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QSC233 09:00 2026-08-19 Stowmarket to Hillside Special School, Sudbury - 6-seater & PA required - AWARD

Suffolk County Council

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

AwardUpdate

23 Oct 2026 at 12:44

Award Notice
AwardUpdate

02 Sep 2026 at 13:17

Award Notice
Award

20 Aug 2026 at 09:23

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Suffolk County Council commissioned passenger transport for a school journey from Stowmarket to Hillside Special School in Sudbury. The requirement calls for a six-seat vehicle and a passenger assistant (PA), indicating a service combining suitable vehicle provision with support during the journey. The buyer is Suffolk County Council, through its Passenger Transport function. The route is identified by its town endpoints; the data also gives Suffolk County Council’s Ipswich address as the delivery location. This is a specific school transport service rather than a general transport contract, so it is most relevant to operators able to provide appropriate vehicles and passenger assistance for a dedicated route.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded through a selective call-off from a dynamic purchasing system for passenger transport. Two suppliers were selected: Ground Travel -Ipswich Ltd, awarded £211,755, and Good to go rides ltd, awarded £218,500. Both awards are active and cover the same contract period, from 3 September 2026 to 31 July 2029. The award date was 20 August 2026. The original submission deadline was 19 August 2026, with clarification questions due by 12 August 2026. The council reserved the right to extend the contract up to 31 July 2031. The requirement is for a single route and a six-seat vehicle with a passenger assistant; the award data does not set out the evaluation criteria.

This award demonstrates demand from Suffolk County Council for dedicated school transport between Stowmarket and Hillside Special School in Sudbury, including a six-seat vehicle and passenger-assistant provision. Two suppliers received awards, including one identified as an SME, showing that this requirement was delivered by both an established transport operator and a smaller provider. A credible competitor for a comparable future requirement would need to combine reliable route-based passenger transport with the capacity to provide a suitable vehicle and a passenger assistant. Operators whose business covers school journeys and passenger support in Suffolk are the closest fit. The procurement was let as a call-off from a dynamic purchasing system, so suppliers seeking similar council work should be equipped to participate in that route.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

QSC233 09:00 2026-08-19 Stowmarket to Hillside Special School, Sudbury - 6-seater & PA required - AWARD

Notice Description

Suffolk County Council is seeking a mini competition against the following Dynamic Purchasing System: 'The supply of Passenger Transport Services', OJEU Notice Id: 2018/S 031-067685. QSC233 09:00 2026-08-19 Stowmarket to Hillside Special School, Sudbury - 6-seater & PA required Further details can be found in the 'Tenders / My Tenders' area of this website, by selecting the 'View Details' button for this project. The deadline for returned submissions is 09:00 2026-08-19. Please note late returns will NOT be permitted. The deadline for clarification questions is 09:00 2026-08-12 which must be generated via the correspondence option on the website. The council reserves the right to extend this contract up until 2031-07-31.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-33df475d-41af-43a1-bbc6-908ccdab264a
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/d5e41dc8-2f12-4cfd-ade3-66186dc62d01
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Dynamic
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Call-off from a dynamic purchasing system
Tender Suitability
Not specified
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
£430,255 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
23 Oct 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
20 Aug 20262 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
Suffolk 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
SUFFOLK
Postcode
IP1 2BX
Postcode Area
Ipswich
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH6 Suffolk
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH62 Ipswich
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Ipswich
Electoral Ward
Gipping
Westminster Constituency
Ipswich

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
2
Supplier Names

GROUND TRAVEL -IPSWICH LTD

Good to go rides 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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