Surbon Consulting is a specialist bid, procurement and social value consultancy for the bus sector. We help operators win franchise and tender competitions, help local transport authorities specify and evaluate contracts that deliver what they actually want, and help suppliers into the bus market build credible, scoreable bids. Founded by Rachel Hughes FCILT, the practice brings 18 years of experience and more than 40 bids across the UK, Europe and the Middle East, spanning bus, rail, tram and ferry.
Bus franchising bids and franchising readiness
English city regions are moving to franchised networks tranche by tranche, and each competition asks operators to evidence things a commercial network never had to: depot strategy, network mobilisation, driver recruitment and retention plans, performance regimes. We work as an embedded bid lead or as a review layer, from bid/no-bid decision through to submission and clarification responses.
Social value strategy and TOMS submissions
Social value now carries real weight in bus competitions and is often the difference between a compliant bid and a winning one. We build social value strategies that are costed, deliverable and tied to the authority’s own priorities, including TOMS framework measures, Social Value Portal uploads and the evidence trail needed to prove delivery once the contract starts.
Tender documentation and evaluation design for authorities
On the buying side, we help authorities write specifications and evaluation models that get useful answers back. That means proportionate requirements, clear scoring guidance and sustainability criteria that are simple enough to be marked fairly rather than a list of KPIs nobody can assess.
Contract management and mobilisation
Winning is the easy part. We support mobilisation planning, performance regime design, KPI frameworks and the contract management disciplines that keep an operator and an authority working from the same page through a seven or ten year term. Rachel is also a trainer on the UITP Academy contract management diploma programme.
Our track record includes supporting Stagecoach on successful bus franchise bids across multiple tranches of the Greater Manchester Bee Network, one of the most consequential shifts in UK bus policy in a generation. Elsewhere we have led environment and sustainability scoring on the London Overground competition and supported the GTS bid for the Elizabeth line, work that informs how we approach quality submissions across every mode.
If you are preparing for a franchising competition, building a social value offer or selling into bus operators and authorities, we would be glad to talk. Book a call at surbonconsulting.com or explore our articles and resources.
Key Surbon Consulting Products
- Bid Accelerator — structured bid support package for transport SMEs and consultancies, combining senior bid lead input with a controlled AI toolkit and expert review layer.
- Social Value Strategy & TOMS Support — design, quantification and reporting of social value for bus tenders and franchise competitions, including Social Value Portal uploads.
- Franchising Bid Support — embedded bid leadership for English bus franchising competitions, from bid/no-bid through submission and clarifications.
- Tender & Evaluation Design (for authorities) — specification writing, scoring model design and sustainability criteria that can be marked fairly.
- Mobilisation & Contract Management Support — Day 1 planning, KPI and performance regime design, and in-life contract management.
- Social Value Quiz — free online self-assessment tool for operators and suppliers benchmarking their social value maturity.
