--- title: "Bus Franchising in the Liverpool City Region - Category 2 Passport System" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-78390397-6590-4aed-8fcd-43019784abc2" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-78390397-6590-4aed-8fcd-43019784abc2" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-78390397-6590-4aed-8fcd-43019784abc2.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-78390397-6590-4aed-8fcd-43019784abc2.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "LIVERPOOL CITY REGION COMBINED AUTHORITY" published: "2025-02-10" --- # Bus Franchising in the Liverpool City Region - Category 2 Passport System Buyer: LIVERPOOL CITY REGION COMBINED AUTHORITY Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-b5fd17-78390397-6590-4aed-8fcd-43019784abc2 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-78390397-6590-4aed-8fcd-43019784abc2) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-78390397-6590-4aed-8fcd-43019784abc2.json) ## Summary Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is initiating a tender for Category 2 Bus Franchising in the Liverpool City Region under the Transport Act. The procurement process is currently at the tender stage with the tender period ending on 28th February 2025. The relevant contract will commence on 8th August 2025 and conclude on 23rd February 2029. The tender includes the delivery of transport services, specifically bus services, within St Helens, Wirral, Sefton, and South Liverpool. The procurement is open to SMEs, focusing on bus services excluding waste transport and requiring the involved operators to deliver services from their own depots without assuming revenue risk. Operators must also handle repair and maintenance of buses and ensure the availability of trained staff. This tender offers significant growth opportunities for small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in the transport industry. Businesses specialising in local bus services, especially those with existing depots and capabilities in bus maintenance, are well-suited to compete. As the operator will not bear revenue risk, this reduces financial risk and provides a stable framework for growth. Companies with experience in managing school transport services or other local bus services can particularly benefit from the structured and long-term nature of the contract, allowing them to expand their service reach within the Liverpool City Region. ## Notice On 25 April 2023, LCRCA published an Assessment on Bus Franchising in the Liverpool City Region which sets out the proposed bus Franchising Scheme in accordance with the Transport Act. In October 2023, the Liverpool City Region Mayor made a Franchising Scheme covering the Liverpool City Region. Franchising is to be introduced over a number of tranches of procurement. Franchised contracts will be let in two categories: i. Category 1 franchises, which are those Franchise Agreements involving multiple services that will operate from a depot provided by LCRCA. LCRCA will provide the depot from which the services relating to the Category 1 franchise must be operated. LCRCA will predominately provide the fleet that must be used on the Category 1 franchise. ii. Category 2 franchises, which are those Franchise Agreements which either i) provide services to serve schools or ii) provide other local services. In both cases the franchises will be delivered from an operator's own depot. This notice relates to Category 2 franchises. The first tranche of Category 2 franchises are expected to relate to St Helens, Wirral and Sefton and South Liverpool. This notice relates to Category 2 franchises. Key elements of Category 2 franchises will include: Delivery of requirement: the operator of each franchise will be required to provide bus services in accordance with detailed individual franchise package specifications. Revenue risk: the operator will not be required to assume revenue risk. Revenue risk will be primarily taken by LCRCA. Depots: the operator of each franchise will be required to provide the depot(s) from which the Category 2 franchises will be operated. Buses: the operator of each franchise will primarily be responsible for providing the vehicles which will operate Category 2 franchises. Repair, maintenance and servicing of buses: the operator will be responsible for the repair, maintenance and servicing of vehicles whilst ensuring that there are in a roadworthy condition. Staff: the operator is responsible for ensuring that it has all necessary and suitably trained staff to deliver the requirement detailed in the individual franchise specifications. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/d67ca0c8-0801-4695-bb92-6ad9629c40d7 | | Notice type | Tender Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Other - | | Tender suitability | SME | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 10 Feb 2025 | | Submission deadline | 28 Feb 2025 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 7 Aug 2025 - 23 Feb 2029 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Active | | Lots status | Not specified | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | LIVERPOOL CITY REGION COMBINED AUTHORITY | | Locality | LIVERPOOL | | Post town | Liverpool | | Postcode | L3 1BP | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) | | ITL 2 | TLD7 Merseyside | | ITL 3 | TLD72 Liverpool | | Local authority | Liverpool | | Electoral ward | Waterfront South | | Westminster constituency | Liverpool Riverside | | Delivery location | TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England) | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport) ### Codes - 60000000 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport) ## Release History - 10 Feb 2025 at 14:04 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/d67ca0c8-0801-4695-bb92-6ad9629c40d7 ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/d67ca0c8-0801-4695-bb92-6ad9629c40d7 10th February 2025 - Opportunity notice on Contracts Finder - https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert?advertId=87e980b6-b4e7-ef11-8134-005056b64545 Advert - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004341-2025? Qualification System - Utilities Notice ## Notice URLs - http://www.liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk/ - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004341-2025 ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-78390397-6590-4aed-8fcd-43019784abc2. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-78390397-6590-4aed-8fcd-43019784abc2.json.