Official UK procurement notice
North-South Wales Coach Operator Service (Bangor - Carmarthen)
Authority: Transport for Wales
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe Welsh Government (WG) and Transport for Wales (TfW) share a clear ambition to deliver a more accessible, efficient and sustainable transport network across Wales. Along the west coast of Wales, this includes improving public transport connectivity and encouraging a modal shift away from private car use, in line with the National Transport Delivery Plan and Regional Transport Plans.
A Welsh Transport Appraisal Guidance (WelTAG) Stage 3 appraisal identified the introduction of an express coach service between Bangor and Carmarthen as the preferred intervention to support these objectives. By reducing the number of intermediate stops, improving journey times and providing a high-quality onboard passenger experience, the service is intended to attract longer-distance travellers, including students, tourists and local residents. It will also aid future strategic investment in the wider public transport network and support the delivery of integrated, multimodal travel across Wales.
Transport for Wales intends to introduce the service in October 2026 through the appointment of one or more operating partners following completion of a competitive procurement process.
The contract will appoint one or more suitably qualified operators to deliver the express coach service on behalf of Transport for Wales. The successful operator(s) will be responsible for the operation of the service in accordance with the contract specification, including day-to-day service delivery, and compliance with all operational, safety and performance requirements established by Transport for Wales.
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 1 Feb 2030, 23:59 GMT.
- How the procedure runs: As per ITT Documentation
CPV: Public-service buses · Repair, maintenance and associated services of vehicles and related equipment · Road transport services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£10,400,000
- Economic & financial standing
As per ITT Documentation
- Technical & professional ability
As per ITT Documentation
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published award criteria (3)
- Quality
- Price
- Social Value
- Economic & financial standing
As per ITT Documentation
- Technical & professional ability
As per ITT Documentation
- Price carries 45 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4.5 points. Quality carries 45 of 100: the paper moves it further than the discount.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Cancelled
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Utilities
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 1 Feb 2030
- First published
- 21 May 2026, 13:03 BST
- Last source update
- 9 Sept 2026, 15:26 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 18 Aug 2026
- Authority reference
C001366.00- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-063266- Latest notice
- Procurement termination notice (UK12)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-069f20Find a Tender- Contract terms summary
As per ITT Documentation
- How it runs
As per ITT Documentation
- Risks
As per ITT Documentation
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 3 Aug 2026, 12:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 20 Jul 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- cy, en
Via the TfW Atamis Procurement Portal (tfw.my.site.com/s/Welcome ↗) using code: C0200.
Once you have registered, you will find the home screen with various access links. To view and register onto any Transport for Wales tender opportunities, click on the ‘Find Opportunities’ section on the home page. Once you have registered for the tenders you are interested in, return to the home page where you’ll find the ‘My Proposals and Quotes’ button.
Timeline
21 May 2026 → 25 Oct 2026 · 11 dates- Planning notice published154 days ago21 May 2026, 13:03 BST
- Market engagement114 days ago30 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
The purpose of this Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) Notice is to test market appetite, operator capability, and understand route optimisation and feasibility.
To register your interest in this Preliminary Market Engagement, please follow the link below (or copy and paste into your browser) and complete the Microsoft Form by 17:00 on Monday 8th June 2026:
forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx ↗
TfW may wish to engage further with interested operators, but this is not guaranteed, depending on timescales.
For any queries or issues, please contact: [email protected]
- Next notice expected112 days ago2 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published108 days ago6 Jul 2026, 15:00 BST
- Clarification questions by94 days ago20 Jul 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission deadline80 days ago3 Aug 2026, 12:00 BST
- Award decision expected by65 days ago18 Aug 2026, 23:59 BST
- Assessment summaries sent59 days ago25 Aug 2026, 00:00 BST
- Standstill ends48 days ago4 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
- Latest notice published43 days ago9 Sept 2026, 15:26 BST
- Today22 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 2 days25 Oct 2026, 00:00 BST
Notice history
11 events · 5 releases on Find a Tender · since 21 May 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published21 May 2026, 13:03 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published6 Jul 2026, 15:00 BSTUK4
- Published value updated to £10,400,0006 Jul 2026, 15:00 BSTwas £7,800,000
- Status changed to active6 Jul 2026, 15:00 BST
- Procurement method changed6 Jul 2026, 15:00 BST
- Deadline published: 3 Aug 2026, 12:00 BST6 Jul 2026, 15:00 BST
- Tender notice published13 Jul 2026, 09:33 BSTUK4
- Contract award notice published25 Aug 2026, 16:53 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete25 Aug 2026, 16:53 BST
- Contract signature expected8 Sept 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Procurement termination notice published9 Sept 2026, 15:26 BSTUK12
Published amendments (1)
Supplier Guide to Atamis (TfW) document provided.
Routine re-releases (5)
- 2026-07: 1 release · 6 Jul 2026
- 2026-05: 1 release · 21 May 2026
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arriva Cymru Ltd25 Oct 2026 – 24 Oct 2027 · up to 24 Oct 2030Extensions: The contract will be awarded for an initial 1 year term, with the potential for 3 x 1 year extensions at TfW's discretion, subject to funding confirmation and internal governance approvals. For the avoidance of any doubt, only the year 1 term and contract value are guaranteed at this stage. · Options: While additional purchases are not anticipated at this time, TfW may require variation to volumes and frequencies of scope in the future. If such a requirement is established, variations will be processed via the contracted change control process and subject to compliance with the Procurement Act 2023 Regulations and internal governance procedures. | £14,759,631 | 25 Aug 2026 | Awarded |
Contracts
Contract 1 · Arriva Cymru Ltd
- Signed
- date not published
- Value
- —
- Period
- … – 24 Oct 2027
- Status
- cancelled (8 Sept 2026), Supplier withdrawal of offer from procurement process due to being unable to finalise contractual arrangements.
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5final-stage tenders | 5 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Arriva Cymru LtdAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (6)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specifications Supplier Guide to Atamis (TfW)
Notices published for this procedure
- Procurement termination notice Procurement termination notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender