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North-South Wales Coach Operator Service (Bangor - Carmarthen)

Transport for Wales

This public procurement record has 5 releases in its history.

TenderCancellation

09 Sep 2026 at 15:26

UK12 - Procurement Termination Notice
Award

25 Aug 2026 at 16:53

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
TenderUpdate

13 Jul 2026 at 09:33

UK4 - Tender Notice
Tender

06 Jul 2026 at 15:00

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

21 May 2026 at 13:03

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Transport for Wales (TfW), working with the Welsh Government, procured an express coach operator service between Bangor and Carmarthen. The requirement is for one or more operating partners to run the North-South Wales service, with reduced intermediate stops, faster journeys and a high-quality onboard passenger experience. The service is intended to improve public transport connectivity, support travel by students, tourists and local residents, encourage a shift away from private cars and contribute to integrated transport across Wales. The operator must provide day-to-day service delivery in line with TfW’s specification, including operational, safety and performance requirements. This is a passenger road transport service involving public-service buses and vehicle-related maintenance, delivered across Wales.

The procurement reached award stage after an open competitive flexible procedure, with five final-stage bids. Arriva Cymru Ltd was awarded the contract on 25 August 2026 for £14,759,631 including tax. The initial contract period was 25 October 2026 to 24 October 2027, with three possible one-year extensions to 24 October 2030 at TfW’s discretion; only the first year was guaranteed. Evaluation weighted quality at 45%, price at 45% and social value at 10%, with economic and technical selection criteria set out in the ITT. The standstill period ended on 4 September 2026. The contract was cancelled on 8 September 2026 because the supplier withdrew its offer after being unable to finalise contractual arrangements.

This procurement demonstrates demand from TfW for an end-to-end express coach operating capability on a long-distance Welsh route, rather than a simple vehicle supply requirement. A credible future operator would need to manage scheduled passenger services, route operations, safety, service quality, performance monitoring and compliance with TfW’s specification. Relevant strengths include experience running public-service bus or coach networks, reliable fleet and maintenance arrangements, operational planning for limited-stop routes, and the capacity to support changing service volumes or frequencies. Suppliers should also be able to evidence sound economic standing, technical competence and measurable social value. The requirement was suitable for SMEs and attracted five final-stage bids, indicating a competitive market for capable transport operators.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

North-South Wales Coach Operator Service (Bangor - Carmarthen)

Notice Description

The Welsh Government (WG) and Transport for Wales (TfW) share a clear ambition to deliver a more accessible, efficient and sustainable transport network across Wales. Along the west coast of Wales, this includes improving public transport connectivity and encouraging a modal shift away from private car use, in line with the National Transport Delivery Plan and Regional Transport Plans. A Welsh Transport Appraisal Guidance (WelTAG) Stage 3 appraisal identified the introduction of an express coach service between Bangor and Carmarthen as the preferred intervention to support these objectives. By reducing the number of intermediate stops, improving journey times and providing a high-quality onboard passenger experience, the service is intended to attract longer-distance travellers, including students, tourists and local residents. It will also aid future strategic investment in the wider public transport network and support the delivery of integrated, multimodal travel across Wales. Transport for Wales intends to introduce the service in October 2026 through the appointment of one or more operating partners following completion of a competitive procurement process. The contract will appoint one or more suitably qualified operators to deliver the express coach service on behalf of Transport for Wales. The successful operator(s) will be responsible for the operation of the service in accordance with the contract specification, including day-to-day service delivery, and compliance with all operational, safety and performance requirements established by Transport for Wales.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: While additional purchases are not anticipated at this time, TfW may require variation to volumes and frequencies of scope in the future. If such a requirement is established, variations will be processed via the contracted change control process and subject to compliance with the Procurement Act 2023 Regulations and internal governance procedures.

Renewal: Initial term of one (1) year, with the option to extend for three (3) x further periods of up to one (1) year, at TfW's sole discretion.

Planning Information

The purpose of this Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) Notice is to test market appetite, operator capability, and understand route optimisation and feasibility. To register your interest in this Preliminary Market Engagement, please follow the link below (or copy and paste into your browser) and complete the Microsoft Form by 17:00 on Monday 8th June 2026: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=JNDchxkwJkiZVrp2sqBP9GQHxZZpmRBEpZb6y9KNSQVUQzNRN0FSMDY2MUhSN05XRFdEOU1MNDRJVC4u TfW may wish to engage further with interested operators, but this is not guaranteed, depending on timescales. For any queries or issues, please contact: supplychain@tfw.wales

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-069f20
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085476-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

50 - Repair and maintenance services

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

CPV Codes

34121100 - Public-service buses

50000000 - Repair and maintenance services

50100000 - Repair, maintenance and associated services of vehicles and related equipment

60100000 - Road transport services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£10,400,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
£10,400,000 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
£14,759,631 £10M-£100M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
9 Sep 20266 days ago
Submission Deadline
3 Aug 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
2 Jul 2026Expired
Award Date
25 Aug 20263 weeks ago
Contract Period
25 Oct 2026 - 24 Oct 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
2030-02-01

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Transport for Wales
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
PONTYPRIDD
Postcode
CF37 4TH
Postcode Area
Cardiff
Country
Wales
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLL Wales
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLL5 South East Wales
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLL51 Central Valleys and Bridgend
Delivery Location
TLL Wales
Local Authority
Rhondda Cynon Taf
Electoral Ward
Pontypridd Town
Westminster Constituency
Pontypridd

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Arriva Cymru Ltd

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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