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Car Hire

Somerset County Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

17 Jul 2026 at 12:50

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Somerset Council procured hire vehicles for its operations in the South West of England. The requirement covers motor vehicles supplied on a rental basis, under the plain-language category of vehicle hire and the CPV classification for motor vehicles (34100000). The council is based in Taunton and is the organisation using the procurement. The arrangement was made through a framework, allowing the council to appoint a vehicle-hire provider directly rather than run a standalone competition. The opportunity was identified as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises, although the selected supplier is a large business. The requirement is for goods rather than vehicle purchase, maintenance or transport services, so relevant businesses are vehicle rental companies able to provide hire vehicles across the South West.

The procurement is complete and was awarded to Enterprise Rent-A-Car Limited on 25 March 2026. The award value is £228,039.29. The contract period runs from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027. Somerset Council used a direct award from a framework, described as an alternative direct-award method, rather than an open competition. The tender submission deadline was 11 February 2026 at 5pm. There was one requirement covering the South West, with no separate lots reported. The award is active and the contract period matches the planned procurement period. The evaluation basis is the framework’s direct-award route, rather than a separately stated price-and-quality competition.

This award demonstrates sustained public-sector demand for vehicle hire by Somerset Council across the South West, at a scale requiring an established rental operation rather than an occasional local supply. Businesses considering future work of this type would need access to a suitable vehicle fleet, the operational capacity to manage bookings and replacements, and reliable delivery and collection arrangements in the region. Experience supplying public-sector or other high-volume fleet customers would strengthen credibility, particularly where service continuity matters throughout the contract. The requirement was marked as suitable for SMEs, so a smaller rental business with sufficient regional coverage and fleet capacity could be relevant, either independently or through a framework position. The selected supplier’s profile also shows that large-scale rental capability meets the buyer’s needs.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Car Hire

Notice Description

Provision of hire vehicles Direct Award via Framework

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-cad9ba4f-556d-47ba-b709-a9b8d5c8ae3e
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/2ac2c8a3-fc39-45f6-91af-22b3b8316605
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Other - Direct Award from a Framework
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

CPV Codes

34100000 - Motor vehicles

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£228,039 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£228,039 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Jul 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
25 Mar 20266 months ago
Contract Period
1 Jul 2026 - 30 Jun 2027 6-12 months
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
Somerset 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
TAUNTON
Postcode
TA1 4DY
Postcode Area
Taunton
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK6 North Somerset, Somerset and Dorset
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK62 Somerset
Delivery Location
TLK South West (England)
Local Authority
Somerset
Electoral Ward
Bishop's Hull & Taunton West
Westminster Constituency
Taunton and Wellington

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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