Official UK procurement notice
WMCA Micromobility Scheme - Tender Notice
Authority: West Midlands Combined Authority (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionTwo regional micromobility schemes currently operate within the West Midlands. A regional cycle hire scheme (West Midlands Cycle Hire) has been in place since March 2021, predominantly focused on pedal bikes. An eScooter scheme being delivered as part of the Department for Transport (DfT) trial has been in place since August 2023. Both contracts are due to end in early 2026.
WMCA are seeking a Service Provider to provide a new service on a concession basis, to include both e-Bikes and eScooters (Micromobility Assets), which allows customers to unlock the vehicles using an app, ride to their destination, park and pay in the app.
The Micromobility Services should support West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and its 7 constituent Local Authorities (LAs) in meeting key regional priorities, including:
- Encouraging modal shift from the private car
- Providing easy and inclusive access to assets which do not conflict with other footway users
- Promote the use of public transport with assets available for hire/parking at or close to public transport interchanges
The Service Provider will be required to have experience of operating Micromobility Services in the United Kingdom and hold and maintain full CoMoUK Public Bike Share Accreditation throughout the duration of this agreement.
The eScooter Vehicle Special Order (VSO) covering the West Midlands allows for a provision of eScooters in 5 of the 7 Local Authority areas within the West Midlands (Birmingham, Coventry, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton (excluding Dudley and Solihull)). Rollout will be dependent on agreement with respective Local Authority areas and is not guaranteed. For reference, eScooters are currently operational in Birmingham and the University of Warwick (Coventry).
CPV: Public road transport services · Special-purpose road passenger-transport services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£36,000,000
- Economic & financial standing
Financial Capacity assessed through self-completion of WMCA's Financial Risk Assessment Tool.
If a 'Fail' or 'Flag as Risk' is received for any metrics, the tenderer MUST engage with WMCA BEFORE THE END OF THE CLARIFICATION PERIOD to provide an explanation and agree mitigation measures. If Tenderers receive a 'Fail' or 'Flag as Risk' and don't engage during the clarification period, they will Fail this condition of participation.
The Concessionaire will be required to hold the following levels of insurance;
Employer’s (Compulsory) Liability Insurance = £10M
Public Liability Insurance = £20M
Professional Indemnity Insurance = £1M
Tenderers must confirm that they commit to obtaining and maintaining these levels of insurance throughout the duration of the contract and must upload either;
a) Insurance Certificates showing that these levels of cover are currently held; or
b) A letter/quotation from an insurance company confirming that they would offer the required level of insurance
- Technical & professional ability
Tenderers must provide details of up to three contracts which evidence (providing names and localities where appropriate) prior experience of:
- Running similar micromobility services with multiple vehicle types, operating over a period of at least 1 year
- In scoping service design (including fleet size and customer proposition) and any experience in simulating this prior to deployment.
- Working successfully and collaboratively with public bodies towards shared objectives.
- Operating in dense urban areas
Confirmation of compliance with GDPR and Modern Slavery Act 2015 (if applicable)
Confirmation that if sucessful, the Tenderer will commit to paying the Living Wage as a minimum to all employees.
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).
- Technical: Weighted at 90%
- Social Value: Weighted at 10%
- Commercial: Pass/Fail
- Economic & financial standing
Financial Capacity assessed through self-completion of WMCA's Financial Risk Assessment Tool.
If a 'Fail' or 'Flag as Risk' is received for any metrics, the tenderer MUST engage with WMCA BEFORE THE END OF THE CLARIFICATION PERIOD to provide an explanation and agree mitigation measures. If Tenderers receive a 'Fail' or 'Flag as Risk' and don't engage during the clarification period, they will Fail this condition of participation.
The Concessionaire will be required to hold the following levels of insurance;
Employer’s (Compulsory) Liability Insurance = £10M
Public Liability Insurance = £20M
Professional Indemnity Insurance = £1M
Tenderers must confirm that they commit to obtaining and maintaining these levels of insurance throughout the duration of the contract and must upload either;
a) Insurance Certificates showing that these levels of cover are currently held; or
b) A letter/quotation from an insurance company confirming that they would offer the required level of insurance
- Technical & professional ability
Tenderers must provide details of up to three contracts which evidence (providing names and localities where appropriate) prior experience of:
- Running similar micromobility services with multiple vehicle types, operating over a period of at least 1 year
- In scoping service design (including fleet size and customer proposition) and any experience in simulating this prior to deployment.
- Working successfully and collaboratively with public bodies towards shared objectives.
- Operating in dense urban areas
Confirmation of compliance with GDPR and Modern Slavery Act 2015 (if applicable)
Confirmation that if sucessful, the Tenderer will commit to paying the Living Wage as a minimum to all employees.
