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Taxi and MPV (1-8 seats) Passenger Assistant - Taxi and MPV (1-8 seats) Passenger Assistant

East Sussex County Council

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

05 Aug 2026 at 13:16

Award Notice
Tender

29 Jun 2026 at 17:13

Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

East Sussex County Council procured passenger transport services using taxis and multi-purpose vehicles carrying one to eight passengers, together with passenger assistant provision. The service covers proposed school transport routes from locations set out in the service specification to Cuckmere House. It operates five days a week and is structured around school-day travel for primary pupils, secondary pupils and Tower House users. The requirement is for a complex, managed transport service rather than vehicle hire alone: operators provide suitable vehicles and passenger assistant staff to support the journeys. The procurement is classified as transport services. Delivery is in the United Kingdom, with the specified destination at Cuckmere House. The opportunity was identified as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The procurement has been awarded following a selective restricted procedure above the threshold. The tender closed on 3 July 2026 at 12:00, and East Sussex County Council awarded the contract to FRENCH AND SON LTD on 29 July 2026. The awarded value is £3,593,614 including the stated currency, GBP. The contract period runs from 3 September 2026 to 31 July 2029. Selection involved a further round of clarification questions, with vehicle capacity, staff training and staff resources forming part of the award assessment. Bidders were required to submit the total daily cost for all routes and provide route-level costs split by vehicle and passenger assistant. The procurement is marked complete and the award is active.

This award indicates sustained demand from East Sussex County Council for specialist school passenger transport combining small-capacity vehicles with trained passenger assistants. A credible competitor for a future requirement would need access to suitable taxi and MPV capacity, dependable driver and passenger assistant staffing, and the ability to resource services five days a week around different school timetables. Staff training and operational resources would need to withstand scrutiny during selection, particularly because the service is described as complex and requires clarification during evaluation. Suppliers should also be able to price multiple routes transparently, calculate a consolidated daily operating cost, and separate costs by vehicle and passenger assistant. The award to an SME shows that this scale and service model can be delivered by a smaller transport operator.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Taxi and MPV (1-8 seats) Passenger Assistant - Taxi and MPV (1-8 seats) Passenger Assistant

Notice Description

Proposed Taxi Route: From: See service specification To: Cuckmere House Frequency: 5 days a week Daily School Time: Primary 08:30-14:30 Secondary 09:00-15:10 Tower House 09:00-15:00 Comments for Operator: See service specification and note that due to the complex nature of this contract, bidders will need to complete a further round of clarification questions as part of the award selection criteria. As a guide to the selection criteria, vehicle capacity, staff training and staff resources will need to be demonstrated prior to contract award in July 2026. IMPORTANT: You need to submit the TOTAL DAILY COST of all routes on Sproc.net and attach a document which provides the costs per route, split by vehicle and PA. This opportunity has been distributed on SProc.net

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-1daae25c-8a30-4e82-b4bc-f824ccdb8155
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/cfa524e5-932e-4581-b5bf-0fd283790162
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Restricted procedure (above threshold)
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

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
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£3,593,614 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
5 Aug 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
3 Jul 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
29 Jul 20261 months ago
Contract Period
3 Sep 2026 - 31 Jul 2029 2-3 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
East Sussex 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
LEWES
Postcode
BN7 1UE
Postcode Area
Brighton
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ2 Surrey, East and West Sussex
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ22 East Sussex CC
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Lewes
Electoral Ward
Lewes Priory
Westminster Constituency
Lewes

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

FRENCH AND SON LTD

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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