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Public Bus Service (Lot 5) EXPR1 Sowton P&R - Exeter City Centre

Devon County Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

11 Sep 2026 at 10:49

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Devon County Council procured a local public bus service operating as PR1 between Sowton Park & Ride and Exeter city centre. The service runs Monday to Saturday, excluding public holidays, and is intended to provide passenger transport connecting the park-and-ride facility with the city centre. This is a passenger transport service rather than a goods supply or construction project, classified under CPV 60000000 for transport services. Delivery is in Exeter and the surrounding South West area of England. The requirement was run as a mini-competition under Devon County Council’s Passenger Transport Dynamic Purchasing System, Lot 5. It is identified as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises, while the procurement was not reserved for voluntary, community or social enterprises.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded to Stagecoach South West on 24 July 2026. The award value is £424,541.34 including the stated currency of GBP. The contract period runs from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2034. Devon County Council used a selective procurement route described as a restricted procedure, through a mini-competition from Lot 5 of its Passenger Transport Dynamic Purchasing System. The tender submission deadline was 1 July 2026 at 12:00. The published estimated procurement value was £100,000, while the awarded value is reported separately above. The award is active. The contract conditions allow either the contractor or the council to give notice to terminate in accordance with the applicable standard conditions.

This requirement demonstrates established demand from Devon County Council for contracted scheduled bus operations linking a park-and-ride site with Exeter city centre. A credible future competitor would need the operational capability to run a local passenger service six days a week, excluding public holidays, and to manage reliable connections between Sowton and the city centre. Relevant experience in bus network operations, driver and vehicle resourcing, timetable delivery, passenger service and compliance with public transport contract conditions would be important. The award to a large established operator indicates that bidders must be able to sustain service delivery over a long-term public transport contract. Smaller operators are expressly within the intended supplier market, provided they can demonstrate sufficient operational capacity and service resilience.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Public Bus Service (Lot 5) EXPR1 Sowton P&R - Exeter City Centre

Notice Description

This is a mini-competition from Lot 5 of the Devon County Council Passenger Transport Dynamic Purchasing System (CP1185-15). For the supply and provision of local bus service PR1 operating between Sowton Park & Ride and Exeter city centre Monday to Saturday (Except Public Holidays). The projected duration of the contract is eight years, however the Devon County Council (DCC) Passenger Transport Standard Conditions of Contract still apply, and therefore either the contractor or DCC can give notice as per the terms and conditions to terminate the contract at any time. EXPR1

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-07e25d97-9bed-46aa-bdca-71faec47297c
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/79cd82e2-6cef-43d6-a730-3b02b80e65f5
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Dynamic
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Restricted procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

CPV Codes

60000000 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£100,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£424,541 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
11 Sep 20265 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
24 Jul 20261 months ago
Contract Period
1 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2034 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Devon County Council
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
EXETER
Postcode
EX2 4QD
Postcode Area
Exeter
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK4 Devon
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK43 Devon CC
Delivery Location
TLK South West (England)
Local Authority
Exeter
Electoral Ward
Newtown and St Leonard's
Westminster Constituency
Exeter

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Stagecoach South West

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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