West Yorkshire Bus Franchising - Round 2 Opportunities

Notice Information

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Notice Title

Notice Description

A decision was made on the 14th of March 2024 by Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire, to bring buses back under local control in the biggest shake-up of the region's transport network in decades. Since that decision, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) has continued to engage with bus operators and prepare for the transition to franchising. Contracts for Round 1 are expected to be awarded in August 2026, with Round 2 scheduled to launch in early July 2026. The previous notice indicated that the franchising programme would be delivered through nine geographic baskets of contracts. The first three baskets are currently being evaluated, and WYCA is now preparing to launch the procurement process for the next three baskets, each comprising a varying number of contracts depending on size and operational complexity.

Planning Information

This Preliminary Market Engagement notice is being issued to: 1) Invite bus operators to West Yorkshire Combined Authority's Round 2 Market Engagement Day, and 2) Remind interested operators to apply for membership of the relevant Dynamic Market. Following the initial market engagement for the creation of the Dynamic Market and Round 1, held between November 2024 and June 2025, we now plan to undertake operator engagement for Round 2 in June 2026. Thank you to everyone who engaged with the previous WYCA Bus Franchising procurement activities - your participation and feedback are greatly valued. We now welcome both existing operators and new potential entrants who are interested in Round 2 franchising opportunities to attend an upcoming market engagement session: Date: Thursday 18 June 2026 Location: Wellington House, Leeds (Combined Authority offices) Please save the date in your calendar. This session will cover the latest Round 2 developments and provide an opportunity for operators to ask questions and share feedback. Topics are expected to include: • Procurement process • Fleet • Depots • Network • Customer experience • Technology systems and data insights Further details, including a full agenda and formal invitation, will be shared shortly. To express interest in attending, please contact: bus.reform@westyorks-ca.gov.uk Please note: attendance is limited to a maximum of two delegates per organisation due to room capacity. Dynamic Market The Dynamic Market was established for use by the Combined Authority or any successor authorities. The Invitation to Apply for Membership is still available to all potential operators (Applicants) that are interested in tendering for Franchised Bus Services contracts and associated services to the Combined Authority (the Services). Operators who are already members, do not need to re-apply. The Dynamic Market has two Parts. Applicants may make an application to one or both Parts, at any time. Membership or previous Application status of one Part makes no difference to the ability of an Applicant to apply to the other Part. Part "Tier A" of the Dynamic Market will be for the Combined Authority to procure Tier A Franchised Bus Services contracts that: (a) require the use of an Authority-owned depot to perform contractual operations (lease arrangements will be part of each contract) (b) require the use of Authority-owned fleet to perform contractual operations. Part "Tier B and C" of the Dynamic Market will be for the Combined Authority to procure Tier B and C Franchised Bus Services contracts that: (a) do not require the use of an Authority-owned depot to perform contractual operations (operators will source their own arrangements) (b) may make use of Authority-owned fleet to perform contractual operation but usually will involve an Operator providing its own fleet. Further information about the Parts of the Dynamic Market is set out in the associated documents. As this is a Qualifying Utilities Dynamic Market, the Combined Authority does not intend to publish tender notices for individual procurements under this Dynamic Market via the central digital platform. Pursuant to section 40 of the PA23, a tender notice and associated Invitation to Tender inviting all Members of the applicable part of the Dynamic Market will be issued only to Members of the relevant Part. Pending Applications will not receive such an invitation. Therefore, it is essential that all operators who wish to receive Invitations to Tender are Members of the relevant Part of the Dynamic Market before any tender notice or Invitation to Tender is issued in relation to individual procurements under the Dynamic Market. The Combined Authority reserves the right to extend the Dynamic Market or terminate it early. The latest date an Application can be made to join the Dynamic Market to be able to tender for Round 2, Tiers A, B and C (all round 2 contracts) is 1200 hrs (BST) on Thursday, the 25th June 2026. OPERATORS WHO DO NOT APPLY ON OR BEFORE THIS DATE MAY BE UNABLE TO TAKE PART IN THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS FOR ROUND 2. Applicants must submit their Applications via YORtender, using the link at the bottom of this notice. The application form must be, completed (the document, with the project-specific questions added to the PSQ, is available to download at the link contained within this notice). No other methods of applying are available. https://uk.eu-supply.com/app/rfq/rwlentrance_s.asp?PID=96045&B= Go4Growth Support for Operators To support all operators - including new entrants and Small and Medium Operators (SMOs) , the West Yorkshire Combined Authority works in partnership with Go4Growth, an independent organisation that helps businesses build capability and confidence when bidding for public sector contracts. You can access support here: www.go4growth.co.uk This resource is available to all potential bidders and we encourage operators of all sizes to make use of it. We look forward to your continued engagement.

Notice Details

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Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID: ocds-h6vhtk-04fb55
Publication Source: Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/045066-2026
Current Stage: Planning
All Stages: Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type: UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type: Standard
Procurement Category: Services
Procurement Method: Not Specified
Procurement Method Details: Not specified
Tender Suitability: Not specified
Awardee Scale: Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions: 60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)
CPV Codes: 60112000 - Public road transport services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value: Not specified
Lots Value: Not specified
Awards Value: Not specified
Contracts Value: Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date: 15 May 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline: Not specified
Future Notice Date: 1 Oct 2025Expired
Award Date: Not specified
Contract Period: 31 Jan 2028 - 31 Jan 2033 Over 5 years
Recurrence: Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status: Planning
Lots Status: Planning
Awards Status: Not Specified
Contracts Status: Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

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Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer: WEST YORKSHIRE 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: LEEDS
Postcode: LS1 2DE
Post Town: Leeds
Country: England
Major Region (ITL 1): TLE Yorkshire and The Humber
Basic Region (ITL 2): TLE4 West Yorkshire
Small Region (ITL 3): TLE42 Leeds
Delivery Location: TLE4 West Yorkshire
Local Authority: Leeds
Electoral Ward: Little London & Woodhouse
Westminster Constituency: Leeds Central and Headingley

Further Information

Notice Documents

https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/045066-2026
15th May 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/012261-2025
1st April 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

Notice URLs

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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JSON Markdown

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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