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Coventry Electric Bus City - Bus Routes

West Midlands Combined Authority

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

08 May 2026 at 14:58

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

04 Feb 2026 at 11:20

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

19 Sep 2025 at 15:36

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has successfully awarded contracts as part of the Coventry Electric Bus City initiative, focusing on renewing tendered bus services within the Coventry/Solihull region. The procurement process falls under the public authority sub-central government category, employing an open procedure to ensure fair competition. The contracts, titled "Coventry Electric Bus City - Bus Routes," cover services in Birmingham, UKG region, and include two lots with a total estimated spend of approximately £21,650,000. The contract term is set from 19 July 2026 to 18 July 2031, with potential extensions up to 2036. This initiative aligns with the statutory duties to foster a sustainable passenger transport network and requires a fully electric fleet within 12 months of the contract start date, indicating WMCA's commitment to sustainable transportation.

This procurement presents significant opportunities for business growth, particularly for large-scale transport service companies focusing on electric vehicle operations. Businesses capable of providing or transitioning to an all-electric bus fleet are particularly well-suited to benefit from this initiative, as the tender emphasizes electrification with deadlines for implementation. Companies that can align with this ecological mandate while offering competitive pricing and technical proficiency are most likely to thrive. Additionally, the provision for a subsequent procurement phase under similar conditions offers sustained business prospects, potentially ensuring long-term engagements with public authorities for the awarded suppliers.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Coventry Electric Bus City - Bus Routes

Notice Description

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) supports the provision of an extensive passenger transport network across the West Midlands, both in fulfilment of statutory duties and to enable access to facilities and services. The WMCA supports the provision of local bus services, by financially subsidising routes that are not provided on a commercial basis by private operators. Current Subsidised Bus Contracts expiring on 18th July 2026 need to be re-procured in order to ensure the routes contained within each contract remain operational. There are two (2) Lots of contracts, with an aggregated estimated total spend value (including extensions) of circa PS21,650,000. The aim of this procurement exercise is to renew existing tendered bus services within the Coventry/Solihull region, whilst aligning with the Coventry Electric Bus City scheme which requires a fully electric fleet (in this case within 12 months of the contract start date.) This contract will overlap with Tranche 1 of franchised bus services operational in Coventry. The contract includes a change control mechanism to allow for changes to the services to align with the service model which will be delivered under franchising (yet to be determined). This could include vehicle livery, data provision, fares and ticketing initiatives etc. The end date of the contract, with the extensions, will enable the service to be included in the franchised network at the first renewal point of the Coventry lots. A shorter contract would not be commercially viable for the operator therefore a 5-year initial term, and up to a 5-year extension, has been agreed upon to offer best value for money and to ensure operators get return from the significant required investment in electric vehicles. WMCA intends to carry out a subsequent procurement of similar goods, services or works in reliance on the direct award justification in paragraph 8 of Schedule 5 to the PA 2023, which is expected to be needed after the expiry of the contract. The X30 service is expected to be a potential subsequent procurement and will be undertaken once funding arrangements have been agreed. The X30 (Coventry Railway Station to Ansty Park) falls within the scope of Lot 1, therefore award of the X30 contract will only be permissible to the winning bidder of Lot 1 and will be awarded via a Direct Award process if undertaken. The Procurement Act 2023 stipulates that this is compliant under the following clause: "The public contract concerns the supply of goods, services or works by the existing supplier that are similar to existing goods, services or works where-- (a)the existing goods, services or works were supplied under a public contract that was awarded in accordance with a competitive tendering procedure within the period of five years ending with the day on which the transparency notice is published, and (b)the tender notice or any tender document in respect of that earlier contract set out-- (i)the contracting authority's intention to carry out a subsequent procurement of similar goods, services or works in reliance on this direct award justification, and (ii)any other information specified in regulations under section 95."

Lot Information

T0945

Renewal: Optional extensions for up to 5 years, in any increment, to a final possible expiry date of 18th July 2036, at the sole discretion of the Authority.

T0946

Renewal: Optional extensions for up to 5 years, in any increment, to a final possible expiry date of 18th July 2036, at the sole discretion of the Authority.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-059e54
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/042607-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

CPV Codes

34121100 - Public-service buses

60000000 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£25,980,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
£25,980,000 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
£35,688,615 £10M-£100M
Contracts Value
£42,902,621 £10M-£100M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
8 May 20263 months ago
Submission Deadline
17 Oct 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
4 Feb 20266 months ago
Contract Period
19 Jul 2026 - 19 Jul 2031 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active, Pending
Contracts Status
Active

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

MIDLAND RED (SOUTH) LIMITED

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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