---
title: "Cornwall's Franchising & Bus Reform Pilot"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-ef0c9e87-d6ff-43e7-9418-7ae22d590bba"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-ef0c9e87-d6ff-43e7-9418-7ae22d590bba"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-ef0c9e87-d6ff-43e7-9418-7ae22d590bba.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-ef0c9e87-d6ff-43e7-9418-7ae22d590bba.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "CORNWALL COUNCIL"
published: "2025-12-09"
---

# Cornwall's Franchising & Bus Reform Pilot

Buyer: CORNWALL COUNCIL  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-ef0c9e87-d6ff-43e7-9418-7ae22d590bba

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## Summary

Cornwall Council is progressing with its procurement for the "Cornwall's Franchising & Bus Reform Pilot," focusing on the transport services industry within England. The process, currently in the planning stage, aims to explore various models for delivering bus services as part of an overarching Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). An early engagement notice was published on 9th December 2025, with a deadline for engagement by 14th January 2026. This initiative falls under CPV classification 60000000, covering transport services excluding waste transport. The budgeting for this project is estimated at £143 million, and the procurement process involves a combination of Enhanced Partnerships and potential bus franchising models.

This tender presents substantial opportunities for businesses within the transport sector, particularly those skilled in bus operations and service delivery models. Companies capable of forming or participating in Enhanced Partnerships, offering innovative franchising solutions, or providing electric bus services for initiatives such as Park & Ride could find significant prospects for growth. The involvement in this pilot project could pave the way for future contracts under Cornwall Council's transportation network renewal, providing substantial engagement and learning for those aiming to expand within the UK’s public transport market. Small and medium enterprises are especially encouraged to participate, given their suitability for this contract opportunity.

## Notice

Cornwall Council supports and maintains a comprehensive network of bus services, working closely with bus operators through an Enhanced Partnership to achieve outcomes for passengers set out in the Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). Over half the network is financially supported by the authority and provided under a single subsidised contract requiring over 100 buses. The contract is due to be renewed in 2028. A separate gross cost contract is in place for the provision of Park & Ride services in Truro, using electric buses being purchased by Cornwall Council. Furthermore, Cornwall is participating in the Department for Transport's (DfT) Franchising and Bus Reform Pilot, enabling the investigation of different potential models of bus delivery, including and Enhanced Partnership Plus (EP+) and a variety of bus franchising approaches (with different levels of risk sharing between operators and authority; phasing; and procurement methods). With these considerations in mind, the Council wishes to invite operators to engage with it to help inform possible future approaches to achieve a viable and value for money bus network that meets the needs of residents and visitors.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/26b9e9b6-a1b9-4f16-9493-248e92969ec8 |
| Notice type | Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Not specified |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 9 Dec 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 14 Jan 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £143,000,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Planning |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | CORNWALL COUNCIL |
| Locality | TRURO |
| Post town | Truro |
| Postcode | TR1 3AY |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK3 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly |
| ITL 3 | TLK30 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly |
| Local authority | Cornwall |
| Electoral ward | Truro Boscawen & Redannick |
| Westminster constituency | Truro and Falmouth |
| 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

- 9 Dec 2025 at 15:34 - Planning - Market Engagement Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/26b9e9b6-a1b9-4f16-9493-248e92969ec8

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/26b9e9b6-a1b9-4f16-9493-248e92969ec8
  9th December 2025 - Early engagement notice on Contracts Finder

## Notice URLs

- http://www.cornwall.gov.uk

## 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-ef0c9e87-d6ff-43e7-9418-7ae22d590bba. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-ef0c9e87-d6ff-43e7-9418-7ae22d590bba.json.