Award

BSIP Funded Early Morning and Weekend Late Evening Bus Services on Routes 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8

PORTSMOUTH CITY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

28 Apr 2026 at 12:24

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

23 Mar 2026 at 17:38

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

23 Mar 2026 at 15:12

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Portsmouth City Council has completed a procurement process involving a direct award for providing BSIP Funded Early Morning and Weekend Late Evening Bus Services on Routes 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8. This initiative is part of the Department for Transport's Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) to enhance local bus services within Portsmouth and Fareham areas of the UK. The contract, valued at £236,482.32 excluding VAT, covers the period from 1st January 2026 to 31st December 2026 and seeks to maintain network coverage, accessibility, and service availability. Signed on 17th April 2026, it encompasses statutory requirements such as punctuality, reliability, and ticketing arrangements aligned with the Enhanced Partnership objectives.

This contract, awarded to FIRST HAMPSHIRE & DORSET LIMITED, presents opportunities for businesses focused on public road transport services, particularly those with expertise in integrating existing commercial routes and schedules. Large scale operators capable of delivering community-focused transport services, ensuring seamless travel without duplicative costs or ticketing incompatibilities, would find this procurement process favourable. The government-driven initiatives, like the BSIP, open avenues for companies to expand their operations while serving public transportation needs and supporting local economies, especially during early mornings and late evenings when services are less commercially viable on their own.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

BSIP Funded Early Morning and Weekend Late Evening Bus Services on Routes 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8

Notice Description

The contracting authority has awarded a contract for the provision of supported local bus services funded through the Department for Transport's Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). The contract covers the operation of supported and enhanced bus services on existing local bus routes 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8, where services are not commercially viable without public subsidy. The services are intended to maintain and improve network coverage, accessibility and service availability in accordance with the authority's adopted Bus Service Improvement Plan and Enhanced Partnership objectives. The services comprise the scheduled operation of registered local bus services, including defined journeys, frequencies and timetables on the specified routes. Services are delivered as part of, and fully integrated with, the operator's wider commercial bus network to ensure continuity for passengers, effective interchange and consistent ticketing arrangements. The contract has a total value of PS236,482.32 (excluding VAT), representing the approved BSIP revenue subsidy for the provision of these supported services for the contract period 1st January 2026 to 31st December 2026. The subsidy is paid in return for delivery of the agreed service specification and is limited to the approved BSIP funding. The services are delivered by the operator using its own vehicles, staff and operational systems, and in compliance with all statutory requirements applicable to local bus services, including vehicle standards, driver provision, punctuality and reliability, passenger information and Enhanced Partnership aligned ticketing arrangements. No commitment is made beyond the approved contract term.

Procurement Information

An award to an alternative operator could not be made for economic or technical reasons such as requirements of interchangeability with existing routes and services due to the need for the additional services to tie in with existing commercial network arrangements, which the council has limited control over, mitigates a challenge to the council.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06719f
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/038563-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
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
£236,482 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
£236,482 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
28 Apr 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
1 Jan 20264 months ago
Contract Period
16 Apr 2026 - 31 Dec 2026 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
PORTSMOUTH CITY 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
PORTSMOUTH
Postcode
PO1 2AL
Post Town
Portsmouth
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ31 Portsmouth
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Portsmouth
Electoral Ward
Charles Dickens
Westminster Constituency
Portsmouth South

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

FIRST HAMPSHIRE & DORSET

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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