---
title: "Bus Franchising in the Liverpool City Region Tranche 1 Category 1 - St Helens"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-04dd3f"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-04dd3f"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04dd3f.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04dd3f.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "LIVERPOOL CITY REGION COMBINED AUTHORITY"
published: "2026-02-17"
---

# Bus Franchising in the Liverpool City Region Tranche 1 Category 1 - St Helens

Buyer: LIVERPOOL CITY REGION COMBINED AUTHORITY  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-04dd3f

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## Summary

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is overseeing a procurement process for bus franchising within the region. The tender focuses on the Category 1 franchise, covering locations such as St Helens and Wirral, as part of the long-term transport improvement scheme initiated under the Transport Act. This operation is part of a broader programme intended to revolutionise local transport services by introducing franchised contracts in multiple tranches. The procurement is in the planning stage, with key processes like the Passport System Stage and Franchise Expression of Interest set to determine eligible suppliers. The procurement employs a selective method known as a negotiated procedure with a prior call for competition. Suppliers are expected to meet strict qualification criteria to be involved in the bidding process, with initial deadlines set for 24 February 2025. The initiative falls under the public road transport services category according to the CPV classification system.

This tender represents a significant opportunity for businesses specialising in transport services to expand their operations in the Liverpool City Region. By participating in the Category 1 franchise system, companies can benefit from assured revenue as the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority will primarily assume revenue risk, proving advantageous for companies wary of fiscal uncertainty. Ideal candidates for this tender would be large-scale transport providers that can deliver bus services from depots provided by the LCRCA, and have the capabilities to oversee the repair and maintenance of vehicles, whilst ensuring recruitment and staffing align with operational needs. Companies that have the infrastructure for fleet management and a strategic approach to the competitive negotiated procedure will find this tender well-suited for growth in public transport service provisions.

## 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 the Category 1 franchise for St Helens. Key elements of Category 1 franchises include: Delivery of requirement: the operator of the franchise will be required to provide bus services in accordance with the detailed franchise package specifications. Revenue risk: the operator will not be required to assume revenue risk. Revenue risk will be primarily taken by LCRCA. Depots: LCRCA will provide the depots from which the Category 1 franchises will be operated. Buses: LCRCA will primarily be responsible for providing the vehicles which will operate Category 1 contacts. 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.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

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 the Category 1 franchise for St Helens. Key elements of Category 1 franchises include: Delivery of requirement: the operator of the franchise will be required to provide bus services in accordance with the detailed franchise package specifications. Revenue risk: the operator will not be required to assume revenue risk. Revenue risk will be primarily taken by LCRCA. Depots: LCRCA will provide the depots from which the Category 1 franchises will be operated. Buses: LCRCA will primarily be responsible for providing the vehicles which will operate Category 1 contacts. 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.

Options: Category 1 franchises include options for a) the initial term to be extended for up to two (2) additional years and b) additional services to be introduced as set out in the Franchise Agreements as priced options

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014464-2026 |
| Notice type | Planning Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Negotiated procedure with prior call for competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Planning, Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 17 Feb 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 21 Jan 2026 |
| Contract period | 11 Feb 2025 - 23 Feb 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £392,472,811 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Cancelled |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## 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 | TLD7 Merseyside |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 2 |
| Supplier names | GO NORTH WEST (MERSEYSIDE; RIBBLE MOTOR SERVICES |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

### Codes

- 60000000 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)
- 60112000 - Public road transport services

## Release History

- 17 Feb 2026 at 15:52 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014464-2026
- 17 Feb 2026 at 15:50 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014462-2026
- 10 Feb 2025 at 13:23 - Planning - Planning Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/004340-2025

## Notice URLs

- https://www.liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk/
- https://www.the-chest.org.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-h6vhtk-04dd3f. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04dd3f.json.