---
title: "Bus Grant - enhancement of bus services (Services 13, 22/U4, 19)"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0562e4"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0562e4"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0562e4.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0562e4.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "THE WEST OF ENGLAND COMBINED AUTHORITY"
published: "2025-07-21"
---

# Bus Grant - enhancement of bus services (Services 13, 22/U4, 19)

Buyer: THE WEST OF ENGLAND COMBINED AUTHORITY  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0562e4

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[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0562e4.json)

## Summary

The West of England Combined Authority is overseeing a procurement process focused on enhancing bus services within the UK, specifically targeting Services 13, 22/U4, and 19. The process involves a direct award to First West of England Limited, justified due to exclusive rights and no viable alternatives. This procurement falls within the services industry category and has been awarded a contract valued at £588,503. The procurement phase is currently in the award stage, with the contract set to commence on 31st August 2025 and conclude on 4th April 2026. The authority operates from Bristol, UK, and directed this tender under the legal framework of the Procurement Act 2023.

This tender presents significant business growth opportunities for firms involved in passenger transport services, particularly those capable of enhancing service frequencies and journey times within the specified routes. Given the direct award to First West of England Limited, businesses aspiring to compete in future tenders with similar exclusive service rights, asset ownership or unique capabilities could find themselves well-placed to secure contracts. Such opportunities are suitable for large-scale transport operators with established service frameworks and adaptive capabilities to thrive in direct award scenarios. Additionally, businesses should consider developing intellectual property or securing exclusive operational rights to strengthen their competitive edge in similar public procurement processes.

## Notice

Enhancement of the following bus services: Service 13 - Elmhurst - Foxhill via Bath City Centre, is a commercially operated bus service by First. It is proposed to enhance the daytime frequency and evenings journeys. Service 22/U4 - Southdown - University of Bath, is a commercially operated bus service by First. It is proposed to enhance the daytime frequency and evenings journeys. Service 19 - Bath City Centre - Bristol Parkway, is a commercially operated bus service by First. It is proposed to enhance the daytime frequency and evenings journeys.

### Procurement Information

The value of the Bus Service 13, Bus Service 22 U4 and Bus Service 19 are above the PA23 threshold and will therefore need to be made under s41 and Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023 - single supplier justification for direct award - ie First Bus have exclusive rights and there are no reasonable alternatives, which means only FirstBus can deliver these enhanced services.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041626-2025 |
| Notice type | UK5 - Transparency Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 21 Jul 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 21 Jul 2025 |
| Contract period | 30 Aug 2025 - 4 Apr 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £588,503 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Pending |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | THE WEST OF ENGLAND COMBINED AUTHORITY |
| Locality | BRISTOL |
| Post town | Bristol |
| Postcode | BS1 6AL |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK5 West of England |
| ITL 3 | TLK51 Bristol, City of |
| Local authority | Bristol, City of |
| Electoral ward | Central |
| Westminster constituency | Bristol Central |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | FIRST WEST OF ENGLAND |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

### Codes

- 60170000 - Hire of passenger transport vehicles with driver

## Release History

- 21 Jul 2025 at 11:54 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041626-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041626-2025
  21st July 2025 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://firstbus.co.uk/
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.westofengland-ca.gov.uk/about-us/contact-us/

## 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-0562e4. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0562e4.json.