---
title: "BSIP Funded Early Morning and Weekend Late Evening Bus Services on Routes 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06719f"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06719f"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06719f.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06719f.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "PORTSMOUTH CITY COUNCIL"
published: "2026-04-28"
---

# BSIP Funded Early Morning and Weekend Late Evening Bus Services on Routes 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8

Buyer: PORTSMOUTH CITY COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06719f

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06719f)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06719f.json)

## Summary

Portsmouth City Council has completed a procurement process involving a direct award for providing BSIP Funded Early Morning and Weekend Late Evening Bus Services on Routes 1, 2, 3, 7, and 8. This initiative is part of the Department for Transport's Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) to enhance local bus services within Portsmouth and Fareham areas of the UK. The contract, valued at £236,482.32 excluding VAT, covers the period from 1st January 2026 to 31st December 2026 and seeks to maintain network coverage, accessibility, and service availability. Signed on 17th April 2026, it encompasses statutory requirements such as punctuality, reliability, and ticketing arrangements aligned with the Enhanced Partnership objectives.

This contract, awarded to FIRST HAMPSHIRE & DORSET LIMITED, presents opportunities for businesses focused on public road transport services, particularly those with expertise in integrating existing commercial routes and schedules. Large scale operators capable of delivering community-focused transport services, ensuring seamless travel without duplicative costs or ticketing incompatibilities, would find this procurement process favourable. The government-driven initiatives, like the BSIP, open avenues for companies to expand their operations while serving public transportation needs and supporting local economies, especially during early mornings and late evenings when services are less commercially viable on their own.

## Notice

The contracting authority has awarded a contract for the provision of supported local bus services funded through the Department for Transport's Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP). The contract covers the operation of supported and enhanced bus services on existing local bus routes 1, 2, 3, 7 and 8, where services are not commercially viable without public subsidy. The services are intended to maintain and improve network coverage, accessibility and service availability in accordance with the authority's adopted Bus Service Improvement Plan and Enhanced Partnership objectives. The services comprise the scheduled operation of registered local bus services, including defined journeys, frequencies and timetables on the specified routes. Services are delivered as part of, and fully integrated with, the operator's wider commercial bus network to ensure continuity for passengers, effective interchange and consistent ticketing arrangements. The contract has a total value of PS236,482.32 (excluding VAT), representing the approved BSIP revenue subsidy for the provision of these supported services for the contract period 1st January 2026 to 31st December 2026. The subsidy is paid in return for delivery of the agreed service specification and is limited to the approved BSIP funding. The services are delivered by the operator using its own vehicles, staff and operational systems, and in compliance with all statutory requirements applicable to local bus services, including vehicle standards, driver provision, punctuality and reliability, passenger information and Enhanced Partnership aligned ticketing arrangements. No commitment is made beyond the approved contract term.

### Procurement Information

An award to an alternative operator could not be made for economic or technical reasons such as requirements of interchangeability with existing routes and services due to the need for the additional services to tie in with existing commercial network arrangements, which the council has limited control over, mitigates a challenge to the council.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/038563-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details 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 | 28 Apr 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 1 Jan 2026 |
| Contract period | 16 Apr 2026 - 31 Dec 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £236,482 |
| Contracts value | £236,482 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | PORTSMOUTH CITY COUNCIL |
| Locality | PORTSMOUTH |
| Post town | Portsmouth |
| Postcode | PO1 2AL |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| ITL 3 | TLJ31 Portsmouth |
| Local authority | Portsmouth |
| Electoral ward | Charles Dickens |
| Westminster constituency | Portsmouth South |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | FIRST HAMPSHIRE & DORSET |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

### Codes

- 60112000 - Public road transport services

## Release History

- 28 Apr 2026 at 12:24 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/038563-2026
- 23 Mar 2026 at 17:38 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026502-2026
- 23 Mar 2026 at 15:12 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026358-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/038563-2026
  28th April 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026502-2026
  23rd March 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026358-2026
  23rd March 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.firstbus.co.uk
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.portsmouth.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-06719f. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06719f.json.