--- title: "Bus Franchising - Farnworth Small Franchise" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0514c8" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0514c8" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0514c8.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0514c8.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "TRANSPORT FOR GREATER MANCHESTER" published: "2025-05-23" --- # Bus Franchising - Farnworth Small Franchise Buyer: TRANSPORT FOR GREATER MANCHESTER Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0514c8 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0514c8) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0514c8.json) ## Summary Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is currently planning a procurement process to secure an operator for the Farnworth Small Franchise bus services in Greater Manchester. This tender falls under the public road transport services industry category and seeks to involve a Peak Vehicle Requirement of 7 buses. The procurement is managed through the Pro-Contract portal, with the key milestone of the Market Engagement Webinar set for 4th June 2025 and the expression of interest deadline by 11th August 2025. The procurement process, governed under the UK Procurement Act 2023, is in the planning stage, with the contract period projected to start on 7th March 2027 and potentially extend until 27th September 2032. This tender offers significant opportunities for growth, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) well-versed in public road transport services and the provision of bus operations. Companies able to demonstrate technical accuracy and competitive pricing will be of particular interest, given the award criteria emphasising these elements. With a gross contract value of £15,428,400, this competitive flexible procedure opens avenues for businesses to establish themselves within the Greater Manchester transit system. Participating firms will benefit from engaging in a substantial local government initiative, contributing to long-term public transportation developments and gaining potential for contract renewal post-2030. Businesses must prepare for the supplier Procurement Specific Questionnaire to qualify for further tender stages, highlighting their capability to meet TfGM's service requirements. ## Notice Following the implementation of bus franchising across Greater Manchester, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), on behalf of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), is seeking an Operator to provide bus passenger services for the Farnworth Small Franchise from March 2027, with an estimated Peak Vehicle Requirement (PVR) of 7. Note the scope, figures, dates, and contract or framework durations included in this Notice are provisional only, and are subject to funding approvals and governance approvals, and may be subject to change as the requirement developments. TfGM reserves the right to vary or cancel this notice at any point as the project develops. TfGM use the e-tendering portal Pro-Contract to manage high value procurement activity. Details on how to register can be found at https://procontract.due-north.com/register ### Lot Information Lot 1 Renewal: TfGM reserve the right to extend this contract in multiple periods of up to 24 months (total) ### Planning Information Operators will be invited to attend an online Market Engagement Webinar whereby TfGM will provide an overview of the franchise requirements and the procurement process. Operators wishing to attend this Webinar should provide the name(s), position and email addresses of attendees by the 27th May 2025 12.00 noon. Please note this will not be interactive, however, the webinar will be recorded and the recording will be made available via the ProContract portal. Following the Market Engagement Webinar, TfGM will issue a short questionnaire requesting feedback from potential bidders alongside the recording of the Market Engagement session. Deadline for responses will be 11th June 2025. Should operators have any queries, please raise a clarification question via ProContract messaging service by 9th June 2025. TfGM will respond to all Market Engagement questions by the 23rd June 2025. TfGM intends to send the Tender notice on the 7th July 2025. There will be a supplier Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) process in order to get through to final tender submission. This will be explained in the Market Engagement Webinar. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026637-2025 | | Notice type | UK1 - Pipeline Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Selective | | Procurement method details | Competitive flexible procedure | | Tender suitability | SME | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 23 May 2025 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | 7 Jul 2025 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 7 Mar 2027 - 27 Sep 2030 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £12,857,000 | | Lots value | £12,857,000 | | 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 | TRANSPORT FOR GREATER MANCHESTER | | Locality | MANCHESTER | | Post town | Manchester | | Postcode | M1 3BG | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) | | ITL 2 | TLD3 Greater Manchester | | ITL 3 | TLD33 Manchester | | Local authority | Manchester | | Electoral ward | Piccadilly | | Westminster constituency | Manchester Central | | Delivery location | TLD North West (England), TLD3 Greater Manchester | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport) ### Codes - 60112000 - Public road transport services ## Release History - 23 May 2025 at 14:01 - Planning - UK1 - Pipeline Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026637-2025 - 15 May 2025 at 14:37 - Planning - UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021871-2025 - 15 May 2025 at 14:26 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021858-2025 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026637-2025 23rd May 2025 - Pipeline notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021871-2025 15th May 2025 - Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021858-2025 15th May 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - http://www.tfgm.com - https://procontract.due-north.com/Register - https://procontract.due-north.com/register - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents ## 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-0514c8. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0514c8.json.