To support Surrey CC, Peopletoo undertook the following approach:

• Conducted a thorough examination of existing commissioning practices, scrutinising the utilisation of the current DPS to commission transport providers. The focus was on understanding how this dynamic might change if commissioning activities were to transition to a framework model.
• In-depth data analysis of Surrey CC’s travel assistance spending was undertaken, involving benchmarking transport costs against neighbouring Local Authorities. This analysis also encompassed a comparison of route costs within Surrey CC’s operation, aiming to unveil any disparities in price, provision, or quality across the county.
• Stakeholder engagement efforts were initiated, involving interactions with the provider network, which included both Minibus and Taxi Providers, as well as the Community Transport sector. The objective was to gain insights into their experiences of being commissioned by and working with Surrey.
• Dialogue with the current DPS provider took place to address limitations and concerns voiced by Surrey CC, seeking perspectives on potential future updates or improvements to the DPS.
• A series of workshops were conducted to identify the functionality requirements of a transport system and to highlight existing gaps in the current systems. This valuable insight informed the creation of a shortlist of potential systems, each system’s functionality was then shared with Surrey CC, and demo sessions were scheduled to aid in their understanding of the offerings available in the market.