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Bus Franchising Round 1 - Tier A

West Yorkshire Combined Authority

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

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19 Aug 2026 at 13:40

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

West Yorkshire Combined Authority is procuring franchised public bus transport services for three areas: Leeds 1 (Bramley), Kirklees (Dewsbury) and Kirklees (Huddersfield). The requirement is to operate public road transport services under Bus Franchising Round 1 – Tier A franchise agreements. Delivery is across West Yorkshire, covering the Leeds and Kirklees areas. The buyer is the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, based in Leeds. The procurement concerns services rather than goods, construction or consultancy. It is relevant to bus operators and transport groups able to run local public bus networks under franchise arrangements, particularly businesses with an operational presence or delivery capability in West Yorkshire. The requirement was divided into one lot covering all three franchise areas, with separate awards for each named area.

The procurement has reached the award stage and is recorded as complete. It used a selective competitive flexible procedure under the utilities regime. Twenty-three bids were received, with nine valid bids reaching the final stage. Awards were made on 19 August 2026: Leeds 1 (Bramley) to First West Yorkshire Limited for £150,000,000 excluding VAT (£180,000,000 including VAT); Kirklees (Dewsbury) to Transdev Blazefield Limited for £67,000,000 excluding VAT (£80,400,000 including VAT); and Kirklees (Huddersfield) to First West Yorkshire Limited for £103,000,000 excluding VAT (£123,600,000 including VAT). Each contract is due to run from 29 August 2026 to 30 May 2032, with two one-year extensions available at the Combined Authority’s discretion, allowing a maximum period to 28 May 2034. The awards were subject to a standstill ending on 28 August 2026, with signature scheduled for 29 August 2026.

This procurement demonstrates substantial, recurring demand from West Yorkshire Combined Authority for franchised public bus operations across Leeds and Kirklees. A supplier considering future requirements would need to operate public bus services at significant regional scale, manage delivery across multiple franchise areas and meet the practical demands of local network operation. The competition attracted established operators including First West Yorkshire, Transdev Blazefield, Arriva Yorkshire, Metroline West Yorkshire, Diamond Bus (North West), Go-Ahead, Yorkshire Traction, Tower Transit Operations and Transport UK (Operations). The selected suppliers were large bus companies, indicating that operational capacity, relevant public transport experience and the ability to sustain franchise delivery are commercially important. Businesses with a credible West Yorkshire operating model, suitable fleet and workforce capacity, and experience managing comparable bus networks would be best placed when this buyer next tests the requirement.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Bus Franchising Round 1 - Tier A

Notice Description

Bus Franchising Round 1 Tier A Franchise Agreements: Leeds 1 (Bramley) Kirklees (Dewsbury) Kirklees (Huddersfield)

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06e7a5
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078999-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
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
£320,000,000 £100M-£1B
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
19 Aug 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
19 Aug 20261 weeks ago
Contract Period
29 Aug 2026 - 30 May 2032 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Pending
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
West Yorkshire 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
LEEDS
Postcode
LS1 2DE
Postcode Area
Leeds
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLE Yorkshire and The Humber
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLE4 West Yorkshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLE42 Leeds
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Leeds
Electoral Ward
Little London & Woodhouse
Westminster Constituency
Leeds Central and Headingley

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
2
Supplier Names

FIRST WEST YORKSHIRE LIMITED

TRANSDEV BLAZEFIELD LIMITED

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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