Route 9 Bus Service

Tender description

Reading Borough Council (RBC) is inviting tenders from suitably qualified operators for the provision of public Bus Service along Route 9. The current Route 9 runs from Reading Station to the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Cressingham Road and Whitley Wood Road/Northumberland Avenue. This tender is offered over two Lots: - Lot 1 - a core service to replicate the existing route and timetable. The service runs from Reading Station to the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Cressingham Road and Whitley Wood Road/Northumberland Avenue. The core service will run from Monday to Friday from approximately 0600-2030. - Lot 2 - a core service that extends the Lot 1 contract route via Worton Grange to Lime Square and Reading Green Park Train Station. It is assumed that this will be a three-bus timetable. The core service will run from Monday to Friday from approximately 0600-2030. RBC has lotted this tender in order obtain prices for both route options via a competitive process. RBC intends to award to one Lot only. Lot selection will depend on the prices submitted during the tender process and the level of budget that can be secured for the service. Bidders can submit bids for either or both Lots, although RBC would like to encourage bidders to consider submitting a bid for both Lots. Each Lot is offered on a gross cost basis. The Bus Service must comply with all regulations for Bus provision as covered under the operator's licence provided by the Traffic Commissioner. The contract is estimated to start on 24th July 2023 and will run for an initial term that expires on 31st March 2025, with the option to extend by a further 3 years until 31st March 2028. The value of this contract is estimated to be within the range of £216K to £1.82M depending on the Lot selected and the take up of extensions. Additional information: Organisations interested in expressing an interest in this procurement should download the procurement documents which are available on the Council`s e-tendering ortal at: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/readingbc/aspx/Home and complete as instructed. The Portal is free of charge - to register please follow the supplier registration guidance which is available on the Portal. Contractors wishing to be considered for this tendering opportunity must complete the tender documents and return them electronically via the Council`s e-tendering portal. Please note: you must register your interest via the Council`s e-tendering portal if you intend to submit a tender. All communications regarding this procurement exercise will be conducted through the Council`s e-tendering portal including requests for clarifications or general enquiries. The procurement documents will be available for download up until the closing time and date for tender submissions; it is the organisation`s responsibility to ensure that they download the documents in ample time to ensure that they can be completed and returned electronically, along with supporting documents, prior to the closing time and date stipulated. Before completing the tender, Bidders should ensure that the e-mail address that has been used to register their organisation will be checked regularly, as the Council`s e-tendering system will generate automatic notifications to this e-mail address when there are updates, changes or messages sent relating to the project. Bidders should also check that their organisation`s details are correct and kept up to date. Technical questions and assistance regarding the use and operation of the Portal should be addressed to the In-Tend Help Desk - e-mail: support@in-tend.co.uk, telephone number +44 8442728810. Is a Recurrent Procurement Type? : Yes