Award

Bus Grant Fares and Ticketing - Kids Go Free - First Bus

THE WEST OF ENGLAND COMBINED AUTHORITY

This public procurement record has 5 releases in its history.

Award

04 Jul 2025 at 16:00

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

04 Jul 2025 at 16:00

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

04 Jul 2025 at 16:00

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

04 Jul 2025 at 15:59

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

04 Jul 2025 at 15:45

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process conducted by The West of England Combined Authority involves a direct award for the initiative titled "Bus Grant Fares and Ticketing – Kids Go Free - First Bus". This is categorised under the services industry and pertains specifically to the sale of travel tickets and package tours services, with the location centred in Bristol, United Kingdom. The procurement stage is currently at the award phase, with the contract period commencing on 19th July 2025 and concluding on 5th September 2025. The procurement method utilised is a direct award, justified under the Procurement Act 2023 due to the exclusive rights held by the supplier, First West of England Limited. The financial implication of this contract reveals a gross value of £880,844.40, with a net amount of £734,037.00. An important milestone is the standstill period, which ends on 16th July 2025.

This procurement presents significant opportunities for businesses involved in the transportation and travel ticketing sector. With the direct award approach, companies that can offer unique services or hold exclusive rights have a chance to secure valuable contracts. The focus on facilitating free travel for under-16s aligns with broader public service initiatives, making it ideal for suppliers that can align their services with public accessibility and community benefit goals. Large-scale transportation companies, particularly those capable of managing subsidised fare initiatives, would find such opportunities lucrative for expanding their market coverage and enhancing community engagement.

Find more tenders on our Open Data Platform.
How relevant is this notice?

D3 Tenders Premium

Win More Public Sector Contracts

AI-powered tender discovery, pipeline management, and market intelligence — everything you need to grow your public sector business.

Start Free Trial Book a Demo
All Features Pricing

Notice Information

Notice Title

Bus Grant Fares and Ticketing - Kids Go Free - First Bus

Notice Description

This contract supports the Kids Go Free subsidised fare initiative that allows for free travel for the under 16s, with this supplier.

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. [Emphasis added] 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.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-055976
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/037579-2025
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

63 - Supporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services

CPV Codes

63512000 - Sale of travel tickets and package tours services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£734,037 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
4 Jul 20257 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
1 Jul 20257 months ago
Contract Period
18 Jul 2025 - 5 Sep 2025 1-6 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
THE 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 6AL
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

Download

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. 

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-055976-2025-07-04T17:00:18+01:00",
    "date": "2025-07-04T17:00:18+01:00",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-055976",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PGWR-9284-XMRY",
            "name": "The West of England Combined Authority",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PGWR-9284-XMRY"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "70 Redcliff Street",
                "locality": "Bristol",
                "postalCode": "BS1 6AL",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKK11"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "commercial@westofengland-ca.gov.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "url": "https://www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/about-us/contact-us/",
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "id": "publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment",
                        "description": "Public authority - sub-central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "id": "GB-COH-00025088",
            "name": "FIRST WEST OF ENGLAND LIMITED",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-COH",
                "id": "00025088"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Enterprise House",
                "locality": "Bristol",
                "postalCode": "BS5 0DZ",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKK11"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "robert.sanderson@firstbus.co.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "supplier"
            ],
            "details": {
                "url": "http://firstbus.co.uk",
                "scale": "large",
                "vcse": false,
                "publicServiceMissionOrganization": false,
                "shelteredWorkshop": false
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PGWR-9284-XMRY",
        "name": "The West of England Combined Authority"
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "C0445",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "Bus Grant Fares and Ticketing - Kids Go Free - First Bus",
        "description": "This contract supports the Kids Go Free subsidised fare initiative that allows for free travel for the under 16s, with this supplier.",
        "status": "complete",
        "procurementMethod": "direct",
        "procurementMethodDetails": "Direct award",
        "procurementMethodRationale": "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. [Emphasis added] 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.",
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "status": "complete"
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "conflictOfInterest",
                "documentType": "conflictOfInterest",
                "description": "Not published"
            }
        ],
        "riskDetails": "No significant risks identified due to the nature of the requirement.",
        "procurementMethodRationaleClassifications": [
            {
                "id": "singleSuppliersIntellectualPropertyExclusiveRights"
            }
        ]
    },
    "awards": [
        {
            "id": "1",
            "title": "Bus Grant Fares and Ticketing - Kids Go Free - First Bus",
            "status": "pending",
            "value": {
                "amountGross": 880844.4,
                "amount": 734037,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
            "aboveThreshold": true,
            "items": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "additionalClassifications": [
                        {
                            "scheme": "CPV",
                            "id": "63512000",
                            "description": "Sale of travel tickets and package tours services"
                        }
                    ],
                    "relatedLot": "1"
                }
            ],
            "contractPeriod": {
                "startDate": "2025-07-19T00:00:00+01:00",
                "endDate": "2025-09-05T23:59:59+01:00"
            },
            "relatedLots": [
                "1"
            ],
            "documents": [
                {
                    "id": "037568-2025",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK5",
                    "description": "Transparency notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/037568-2025",
                    "datePublished": "2025-07-04T16:45:46+01:00",
                    "format": "text/html"
                },
                {
                    "id": "037576-2025",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK6",
                    "description": "Contract award notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/037576-2025",
                    "datePublished": "2025-07-04T16:59:55+01:00",
                    "format": "text/html"
                },
                {
                    "id": "037577-2025",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK6",
                    "description": "Contract award notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/037577-2025",
                    "datePublished": "2025-07-04T17:00:03+01:00",
                    "format": "text/html"
                },
                {
                    "id": "037578-2025",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK6",
                    "description": "Contract award notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/037578-2025",
                    "datePublished": "2025-07-04T17:00:10+01:00",
                    "format": "text/html"
                },
                {
                    "id": "037579-2025",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK6",
                    "description": "Contract award notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/037579-2025",
                    "datePublished": "2025-07-04T17:00:18+01:00",
                    "format": "text/html"
                }
            ],
            "milestones": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "type": "futureSignatureDate",
                    "dueDate": "2025-07-16T23:59:59+01:00",
                    "status": "scheduled"
                }
            ],
            "date": "2025-07-02T00:00:00+01:00",
            "suppliers": [
                {
                    "id": "GB-COH-00025088",
                    "name": "FIRST WEST OF ENGLAND LIMITED"
                }
            ],
            "standstillPeriod": {
                "endDate": "2025-07-16T23:59:59+01:00"
            },
            "subcontracting": {
                "subcontracts": [
                    {
                        "id": "1",
                        "mainContractors": [
                            {
                                "id": "GB-COH-00025088",
                                "name": "FIRST WEST OF ENGLAND LIMITED"
                            }
                        ],
                        "description": "Please see Companies House"
                    }
                ]
            }
        }
    ],
    "language": "en"
}