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The West Midlands Franchising Scheme for Buses Dynamic Market

West Midlands Combined Authority

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

25 Aug 2026 at 14:49

UK14 - Dynamic Market Establishment Notice
Tender

29 Jun 2026 at 17:40

UK13 - Dynamic Market Intention Notice
Planning

05 Mar 2026 at 15:11

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

West Midlands Combined Authority is establishing a dynamic market for franchised public bus services as the West Midlands network moves from deregulated operation to public control. Transport for West Midlands will specify routes, timetables, service standards and operational requirements. Suppliers will provide bus services, drivers and operational staff, and maintain and clean vehicles and depots. They must integrate with WMCA and TfWM network management, traffic control, customer-facing, information technology, data, performance, ticketing and revenue systems, and manage performance under each contract. Work will take place wholly or mainly in the West Midlands franchising regions. WMCA will provide depots and fleet, including zero-emission vehicles. The procurement is for services and is suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community and social enterprises.

The dynamic market has been established and awarded membership to Arriva Midlands, Chaserider Buses, Diamond Bus, First West of England, Metroline West Midlands, Nex Continental Holdings UK, Midland Red (South), The Go-Ahead Group, Tower Transit Operations and Transport UK Regional Bus. The award date was 25 August 2026. It uses an open dynamic-market route under the competitive flexible procedure, with participation limited to admitted members. The market runs from 29 June 2026 to 28 June 2039. The initial contract period for the stated lot is 24 October 2027 to 24 March 2032, with a possible extension to 24 March 2034. The procurement value is £1.5bn excluding VAT, or £1.8bn including VAT; contracts across the anticipated tranches may be worth up to £1.56bn. The market is above threshold and covered by the GPA.

This opportunity indicates sustained demand from WMCA for experienced bus operators able to deliver franchised services at substantial regional scale. A credible future participant would need a track record of operating public bus services, the appropriate PSV Operator Licence issued by the Traffic Commissioner, or the capability to obtain one, together with the legal and financial capacity to enter and perform the contracts. It would also need robust financial standing, evidenced through the buyer’s financial self-assessment process, and the operational capability to provide drivers, maintain and clean vehicles and depots, and meet specified service standards. Strong integration capability across transport control, ticketing, revenue, data, performance and customer systems will be important, alongside demonstrable compliance with health and safety, equality, environmental and modern slavery requirements.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

The West Midlands Franchising Scheme for Buses Dynamic Market

Notice Description

This notice relates to a Qualifying Utilities Dynamic Market (QUDM) being established by the West Midlands Combined Authority (the WMCA) for its use and the use of any successor authorities. The Invitation to Apply for Membership (the IAM) for the Dynamic Market is available at the link at the bottom of this notice. The Dynamic Market is being established as part of the WMCA's bus franchising programme, under which the West Midlands bus network will transition from a deregulated system into public control. The franchising scheme has been made by the WMCA under the Transport Act 2000 (as amended). Under the franchising model, the WMCA's transport executive, Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), will specify routes, service standards and operational requirements, and procure franchised bus services contracts and associated services competitively under the Dynamic Market. The contracts to be procured under the Dynamic Market are public service bus contracts (classed as utilities services contracts). The general scope of services covers: (1) the provision of franchised bus services in accordance with timetables and operational specifications; (2) the provision of drivers and operational staff; (3) vehicle and depot maintenance and cleaning; (4) integration with WMCA / TfWM network management, traffic control and customer-facing systems; (5) integration with WMCA IT, data, performance, ticketing and revenue systems; and (6) performance management under the relevant contract. Contracts will be performed wholly or substantially within the WMCA franchising regions, with individual contracts aggregated across all three anticipated tranches for the initial term(s) worth up to PS1,560,000,000 over the anticipated contract(s) duration. The contracts will involve the use of WMCA-provided depots and WMCA-provided fleet (including zero emission vehicles). The specific arrangements for each procurement are further described in the IAM and will be set out in the procurement documents for the relevant Invitation to Tender (ITT). The Dynamic Market is being established as a single-part Dynamic Market and will operate for an anticipated initial period of thirteen (13) years, with options for extension or reduction at the WMCA's discretion. It will remain open to new Applications throughout its term. Under the Dynamic Market, ITTs will be issued in three tranches. Each tranche may be sub-divided into one or more lots, as set out in the relevant ITT. The indicative tranche ITT issue dates are: * Tranche 1 - 17th August 2026 * Tranche 2 - from March 2027 * Tranche 3 - from October 2027 Further information on the tranches, including the indicative scope of contracts in each tranche, is set out in the IAM. The above dates are indicative and may be subject to change at the WMCA's absolute discretion. The IAM is made available to all potential suppliers (Applicants) that are interested in tendering for franchised bus services contracts and associated services under the Dynamic Market. Applicants must register on the WMCA's ProActis e-tendering portal and express interest in the opportunity in order to apply. Applications must be submitted electronically through ProActis, by completing and submitting a response to the Dynamic Market Questionnaire (DMQ) (Appendix B to the IAM), together with any other information required by the IAM. No other method of submission will be accepted. The WMCA shall assess each Application in accordance with the IAM. Contracts under the Dynamic Market will be procured and awarded using the competitive flexible procedure in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023. Participation in these procurements is limited to suppliers successfully admitted as Members of the Dynamic Market. As the Dynamic Market is a qualifying utilities dynamic market established under section 40 of the Procurement Act 2023, the WMCA is not required to publish tender notices for individual procurements under the Dynamic Market via the central digital platform. Associated ITT documents for each procurement will be issued only to Members of the Dynamic Market at the point of issue; suppliers with pending Applications, or that are not Members, will not receive the ITT. Suppliers are responsible for monitoring any ITTs issued in connection with the Dynamic Market and for responding accordingly. Applicants intending to participate in a particular tranche must submit their Application in line with the timescales set out in the IAM, to enable the WMCA to assess and (if successful) admit them as a Member. For tranche 1, Applications must be submitted by no later than 1200 hrs (BST) on 31 July 2026. Suppliers that do not apply on or before this date will be unable to take part in the procurement process for tranche 1 and suppliers with pending Applications at the point of ITT issue will not receive an ITT for that tranche. Missing a tranche cut-off does not prevent a supplier from applying for membership in respect of subsequent tranches.

Planning Information

WMCA will be hosting an in-person Bus Operator Market Engagement event on Wednesday 15th April 2026, in the Birmingham City Centre region. The purpose of the day will be to: • Provide advance visibility of our proposed franchising programme and associated procurement timelines • Share initial information on our contract structure, service scope and delivery expectations • Gather feedback from the market to help inform and refine our procurement approach • Understand operator appetite, capacity and potential barriers to participation The event is open to Bus Operators and a maximum of 2 individuals per Operator organisation will be allowed to attend the PME event. Interested Operators should confirm their attendance to busreform@tfwm.org.uk and Emily.scott@wmca.org.uk by no later than 5pm on Friday 13th March, following which they will be sent an invitation with all the key details of the Market Engagement event shortly after. This notice does not constitute a call for competition. Transport operators will not be prejudiced by any response or failure to respond to this notice and a response to this notice does not guarantee any invitation to participate in this event or any future procurement. Transport operators shall be responsible for their own costs incurred in connection with this market engagement exercise. The Bus Operator Market Engagement Day is not intended for consultancies, equipment suppliers or providers of supporting technical services.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-066347
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080898-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK14 - Dynamic Market Establishment Notice
Procurement Type
Dynamic
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Dynamic market
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large, SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

CPV Codes

34000000 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

60000000 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£1,500,000,000 £1B-£10B
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
25 Aug 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
29 Jun 203913 years to go
Future Notice Date
29 Jun 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
24 Oct 2027 - 24 Mar 2032 4-5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

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
TLG3 West Midlands
Local Authority
Birmingham
Electoral Ward
Newtown
Westminster Constituency
Birmingham Ladywood

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
10
Supplier Names

ARRIVA MIDLANDS LIMITED

Chaserider Buses Limited

Diamond Bus

FIRST WEST OF ENGLAND LIMITED

METROLINE WEST MIDLANDS LIMITED

NEX CONTINENTAL HOLDINGS UK, LIMITED

MIDLAND RED (SOUTH) LIMITED

THE GO-AHEAD GROUP LIMITED

Tower Transit Operations Limited

TRANSPORT UK REGIONAL BUS LIMITED

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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