focus on key metrics and trend analysis over time.\nDesigned to help readers understand satisfaction performance for specific TOCs easily.\nKey target audiences include train operators, the wider rail industry, key decision makers in national and regional government, consumers/rail passengers, national and trade media and social influencers/commentators. \nOur current working assumption is that we will require a number of reports that delivers the necessary official statistics data and a number of other reports/outputs which tell the story and Transport Focus analysis. We foresee this as online content made up of interconnected chapters or reports that pulls this together to provide engaging content for industry and passengers.\nWe are looking to a design and data vis agency with a strong experience of handling large data sets to design and deliver outputs for year one of the survey and templates for year-on-year trend reporting.\nThis reporting would integrate into Transport Focus\u0027s existing website WordPress CMS to allow people to access data in html, data tables to cover our core official stats data, data visulisations and commentary for Transport Focus analysis/briefing and Excel csv downloads.\nWe are keen to for this to be seen as one of our flagship launches and as such want to ensure the outputs deliver engaging content that provides world leading insight into what is happening at stations, on trains and platforms up and down the country.\nWe envisage the online reporting would have clear data-visualisations, written commentary and features such as being able to share or download individual charts or editorial content across different social media platforms.\nD.\tOfficial statistics - Code of Practice for Statistics\nSome of the outputs will be published as \u0027official statistics in development\u0027, and their publication will need to comply with the Code of Practice for Statistics and the code\u0027s three pillars of trustworthiness, quality and value.\nE.\tAccessibility\nAccessibility compliance is paramount. The platform must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standards as a minimum, incorporating features such as screen reader compatibility, keyboard navigation support, alt text capabilities for all visual content, appropriate colour contrast ratios, and compatibility with assistive technologies. The platform should enable content to be presented in clear, structured formats with proper heading hierarchies and descriptive hyperlinks and responsive design\nAll content should be fully responsive, automatically optimising viewing experience across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices without compromising functionality or accessibility.\nWe are looking for supplier that is willing to work collaboratively and help us build our knowledge base. If successful we see the opportunity to build this approach into more of our work for other transport users going forward. \n3.\tScope of work \nThe supplier will:\n\u2022\tDeliver a discovery phase with the Transport Focus project team to scope out the reporting structure\n\u2022\tDesign and deliver outputs for year one of the survey and templates for year-on-year trend reporting.\n4.\tOut of scope\n\u2022\tPR on the findings of the survey (delivered in-house by Transport Focus comms and public affairs team)\n\u2022\tdata analysis (delivered in-house by Transport Focus insight team).\n5.\tApproach\nPlease map out what you think the main distinct phases of the project are likely to be, and approximately how much time and budget you would recommend attaching to each phase. \nWe realise there are different skillsets required for different elements of a project like this - some more geared towards data visualisation and others storytelling. Please detail which of these skills you have inhouse, and those where you would seek external support.\nWhere possible please illustrate your approach to the above via relevant case studies.",
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