Local Bus Service Procurements – February 2027

The Authority intends to award multiple contracts for an initial period of 2 years. The estimated contract value for the initial term between the six distinct lots is between £4,000,000 & £4,400,000 excluding VAT. The contracts are anticipated to commence on 28 February 2027 or such other date as agreed by the Authority.

Extension Options

The Authority reserves the right to extend the contracts by up to 1 year and 4 months. Any extension option shall be exercisable at the sole discretion of the Authority and shall be subject to satisfactory supplier performance, the continued requirement for the services, the availability of funding and compliance with all applicable governance and legislative requirements. Should all extension options be exercised, the maximum contract term will be 3 years and 4 months and the maximum contract value will be £7,020,000 excluding VAT. Nothing within the Invitation to Tender shall be interpreted as creating an obligation upon the Authority to exercise any extension option.

This procurement will be split into 6 different lots. Bidders of the service are able to bid for a combination of lots or individual lots. Lots have been split in this way to ensure best value for the authority is achieved. Where services have been grouped together, this has been done to ensure jointly planned services continue to benefit from economies of scale by being grouped together.