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QBR079 2026-08-10 (0900) Lowestoft - Warren Lodge @ Warren School, Beccles (8 seats and a passenger assistant) - AWARD

Suffolk County Council

This public procurement record has 6 releases in its history.

AwardUpdate

21 Oct 2026 at 14:20

Award Notice
AwardUpdate

21 Oct 2026 at 14:18

Award Notice
AwardUpdate

20 Aug 2026 at 15:48

Award Notice
AwardUpdate

20 Aug 2026 at 15:34

Award Notice
AwardUpdate

20 Aug 2026 at 15:33

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Award

12 Aug 2026 at 08:28

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Suffolk County Council procured passenger transport for a route from Warren Lodge in Lowestoft to Warren School in Beccles, requiring an eight-seat vehicle and a passenger assistant. This is a local, school-related transport service rather than general passenger transport. The council is the buyer, and the service is for travel between the named locations. The procurement was run as a mini-competition within the council’s passenger transport dynamic purchasing system. The route description identifies the vehicle capacity and need for an assistant, indicating that suppliers need to provide both suitable transport and passenger support for the journey.

The procurement is complete and two active awards were made on 20 August 2026. Rainbows Transport and ALBIES LTD were each awarded a separate contract valued at £317,870. Both contracts run from 3 September 2026 to 31 August 2031. The competition was a selective call-off from a dynamic purchasing system, with submissions due by 10 August 2026. The council reserved the right to extend the contract up to 31 July 2033. No lot breakdown or evaluation criteria are stated in the available process details, so the award basis cannot be described further.

For suppliers considering comparable school passenger transport work for Suffolk County Council, this award shows demand for a dedicated local route requiring an eight-seat vehicle and a passenger assistant. Credible competitors would need to demonstrate the ability to provide suitable vehicle capacity and reliable passenger support for the Lowestoft–Beccles journey, as well as the operational capacity to deliver a service over a multi-year contract. The council used a dynamic purchasing system mini-competition, so familiarity with that route to market is relevant. