Planning

New Bus Fleet

LIVERPOOL CITY REGION COMBINED AUTHORITY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

01 Dec 2025 at 16:24

UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has announced a procurement process under the planning stage for the acquisition of a new bus fleet, titled "New Bus Fleet." This initiative is particularly significant within the transport sector, aiming to enhance public transportation across the Liverpool City Region, United Kingdom. The procurement process is currently in the planning phase, with further stages, including the invitation to tender, expected to be released in the next two months. The procurement method will follow the open procedure, catering to the purchase of over 350 vehicles, comprising diesel and electric models, with tender submissions closing on 28th February 2026. Contract award is anticipated by April 2026, catering to a staged delivery setup starting from April 2027.

This tender presents lucrative growth opportunities for businesses specialising in the manufacturing or supply of motor vehicles capable of carrying 10 or more persons. Companies adept in producing right-hand drive vehicles that meet Euro VI emission standards and the Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations will find this procurement aligned with their expertise. The open procedure encourages participation from a broad range of suppliers, allowing even smaller businesses with innovative solutions in vehicle repowering or zero-emission technologies to compete effectively. The transition to a franchised bus network represents a strategic enhancement in local infrastructure, offering sustained business engagements beyond the initial supply phase.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

New Bus Fleet

Notice Description

Over 400,000 bus journeys are made daily in the Liverpool City Region, representing over 80% of the public transport journeys taken across the Combined Authority area. Across the region, bus journeys are used to connect people to work, schools, universities and colleges and to the shops and leisure activities. The bus network therefore forms a key part of the region's infrastructure. On 25 April 2023, LCRCA published an Assessment on Bus Franchising in the Liverpool City Region which sets out the proposed bus Franchising Scheme in accordance with the Transport Act. In October 2023, the Liverpool City Region Mayor made a Franchising Scheme covering the Liverpool City Region. Franchising is to be introduced over a number of tranches of procurement. with the whole of the Liverpool City Region due to be franchised by the end of 2027 . To support the transition to franchising, the Combined Authority has taken the decision to procure the required bus fleets itself, such that any bidder selected to operate the franchised lots will have access to use a relevant portion of the region's fleet. LCRCA will be seeking to procure a variety of vehicles (350+) across multiple lots, likely to include diesel and electric in a mix of midi, single, and double decker sizes. LCRCA will be seeking a staggered vehicle delivery, starting from April 2027. To support a transition to a zero emission fleet, all diesel buses must adhere to the Euro VI standard, being the highest bus emission standard currently available for diesel buses. LCRCA would welcome vehicles which can be repowered in their lifetime. Vehicles must be of a right-hand drive design, meet the requirements of the Public Service Vehicle Accessibility Regulations 2000 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2000/1970/contents where the dimensions and capacity of the vehicle require them to do so. It should also be noted that the Government has specified in the National Bus Strategy for England https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bus-back-better (page 58) that any buses funded by Government must provide an enhanced level of accessibility, as well as induction loops and audio-visual route and next stop information. All vehicles must confirm to all relevant current legislation and take account of any known forthcoming legislative changes. LCRCA aims to publish an Invitation to Tender within the next two months, with a 4 week tender period. This will be published on the Procurement Portal The Chest www.the-chest.org.uk and relevant notices published on Find a Tender. LCRCA are planning to use an Open Procedure and estimate that the contract(s) will be awarded at the start of April 2026. This notice is for information only. Further details will be available when the Contract Notice is published. At this time, we are not asking for expressions of interest or responses to this Planned Procurement notice.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05ec46
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078628-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

CPV Codes

34120000 - Motor vehicles for the transport of 10 or more persons

Notice Value(s)

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

Notice Dates

Publication Date
1 Dec 20253 days ago
Submission Deadline
28 Feb 20263 months to go
Future Notice Date
31 Jan 20262 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Mar 2026 - 1 Oct 2026 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
LIVERPOOL CITY REGION COMBINED AUTHORITY
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
procurement@liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LIVERPOOL
Postcode
L3 1BP
Post Town
Liverpool
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLD North West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLD7 Merseyside
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLD72 Liverpool
Delivery Location
TLD7 Merseyside
Local Authority
Liverpool
Electoral Ward
Waterfront South
Westminster Constituency
Liverpool Riverside

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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