Transport Act 2000

130 Tendering for quality contracts

(1) The authority, or the authorities acting jointly, must invite tenders for the provision of services to which the scheme relates for such period and on such basis as may be specified in the invitation to tender.

(2) The period specified must not exceed five years.

(3) Subject to subsection (4), such an invitation—

(a) must be issued generally, in such manner as the authority or authorities consider appropriate for bringing it to the attention of persons who may be interested, and

(b) must also be issued individually to all persons who have given to that authority or any of those authorities a written notice indicating that they wish to receive invitations to tender for the provision of local services of a description to which the invitation relates.

(4) Such a notice must specify the address to which such an invitation is to be directed, and it shall be sufficient for the purposes of subsection (3)(b) if the authority or authorities send the invitation to the person giving such a notice at the address so specified.

(5) The authority or authorities may only accept a tender submitted by a person who is the holder of either—

(a) a PSV operator’s licence, or

(b) a community bus permit.

(6) But subsection (5)(a) does not include a licence to which a condition is attached under section 26 of the [1985 c. 67.] Transport Act 1985 (power of traffic commissioner to attach conditions to licences) prohibiting the holder from using vehicles under the licence to provide local services of all descriptions or of any description to which the invitation relates.

(7) After entering into a quality contract, the authority or authorities must give notice to the traffic commissioner for each traffic area covering the whole or part of the area to which the scheme relates of—

(a) the local services to be provided in accordance with the contract, and

(b) the duration of the contract.

(8) The appropriate national authority may by regulations make provision requiring authorities to publish prescribed information about tenders submitted to them in accordance with this section or about their reasons for entering into particular quality contracts.