Award

Bus Grant Fares and Ticketing - Fare Cap First Bus

WEST OF ENGLAND COMBINED AUTHORITY

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

19 Jun 2025 at 16:00

Award

19 Jun 2025 at 15:57

Summary of the contracting process

The "Bus Grant Fares and Ticketing - Fare Cap First Bus" contract, commissioned by the West of England Combined Authority, is an initiative to implement bus fare caps within the West of England, including a £1 child fare cap and a £7 adult multi-operator day ticket. This procurement process, located in Bristol, falls under the services category and has reached the award stage. The direct award method was utilised due to the intellectual property rights held by the supplier, FIRST WEST OF ENGLAND LIMITED, ensuring exclusivity. The contract, valued at approximately £2,226,825.42 GBP, was awarded on 19 June 2025, with a standstill period ending on 30 June 2025. The contract period will commence on 1 July 2025 and conclude on 31 March 2026, covering multiple regions across the United Kingdom.

This tender provides significant growth opportunities for businesses involved in public-service transportation and ticketing services. While the direct award method limits the competition, businesses operating within the industry might explore partnerships or complementary service opportunities with FIRST WEST OF ENGLAND LIMITED. Additionally, businesses with innovative solutions in fare management, passenger engagement, or technology that supports public transit fare systems may find collaborative growth prospects due to the evolving public transport infrastructure in the region.

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Notice Title

Bus Grant Fares and Ticketing - Fare Cap First Bus

Notice Description

This contract will provide for the bus fare caps in the West of England region including the PS1 Child Fare Cap and the PS7 Adult Multi-Operator Day Ticket.

Procurement Information

The Procurement Act 2023 (the Act) permits direct awards to be made in certain circumstances. The relevant justification is contained in Paragraph 5 of Schedule 5 of the Act which states: "The following conditions are met in relation to the public contract- (a) due to a particular supplier having intellectual property rights or other exclusive rights, only that supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and (b) there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works. Each of the bus operators has been awarded competitively tendered bus routes which they have exclusive rights to operate so that both limbs (a) and (b) are satisfied.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-055059
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/033847-2025
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

63 - Supporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services


CPV Codes

34121100 - Public-service buses

63512000 - Sale of travel tickets and package tours services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£2,226,825 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
19 Jun 20258 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
18 Jun 20258 months ago
Contract Period
30 Jun 2025 - 31 Mar 2026 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
WEST OF ENGLAND COMBINED AUTHORITY
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
commercial@westofengland-ca.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
BRISTOL
Postcode
BS1 6LS
Post Town
Bristol
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK5 West of England
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK51 Bristol, City of
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Bristol, City of
Electoral Ward
Central
Westminster Constituency
Bristol Central

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

FIRST WEST OF ENGLAND

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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