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Provision of Student Travel and Bus Pass Services for Glasgow Clyde College

Glasgow Clyde College

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

16 Sep 2026 at 01:00

OJEU - F15 - Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Glasgow Clyde College procured student travel and bus pass services for eligible students. The requirement covers supplying and administering travel passes and providing a single, integrated public transport network for journeys to and from Anniesland, Langside and Cardonald campuses. The service is intended to provide reliable coverage across the College’s catchment area in Glasgow and surrounding communities, with suitable connections, service frequency, ticketing and pass-management arrangements. This is a public transport service rather than a vehicle purchase or standalone travel-management system. Glasgow Clyde College is the public-sector education buyer, and delivery is centred on its three Glasgow campuses and the wider area from which its students travel.

The procurement is complete and was awarded directly to First Bus Scotland. Glasgow Clyde College used a limited procedure without prior publication of a competition notice, relying on the stated absence of a reasonable technical alternative or substitute. The contract was awarded and signed on 16 September 2026, with an active contract value of £120,000. The requirement was arranged as one lot. The contract duration is two years, with the lot description referring to an option to extend for a further 12 months, although the lot record also states that options are not used. The award was outside the scope of the relevant procurement directive and covered by the Government Procurement Agreement.

This award demonstrates demand from Glasgow Clyde College for an integrated student transport arrangement rather than separate operators serving individual campuses. A credible future competitor would need an extensive bus network across Glasgow and surrounding communities, with routes connecting Anniesland, Langside and Cardonald campuses and sufficient frequency to support attendance. It would also need the operational capacity to handle the anticipated volume of student journeys, together with reliable travel-pass supply, administration and integrated ticketing. Coverage, accessibility and dependable day-to-day service delivery are central requirements. The buyer’s stated rationale indicates that it values a single network and straightforward administration, so suppliers would need to demonstrate equivalent geographic reach and a coherent end-to-end pass-management service rather than only isolated routes or ticket products.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Provision of Student Travel and Bus Pass Services for Glasgow Clyde College

Notice Description

Glasgow Clyde College intends to award a contract directly to First Bus for the provision of student travel and bus pass services. The College requires a transport solution that provides comprehensive coverage across its catchment area, enabling students to travel to and from College campuses using a single, integrated public transport network.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The contract relates to the provision of student bus travel services, including the supply and administration of travel passes for eligible students attending Glasgow Clyde College. The College serves students from a wide geographical area throughout Glasgow and surrounding communities. It requires a transport provider capable of offering a comprehensive and integrated network that enables students to travel reliably to and from the College's campuses. The College has undertaken a review of available public transport operators and has concluded that First Bus is the only operator able to provide the necessary network coverage across the full catchment area whilst meeting operational, accessibility and service requirements. The contract duration is for two years with the option to extend for a further 12 months.

Procurement Information

The College considers that the conditions for a direct award are satisfied because competition is absent for technical reasons and no reasonable alternative or substitute exists. First Bus operates the only transport network capable of delivering the required combination of: Geographical coverage across the College's catchment area; Connectivity to all College campuses; Sufficient service frequency to support student attendance; Integrated ticketing and pass management arrangements; Operational capacity to support the volume of anticipated student travel. The College has determined that no other operator is capable of meeting the requirement in its entirety and that the appointment of multiple operators would not provide an equivalent solution and would create significant operational and administrative complexity.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-r6ebe6-0000843222
Publication Source
Public Contracts Scotland
Latest Notice
https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=SEP564675
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
OJEU - F15 - Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

63 - Supporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services

CPV Codes

34121100 - Public-service buses

63515000 - Travel services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£120,000 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
16 Sep 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Glasgow Clyde College
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
GLASGOW
Postcode
G52 3AY
Postcode Area
Glasgow
Country
Scotland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLM Scotland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLM3 West Central Scotland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLM32 Glasgow City
Delivery Location
TLM82 Glasgow City
Local Authority
Glasgow City
Electoral Ward
Cardonald
Westminster Constituency
Glasgow South West

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

First Bus Scotland

Further Information

Notice Documents

  • https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=SEP564675
    Provision of Student Travel and Bus Pass Services for Glasgow Clyde College - Glasgow Clyde College intends to award a contract directly to First Bus for the provision of student travel and bus pass services. The College requires a transport solution that provides comprehensive coverage across its catchment area, enabling students to travel to and from College campuses using a single, integrated public transport network.

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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