Mass Transit Framework

The West of England Combined Authority (WECA) is undertaking preliminary market engagement to support the development of its proposed Mass Transit Framework. As the Mass Transit Programme continues to develop, WECA is seeking to engage with the market at an early stage to better understand supplier capacity, capability and views on how the market can effectively support the scale, pace and complexity of the programme ahead.

The programme is supported by a £150 million Transport for City Regions (TCR) allocation for Mass Transit, reflecting the scale of investment and delivery ambition over the coming years. As part of this preliminary market engagement, WECA will hold an in-person Industry Engagement Day on 21 September 2026.

Event details Date: 21 September 2026 Format: In person Venue: Ground Floor, 70 Redcliff Street, Redcliffe, Bristol, BS1 6AL Time: 09:30-11:30 WECA's preference is for suppliers to attend the event in person to support an open and collaborative discussion. However, where reasonable adjustments are required to enable participation, WECA will consider arrangements for hybrid attendance.

Suppliers should identify any such requirements when registering their interest. The event will provide an opportunity for WECA to share further context on the Mass Transit Programme, emerging requirements and anticipated future pipeline of work, while also hearing directly from the market about how the proposed framework and future delivery arrangements can be structured as effectively as possible.

In particular, WECA is interested in exploring: • The market's capacity and capability to support the Mass Transit Programme and its anticipated pipeline; • Current and emerging resource and capacity constraints, and how these could be addressed; • Opportunities for greater collaboration across the supply chain, including approaches to subcontracting, consortia and other delivery models; • How suppliers can work effectively alongside one another, including the sharing and integration of information and designs across different elements of the programme; • What the West of England Combined Authority can do as a client to make the proposed framework and future opportunities attractive and effective for the supply chain; and • Any other barriers, opportunities or lessons learned that should inform WECA's approach. The Industry Engagement Day will be designed as an open and collaborative discussion and will include a roundtable session, giving participants the opportunity to provide feedback and help inform WECA's developing approach.

Further supplier engagement Following the Industry Engagement Day, WECA will undertake further one-to-one engagement with suppliers to explore relevant themes arising from the event in greater detail. There will be opportunity to book-in these further one-to-one sessions on the day.

Details of any further engagement, including how suppliers can express an interest in participating and how sessions will be managed if demand exceeds available capacity, will be communicated following the Industry Engagement Day. Participation in this preliminary market engagement, including attendance at the Industry Engagement Day or any subsequent engagement, will not form part of any future procurement evaluation or supplier selection process and will not provide any supplier with an advantage in any subsequent procurement.

Registering interest Suppliers interested in attending the Industry Engagement Day should respond through this notice by Wednesday 9 September 2026, providing the names and job titles of the proposed attendees. We see this as an important opportunity to have an open conversation for this major programme of work about how we can work better together and ensure that the Mass Transit Programme is positioned to draw on the capacity, capability and expertise available across the market.