--- title: "Local Bus Services - Market Engagement" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05092e" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05092e" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05092e.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05092e.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL" published: "2026-04-15" --- # Local Bus Services - Market Engagement Buyer: WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05092e [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05092e) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05092e.json) ## Summary Wokingham Borough Council is initiating a procurement process to seek market engagement for future contracted transport services across the borough under the title "Local Bus Services - Market Engagement." This falls under the industry category of "Public road transport services" and is located in Wokingham, United Kingdom. The procurement is currently in the planning stage, with a scheduled virtual market engagement session slated for 20th May 2026 via MS Teams. The council is discussing plans for 21 registered local bus routes, including services to key areas such as Wokingham Town, Shinfield, Woodley, and Earley, with current contracts expiring in Spring 2027. The session will outline the scope of services, tender lots, required documents, evaluation approach, timelines, and e-procurement solutions. Interested parties should express interest by 19th May 2026. This procurement initiative offers significant opportunities for growth, particularly for businesses involved in public road transport services, such as bus operators and service providers. With a planned budget of £17,600,000 and contracts covering from 2027 to 2032, service providers with expertise in the supply and operation of public-service buses could benefit immensely. Companies with innovative approaches in transport solutions may also find opportunities in alternative services, like school time-only routes and shopper services. Given the scale and scope of the services required, those capable of managing multiple bus routes or focusing on specific service segments stand in good stead to compete for these planned contracts. The engagement session is an excellent platform for potential vendors to align their capabilities with council requirements and maximise future contracting opportunities. ## Notice Wokingham Borough Council is looking to engage with the market to discuss a future opportunity relating to contracted transport services across the borough. The Council manages 21 registered local bus routes, which include local link services to Wokingham Town, services from Shinfield, Woodley and Earley to Reading Town, enhancements to services on key bus corridors, as well as three school time only services and a small number of once-a-week shopper services. The current bus contracts are in place until Spring 2027. The tenders will primarily be for registered local bus service; however, alternative options may also be considered for the school time only and once a week shopper service. ### Planning Information Wokingham Borough Council is looking to engage with the market to discuss a future opportunity relating to contracted transport services across the borough. The Council manages 21 registered local bus routes, which include local link services to Wokingham Town, services from Shinfield, Woodley and Earley to Reading Town, enhancements to services on key bus corridors, as well as three school time only services and a small number of once-a-week shopper services. The current bus contracts are in place until Spring 2027. The tenders will primarily be for registered local bus service; however, alternative options may also be considered for the school time only and once a week shopper service. The event is intended to have the format of an information session to present the Councils future plans for these services. The event will take place on Wednesday 20th May 10 – 11am virtually via MS Teams and will cover the following topics: - Scope of services to be procured - Overview of the Lots that will be included within the tender - What documents will require to be completed and submitted to bid for the tender - Overview of the evaluation approach - Timelines - How to submit a tender using WBC’s e-procurement solution - Questions If you are interested in discussing the above with us, please express interest via the messaging function of ProContract and provide the following details: - Company name - Point of contact - Names and email addresses for all attendees - Questions - We request that you submit any questions that you have ahead of the engagement so that these can be covered within the presentation. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/034375-2026 | | Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 15 Apr 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 1 Aug 2026 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 31 Mar 2027 - 31 Mar 2032 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £17,600,000 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Planned | | Lots status | Planned | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | WOKINGHAM BOROUGH COUNCIL | | Locality | WOKINGHAM | | Post town | Reading | | Postcode | RG40 1BN | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) | | ITL 2 | TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | | ITL 3 | TLJ16 Berkshire West | | Local authority | Wokingham | | Electoral ward | Emmbrook | | Westminster constituency | Wokingham | | Delivery location | TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England) | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation - 60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport) ### Codes - 34121100 - Public-service buses - 60112000 - Public road transport services ## Release History - 15 Apr 2026 at 15:09 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/034375-2026 - 29 Apr 2025 at 12:55 - Planning - UK1 - Pipeline Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/017615-2025 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/034375-2026 15th April 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/017615-2025 29th April 2025 - Pipeline notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents - https://www.wokingham.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-h6vhtk-05092e. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05092e.json.