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TVCA-PROC-0717 Darlington Bus Services 3 &4

Tees Valley Combined Authority

This public procurement record has 5 releases in its history.

ContractTermination

30 Sep 2026 at 09:23

UK11 - Contract Termination Notice
ContractAmendment

14 Jul 2026 at 17:18

UK10 - Contract Change Notice
Award

20 Mar 2026 at 16:27

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

18 Feb 2026 at 12:10

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

18 Feb 2026 at 10:06

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Tees Valley Combined Authority procured local public bus transport for Darlington Bus Services 3 and 4. The requirement was to operate two bus services in Darlington, supporting local passenger travel. This was a transport service contract, specifically public road transport, rather than a purchase of vehicles or infrastructure. The contracting authority was Tees Valley Combined Authority. The recorded delivery location is the North East of England, with the service identified as Darlington bus routes. The work was awarded to Arriva Durham County Limited. The process covered a single lot encompassing the two services, rather than separately awarded route lots.

The procurement is complete: Arriva Durham County Limited was selected and the contract was signed on 9 March 2026. The award was made on 25 November 2025 through a direct, below-threshold route without competition, under the de minimis bus subsidy arrangement. The contract period began on 29 March 2026 and was initially due to end on 18 July 2026, with an optional two-month extension to 26 September 2026. The final recorded end date was 26 September 2026. The contract value was £41,752.62 excluding VAT (£50,103.14 including VAT). The process had one lot. The contract is recorded as terminated, with the termination classification indicating completion; no separate reason is stated.

This award shows demand from Tees Valley Combined Authority for the operation of local bus services in Darlington, specifically services 3 and 4, using a de minimis subsidy arrangement. A supplier seeking to compete if this requirement returns would need to demonstrate the operational capability to provide scheduled public passenger transport on local routes and the capacity to maintain service delivery across the required operating period. Experience running bus services in the area and a credible ability to mobilise vehicles, drivers and day-to-day service management would be commercially relevant to this type of work. The selected operator was a large bus company, indicating that an established transport operator was trusted to deliver the service. The route used here was a direct award without competition, so this outcome does not establish a competitive evaluation model or a published set of technical or quality criteria.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

TVCA-PROC-0717 Darlington Bus Services 3 &4

Notice Description

Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA)(the 'Contracting Authority'), part of the Tees Valley Combined Authority Group, have awarded a contract for the provision of Darlington Bus Service 3 & 4. Award of De Minimis bus transport subsidy contract in line with the Transport Act and Service Subsidy Agreements (Tendering) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2004. Local authorities or Passenger Transport Authorities/Executives with forecast expenditure on bus service subsidies in any one year of PS600,000 or more will be able to spend up to 25% of this on de minimis contracts; within this 25% there is no limit on the expenditure in any one year that may be incurred on an individual de minimis contract or the amount of de minimis contract expenditure in any year with any single operator.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0656ba
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/092138-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK11 - Contract Termination Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - without competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

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
£41,752 Under £100K
Contracts Value
£41,752 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
30 Sep 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
25 Nov 202511 months ago
Contract Period
29 Mar 2026 - 18 Jul 2026 1-6 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Terminated

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Tees Valley 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
DARLINGTON
Postcode
DL2 1NJ
Postcode Area
Darlington
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLC North East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLC3 Tees Valley
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLC33 Darlington
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Darlington
Electoral Ward
Sadberge & Middleton St George
Westminster Constituency
Stockton West

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Arriva Durham County Limited

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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