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Provision of Local Bus Services in North East Lincolnshire

North East Lincolnshire Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

19 Oct 2026 at 15:36

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

North East Lincolnshire Borough Council intends to procure supported local bus services in North East Lincolnshire. The work is public road transport for local passengers, with an important focus on maintaining and developing integrated ticketing across services run by different operators. The council wants future arrangements to let passengers use suitable tickets across providers. The planning work is intended to shape requirements for ticket acceptance, how fare revenue is divided and settled, ticketing technology, reliance on third parties, costs, mobilisation and any interim arrangements at contract start. Services will be delivered in North East Lincolnshire. The planned contract is a single lot and is classed as services; the council has identified the work as suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.

The process is at planning: the council has stated an intention to procure, but has not issued an invitation to tender. It is carrying out preliminary market engagement to develop its procurement strategy and future service specification; engagement responses will not commit it to running a procurement or choosing a particular solution. Organisations are invited to review the engagement material and return questionnaires through the council’s procurement portal, with a planned submission date of 4 November 2026. The council expects to publish a further notice on that date. The estimated contract value is £1.9 million gross. The planned contract period runs from 30 March 2027 to 30 March 2029, with a possible extension period to 30 March 2034. One lot is planned, with renewal anticipated. No tender procedure or evaluation basis has yet been set out.

The engagement is most relevant to bus operators and ticketing providers, including smaller firms, that can help design practical multi-operator ticketing arrangements. Useful expertise includes accepting tickets across different services, allocating and settling revenue between operators, ticketing systems and technology, and managing dependencies on third parties. Suppliers able to explain implementation costs, mobilisation requirements and workable interim arrangements for the start of a service could help shape a deliverable specification. Experience of coordinating several operators and maintaining a simple passenger ticketing experience is directly relevant to the council’s stated aims. This is a preparation-stage engagement rather than a competition: organisations can contribute information to influence the council’s planning, but the council has not committed to procuring a particular model or proceeding with a tender. No specific accreditation or capacity threshold is identified at this stage.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Provision of Local Bus Services in North East Lincolnshire

Notice Description

The principal purpose of this preliminary market engagement is to understand how integrated ticketing could be maintained and developed under a future contract for supported local bus services. The Authority wishes to explore the practical arrangements required to enable passengers to use appropriate tickets across services operated by different providers. This may include ticket acceptance, revenue apportionment, settlement arrangements, ticketing technology, third-party dependencies, costs, mobilisation timescales and any interim arrangements required from contract commencement. Responses will help the Authority develop integrated-ticketing requirements that are proportionate, deliverable and capable of supporting a straightforward passenger experience. The engagement will also inform the Authority's procurement strategy and future service specification but will not commit the Authority to undertaking a procurement exercise or adopting a particular solution.

Planning Information

The Local Authority is inviting organisations to obtain and review preliminary market engagement documents, and submit completed questionnaires using the the Authority's procurement portal. All documentation and information can be found at: https://yortender.eu-supply.com/login.asp?B=YORTENDER All requests for clarification should be submitted via the above portal only and all answers will be published on the portal only. Completed questionnaires should be submitted to the Authority using the above procurement portal only.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-078b09
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/098609-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

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

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

CPV Codes

34121100 - Public-service buses

60112000 - Public road transport services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£1,900,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
19 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
4 Nov 20262 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
30 Mar 2027 - 31 Mar 2029 2-3 years
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
North East Lincolnshire 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
GRIMSBY
Postcode
DN31 1HU
Postcode Area
Doncaster
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLE Yorkshire and The Humber
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLE1 East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLE13 North and North East Lincolnshire
Delivery Location
TLE13 North and North East Lincolnshire
Local Authority
North East Lincolnshire
Electoral Ward
West Marsh
Westminster Constituency
Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes

Further Information

Notice Documents

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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