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The Fares, Ticketing & Retail Subject Matter Expert

West Midlands Combined Authority

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

28 Sep 2026 at 16:36

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

West Midlands Combined Authority, through Transport for West Midlands, commissioned specialist consultancy on bus fares, ticketing and retail for its Bus Reform Programme and franchising readiness work. The services cover reviewing existing arrangements across the authority and bus operators; analysing customer experience, accessibility, retail channels and customer journeys; and developing strategic options, recommendations and implementation considerations for a future franchised bus network. The work also includes assessing commercial, technical, operational and revenue-management issues, benchmarking transport-sector practice and trends, and preparing strategic roadmaps, programme-planning input, risks and dependencies. The consultant is expected to engage stakeholders, take part in workshops and present findings, with wider advice across programme workstreams where fares, ticketing, retail or commercial expertise is needed. Delivery is for the West Midlands, United Kingdom.

The procurement is complete and the contract has been awarded to Waterman Aspen Ltd. The award was made on 13 July 2026, following a selective procedure using a call-off from a framework agreement. The awarded value is £151,200. The contract period runs from 1 June 2026 to 31 March 2027. The tender submission deadline was 28 May 2026 at 12 noon. The recorded procurement information does not set out the evaluation criteria or a division into lots. The requirement was identified as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises. The selected supplier is itself recorded as an SME.

This award demonstrates a defined requirement for consultancy combining public transport fares and ticketing expertise with commercial, technical and operational analysis. Suppliers seeking to compete when this buyer’s requirement returns would need to show they can assess arrangements spanning a transport authority and bus operators, understand customer journeys and accessibility, and develop workable options for a franchised bus environment. Credibility also depends on transport-sector benchmarking, revenue-management knowledge, strategic roadmapping and the ability to identify programme risks and dependencies. Stakeholder engagement, workshop facilitation and clear presentation of recommendations are central delivery capabilities, alongside flexibility to advise across related bus-reform workstreams. The contract was awarded through a framework call-off, so relevant framework access and the ability to deliver a focused specialist consultancy assignment would also be important.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

The Fares, Ticketing & Retail Subject Matter Expert

Notice Description

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) requires specialist consultancy support to provide strategic and technical expertise in relation to fares, ticketing and retail arrangements as part of the Bus Reform Programme and franchising readiness activities. The services to be provided will include: * Review and assessment of existing fares, ticketing and retail arrangements across TfWM and bus operators, * Analysis of customer experience, accessibility, retail channels and customer journeys; * Development of strategic options, recommendations and implementations considerations for a future franchised environment; * Review of commercial, technical, operational and revenue management considerations associated with fares and ticketing arrangements; * Benchmarking against industry best practise and emerging trends within the transport sector; * Development of strategic roadmaps, programme planning inputs and risk and dependency considerations; * Stakeholder engagement, workshop participation and presentation of findings and recommendation and * Wider advisory support across relevant Bus Reform Programme workstreams where specialist fares, ticketing, retail or commercial expertise is required.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-539b6e55-7604-46f3-b0b3-b310d06488a9
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/dc10d21b-f445-433d-a6f7-4efcc0135018
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Call-off from a framework agreement
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

71311200 - Transport systems consultancy services

79410000 - Business and management consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£151,200 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£151,200 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
28 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
13 Jul 20262 months ago
Contract Period
1 Jun 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
West Midlands Combined Authority
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
BIRMINGHAM
Postcode
B19 3SD
Postcode Area
Birmingham
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLG West Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLG3 West Midlands
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLG31 Birmingham
Delivery Location
TLG West Midlands (England)
Local Authority
Birmingham
Electoral Ward
Newtown
Westminster Constituency
Birmingham Ladywood

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Waterman Aspen

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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