Planning

TVCA-PROC-0869 - Autonomous Passenger Service Vehicle Trial at Teesworks - Pre-tender Market Engagement

TEES VALLEY COMBINED AUTHORITY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

08 Jun 2026 at 12:54

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Tees Valley Combined Authority is in the planning stage for an upcoming procurement process titled "TVCA-PROC-0869 - Autonomous Passenger Service Vehicle Trial at Teesworks Pre-tender Market Engagement." This initiative falls under the goods category, specifically focusing on specialist vehicles, with the main location being Darlington, United Kingdom. The procurement process aims to conduct a 14-week trial of an autonomous passenger service vehicle and is set to begin on 31 August 2026, ending on 30 November 2026. As of 08 June 2026, this process is in the pre-tender market engagement stage, inviting market participants to express interest and engage with the procurement entity by 30 June 2026.

This tender presents an excellent opportunity for businesses specialising in autonomous vehicle technologies and transport solutions keen to leverage innovative trials to enhance their portfolio. Companies with experience in developing or supplying cutting-edge transport technologies will find this tender fitting, especially those focused on integrating their solutions within the public transit infrastructure. The pre-tender engagement allows these businesses to influence the procurement process and shape a tailored proposal, fostering potential growth through public sector collaboration. The Tees Valley Combined Authority's initiative to engage suppliers early demonstrates a commitment to collaborative procurement, paving the way for robust partnership opportunities.

Find more tenders on our Open Data Platform.
How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

TVCA-PROC-0869 - Autonomous Passenger Service Vehicle Trial at Teesworks - Pre-tender Market Engagement

Notice Description

Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) (the "Contracting Authority") seeks to engage the market through this Pre-Tender Market Engagement (PTME) exercise in preparation for the potential procurement of a supplier to conduct a 14-week trial of an autonomous Passenger Service Vehicle. Through this PTME, the Contracting Authority aims to: *Understand the market's appetite to be involved in the potential future procurement exercise; *Validate the supplier's proposal; *Understand the capacity of the market and timescales for delivery; *Understand potential risks associated with the procurement; *Understand opportunities, costs and considerations; and *Provide potential suppliers with an opportunity to raise queries and points of consideration in advance of any potential procurement exercise. Collaboration with the supply chain is central to our approach to delivering the proposed Autonomous Passenger Service Vehicle Trial at Teesworks. While the Authority will maintain commercial confidentiality of information received during the PTME, its output will be communicated to potential suppliers as part of any subsequent procurement exercises. To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://teesvalley.delta-esourcing.com/respond/44HPHP93CV If you experience any technical difficulties from accessing the above url, then please contact the Delta eSourcing Helpdesk on call 0800 923 9236 or email helpdesk@delta-esourcing.com. For more information about this opportunity, please visit the eSourcing portal at: https://teesvalley.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Darlington:-Specialist-vehicles./44HPHP93CV To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://teesvalley.delta-esourcing.com/respond/44HPHP93CV

Planning Information

To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://teesvalley.delta-esourcing.com/respond/44HPHP93CV If you experience any technical difficulties from accessing the above url, then please contact the Delta eSourcing Helpdesk on call 0800 923 9236 or email helpdesk@delta-esourcing.com.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06afc8
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053803-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

CPV Codes

34114000 - Specialist vehicles

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
8 Jun 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
30 Jun 20263 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
30 Aug 2026 - 30 Nov 2026 1-6 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

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
Post Town
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
TLC1 Tees Valley and Durham, TLC12 South Teesside
Local Authority
Darlington
Electoral Ward
Sadberge & Middleton St George
Westminster Constituency
Stockton West

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

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. 

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-06afc8-2026-06-08T13:54:31+01:00",
    "date": "2026-06-08T13:54:31+01:00",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-06afc8",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PDNG-8971-ZVCR",
            "name": "Tees Valley Combined Authority",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PDNG-8971-ZVCR"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Teesside Airport Business Suite, Teesside international Airport",
                "locality": "Darlington",
                "postalCode": "DL2 1NJ",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKC13"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "name": "Procurement",
                "email": "procurement@teesvalley-ca.gov.uk",
                "telephone": "01325792600"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "id": "publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment",
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "description": "Public authority - sub-central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PDNG-8971-ZVCR",
        "name": "Tees Valley Combined Authority"
    },
    "planning": {
        "milestones": [
            {
                "id": "engagement",
                "type": "engagement",
                "description": "To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://teesvalley.delta-esourcing.com/respond/44HPHP93CV If you experience any technical difficulties from accessing the above url, then please contact the Delta eSourcing Helpdesk on call 0800 923 9236 or email helpdesk@delta-esourcing.com.",
                "dueDate": "2026-06-30T23:59:59+01:00",
                "status": "scheduled"
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "053803-2026",
                "documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
                "noticeType": "UK2",
                "description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
                "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/053803-2026",
                "datePublished": "2026-06-08T13:54:31+01:00",
                "format": "text/html"
            }
        ]
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "TVCA-PROC-0869",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "TVCA-PROC-0869 - Autonomous Passenger Service Vehicle Trial at Teesworks - Pre-tender Market Engagement",
        "description": "Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) (the \"Contracting Authority\") seeks to engage the market through this Pre-Tender Market Engagement (PTME) exercise in preparation for the potential procurement of a supplier to conduct a 14-week trial of an autonomous Passenger Service Vehicle. Through this PTME, the Contracting Authority aims to: *Understand the market's appetite to be involved in the potential future procurement exercise; *Validate the supplier's proposal; *Understand the capacity of the market and timescales for delivery; *Understand potential risks associated with the procurement; *Understand opportunities, costs and considerations; and *Provide potential suppliers with an opportunity to raise queries and points of consideration in advance of any potential procurement exercise. Collaboration with the supply chain is central to our approach to delivering the proposed Autonomous Passenger Service Vehicle Trial at Teesworks. While the Authority will maintain commercial confidentiality of information received during the PTME, its output will be communicated to potential suppliers as part of any subsequent procurement exercises. To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://teesvalley.delta-esourcing.com/respond/44HPHP93CV If you experience any technical difficulties from accessing the above url, then please contact the Delta eSourcing Helpdesk on call 0800 923 9236 or email helpdesk@delta-esourcing.com. For more information about this opportunity, please visit the eSourcing portal at: https://teesvalley.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Darlington:-Specialist-vehicles./44HPHP93CV To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://teesvalley.delta-esourcing.com/respond/44HPHP93CV",
        "items": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "additionalClassifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "CPV",
                        "id": "34114000",
                        "description": "Specialist vehicles"
                    }
                ],
                "deliveryAddresses": [
                    {
                        "region": "UKC1",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    },
                    {
                        "region": "UKC12",
                        "country": "GB",
                        "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                    }
                ],
                "relatedLot": "1"
            }
        ],
        "value": {
            "amountGross": 0,
            "amount": 0,
            "currency": "GBP"
        },
        "mainProcurementCategory": "goods",
        "aboveThreshold": false,
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "contractPeriod": {
                    "startDate": "2026-08-31T00:00:00+01:00",
                    "endDate": "2026-11-30T23:59:59+00:00"
                },
                "status": "planning"
            }
        ],
        "status": "planning"
    },
    "language": "en"
}