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
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Concession
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 18 Jul 2025, 09:39 BST
- Last source update
- 17 Apr 2026, 10:17 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 30 Jan 2026
- Authority reference
06134-2024- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-056304- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0561d8Find a Tender
- Risks
Risk - Current status of e-scooters being under a DfT trial at present until May 2028, with potential withdrawal, extensions or legislation
Impact - Uncertainty of long-term future of this mode – potential for scooters to drop out as a supported mode of travel
Reason it cannot be addressed in contract - Uncertainty over long-term DfT position on this which is out of our control. We have attempted to mitigate this by making e-bikes the focus of the contract and referenced the uncertainty of scooters. Marketplace is also fully aware of e-scooter position on a national level
Risk - Escalation of international conflicts / Increase of trade tariffs / Emergence of Epidemic/Pandemic
Impact - Significant rise in costs or lack of availability of equipment and materials
Reason it cannot be addressed in contract - Cannot predict availability issues, contracts can cover increased costs to a point, however not significant rises
Risk - LA partner deciding to withdraw support for bike and/or scooter scheme
Impact - Change to geographical coverage of the scheme / lack of ability to deploy across the region
Reason it cannot be addressed in contract - At outset, all 7 LAs are included from a bike perspective – references made to e-scooters and where the scheme is currently approved with DfT, operational and supported. Impossible to predict future sentiment towards modes, especially e-scooters, with them being relatively new and at times subjective in how they are viewed
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 17 Oct 2025, 17:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 3 Oct 2025, 17:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
wmca.bravosolution.co.uk/go/7865769601993E20C731 ↗
Prospective Bidders will be required to register for an account on Bravo Solutions, WMCA's e-tendering platform before being able to access the Invitation to Tender pack.
Timeline
18 Jul 2025 → 17 Apr 2026 · 10 dates- Planning notice published18 Jul 2025, 09:39 BST
- Next notice expected18 Aug 2025, 23:59 BST
- Tender notice published399 days ago12 Sept 2025, 15:52 BST
- Clarification questions by378 days ago3 Oct 2025, 17:00 BST
- Submission deadline364 days ago17 Oct 2025, 17:00 BST
- Assessment summaries sent301 days ago19 Dec 2025
- Standstill ends283 days ago5 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Award decision expected by258 days ago30 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract starts198 days ago1 Apr 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published182 days ago17 Apr 2026, 10:17 BST
Notice history
10 events · 5 releases on Find a Tender · since 18 Jul 2025- Preliminary market engagement notice published18 Jul 2025, 09:39 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published12 Sept 2025, 15:52 BSTUK4
- Status changed to active12 Sept 2025, 15:52 BST
- Procurement method changed12 Sept 2025, 15:52 BST
- Deadline published: 17 Oct 2025, 17:00 BST12 Sept 2025, 15:52 BST
- Contract award notice published19 Dec 2025, 15:02 GMTUK6
- Status changed to complete19 Dec 2025, 15:02 GMT
- Contract award notice published6 Jan 2026, 10:41 GMTUK6
- Contract signature expected30 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
- Contract details notice published17 Apr 2026, 10:17 BSTUK7
Routine re-releases (5)
- 2025-09: 1 release · 12 Sept 2025
- 2025-07: 1 release · 18 Jul 2025
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lime Technology LtdSMEWMCA Micromobility Scheme1 Apr 2026 – 31 Mar 2031 · up to 31 Mar 2036Extensions: The contract includes options to extend at the sole discretion of WMCA for a total period of 5 years in 1 x 3-year and 1 x 2-year increments, to a final expiry date of 31/03/2036. | £36,000,000 inc. VAT | 19 Dec 2025 | Awarded |
| Lime Technology LtdSMEWMCA Micromobility Scheme1 Apr 2026 – 31 Jan 2031 · up to 31 Mar 2036Extensions: The contract includes options to extend at the sole discretion of WMCA for a total period of 5 years in 1 x 3-year and 1 x 2-year increments, to a final expiry date of 31/03/2036. | £36,000,000 inc. VAT | 19 Dec 2025standstill to 15 Jan 2026 | Standstill |
Contracts
WMCA Micromobility Scheme · Lime Technology LtdSME
- Signed
- 30 Mar 2026
- Value
- £36,000,000 inc. VAT
- Period
- 30 Mar 2026 – 29 Mar 2031 · up to 29 Mar 2036 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- 1 x 3-Year + 1 x 2-Year options to extend at the Authority's discretion
11 agreed KPIs: Fleet Deployed · Fleet Uptime · Parking Compliance …
- Fleet Deployed
- Fleet Uptime
- Parking Compliance
- Response Time: Out of Service Vehicle
- Average Time to Repark a Vehicle (once a report is made)
- Acknowledgement of complaints
- Response to complaints
- Maintenance of Vehicles
- Maintenance / Cleaning of Parking Bays
- Service Availability
- Vehicle Movement
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5final-stage tenders | 4 | 0 | — |
Who bid
- wonLIME TECHNOLOGY LIMITEDSME · North West England
- did not winSMIDSY LTD.SME · Greater London
- did not winBOLT OPERATIONS UK LIMITEDSME · Greater London
- did not winTIER OPERATIONS LIMITEDSME · Greater London
- did not winVOI TECHNOLOGY UK LTD · Greater London
Bidders as named on the Procurement Act 2023 award notice. “Won” means the bidder holds an award on this notice.
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
5 commercial parties on the notice · 1 awarded- BOLT OPERATIONS UK LIMITEDBidder / tenderer
- Lime Technology LimitedAwarded supplier
- SMIDSY LTD.Bidder / tenderer
- TIER OPERATIONS LIMITEDBidder / tenderer
- VOI TECHNOLOGY UK LTDBidder / tenderer
Official documents & specifications (5)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award 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