Official UK procurement notice
November 2026 Subsidised Bus Tenders
Authority: West Midlands Combined Authority (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionProvision of sixteen (16) subsidised local bus service contracts across the West Midlands to ensure continuity of socially necessary passenger transport services from 1 November 2026.
The procurement is being conducted through an Open Procedure under the Procurement Act 2023 and suppliers may bid for one or more contracts.
CPV: Road transport services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£4,587,147
- Economic & financial standing
Suppliers must demonstrate satisfactory economic and financial standing through completion of the Financial Risk Self-Assessment Tool and any associated financial due diligence. Assessment will be undertaken on a pass/fail basis.
The Terms and Conditions related to this contract are non-negotiable, either during the clarification period, standstill or post award. Please confirm that you agree to the terms and conditions we have provided you with in full.
- Technical & professional ability
If an operator does not currently have Smartcard readers in place, they will be required to confirm commitment and ability to install by the contract commencement date.
A response of 'No' to this question will be classed as a 'Fail' and they will have therefore failed to meet the Conditions of Participation for this opportunity.
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 sub-criteria (1)
- Commercial: 100%
Published award criteria (1)
- Commercial
- Economic & financial standing
Suppliers must demonstrate satisfactory economic and financial standing through completion of the Financial Risk Self-Assessment Tool and any associated financial due diligence. Assessment will be undertaken on a pass/fail basis.
The Terms and Conditions related to this contract are non-negotiable, either during the clarification period, standstill or post award. Please confirm that you agree to the terms and conditions we have provided you with in full.
- Technical & professional ability
If an operator does not currently have Smartcard readers in place, they will be required to confirm commitment and ability to install by the contract commencement date.
A response of 'No' to this question will be classed as a 'Fail' and they will have therefore failed to meet the Conditions of Participation for this opportunity.
- Price carries 100 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 10 points. This one is won on the number: sharpen the price before polishing the prose.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Open 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
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 31 Jul 2026, 17:00 BST
- Last source update
- 14 Oct 2026, 16:28 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 25 Sept 2026
- Authority reference
PRT-ITS-WPG-2026-0026- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-072910- Latest notice
- Procurement termination notice (UK12)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d94bFind a Tender
- Risks
The Authority has identified three key risks that may affect contract performance during the contract term:
- Worsening highway conditions, which may reduce service punctuality and lead to lost journeys. Contributes to reduced punctuality and lost journeys
- Exceptional cost inflation, which may affect the financial sustainability of the contracts. Financial sustainability of contract is reduced
- Changes in travel demand or travel patterns, which may reduce patronage and impact service viability. Service becomes non-viable due to be reduced patronage
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 26 Aug 2026, 12:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 18 Aug 2026, 23:59 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
31 Jul 2026 → 1 Nov 2026 · 6 dates- Tender notice published85 days ago31 Jul 2026, 17:00 BST
- Clarification questions by67 days ago18 Aug 2026, 23:59 BST
- Submission deadline59 days ago26 Aug 2026, 12:00 BST
- Award decision expected by29 days ago25 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
- Latest notice published10 days ago14 Oct 2026, 16:28 BST
- Today24 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 7 days1 Nov 2026
Notice history
3 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 31 Jul 2026- Tender notice published31 Jul 2026, 17:00 BSTUK4
- Procurement termination notice published14 Oct 2026, 16:28 BSTUK12
- Status changed to complete14 Oct 2026, 16:28 BST
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| supplier not published | — | 12 Oct 2026 | Cancelled |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Procurement termination notice Procurement termination notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender