Tender

WCC Bus Marketing Campaigns 2026

WARWICKSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

17 Mar 2026 at 11:36

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Warwickshire County Council is inviting tenders for a bus marketing campaign aimed at boosting public transport usage within Warwickshire. The project is part of the Warwickshire Enhanced Partnership for Buses initiative and is financed through central government funding earmarked within the Bus Service Improvement Plan for the year 2026/27. The tender process is at the 'Tender' stage, requiring submissions by 21 April 2026, 12:00 BST, with questions to be submitted by 14 April 2026, 12:00 BST. This procurement falls under the advertising and marketing services industry category and targets specific demographics, including young people aged 14-25, adults aged 25-50, and older residents eligible for a concessionary bus pass. The initiative aims to increase passenger numbers by promoting ease of access, improved fleet, and concessionary offerings.

This tender presents sizable opportunities for businesses specialising in digital marketing and advertising, particularly those experienced in targeting diverse demographic groups to drive behavioural change. Agencies able to enhance their services in line with public transport themes and who can deliver impactful media placements are well-suited to compete. Small and medium enterprises may find the open procurement method advantageous, fostering an environment for competitive tendering based on quality and cost, with 75% of the evaluation criteria dedicated to quality and 25% to price. Businesses taking part can further benefit from the contract's renewable nature, providing potential for extended collaboration with Warwickshire County Council, enhancing their portfolio and positioning within the public sector marketing space.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

WCC Bus Marketing Campaigns 2026

Notice Description

Use of public transport, particularly bus services, has been in decline in the UK for a number of years running up to 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic. This trend has been reflected across all demographics. Nationally, to try and increase the number of people using bus travel, the Department for Transport is running a PS3 Adult Single Bus Ticket flat fare pilot across the UK, which will run until at least March 2027. This is an opt in scheme for bus operators who are compensated for signing up to the scheme. In December 2022, Warwickshire County Council formed The Warwickshire Enhanced Partnership for Buses, signed up to by all bus providers in the County and which aims to support the improvement of bus services across Warwickshire and provide residents with a viable, affordable and environmentally friendly alternative to car travel. Following an extensive branding exercise, it was decided that The Warwickshire Enhanced Partnership for Buses would be branded as Warwickshire Buses. The only data available on bus usage is provided by Stagecoach (which covers c.80% of bus usage in Warwickshire). This shows a decline in passengers and journeys: WarwickshireBuses_StagecoachUsageData.xlsx Between April 2024 and December 2025, the Council worked with an external agency to deliver a young person (aged 14 to 24) bus marketing campaign - "Get the Bus with Two/A Few Squid". The scope of this campaign was to deliver a digital marketing and advertising campaign, which resulted in an increase in bus patronage that varied between 10% and 13% over the height of the campaign. The detail of this campaign, including media placements and performance, will be shared with the successful agency. Bus Campaign 2026 The Partnership has therefore taken the decision to further dedicate an amount of its Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP+) funding from central government for 2026/27 to create a series of marketing campaigns to increase bus use amongst the following groups: * Young People aged 14 - 25 * Adults aged 25 - 50 (including People with Young Children) * Residents eligible for Warwickshire Concessionary Bus Pass (aged 66+) The main aims of the campaign are: 1. To increase take-up of Warwickshire bus services by the targeted groups. 2. To increase traffic on the WCC Public Transport Pages, which will be refreshed by Warwickshire County Council to provide more useful information including information specifically for these target audiences. https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/public-transport 3. Raise awareness of the Warwickshire Concessionary Bus Pass and increase take-up amongst eligible older adults. 4. Rase awareness of improved Warwickshire bus fleet, with an emphasis on change and transformation (uplifted passenger experience), ease of access, speed of boarding (smart ticketing) and ease of payment (fast).

Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: Additional purchases relating to bus marketing campaigns are permitted through this contract.

Renewal: The initial term is for 1 year plus a maximum possible extension of 12 months

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-066c05
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/023963-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

79340000 - Advertising and marketing services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£215,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£215,000 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Mar 20265 days ago
Submission Deadline
21 Apr 20265 weeks to go
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
13 May 2026 - 14 May 2027 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
WARWICKSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
WARWICK
Postcode
CV34 4SA
Post Town
Coventry
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLG West Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLG1 Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLG13 Warwickshire CC
Delivery Location
TLG West Midlands (England)
Local Authority
Warwick
Electoral Ward
Warwick Saltisford
Westminster Constituency
Warwick and Leamington

Further Information

Notice Documents

Notice URLs

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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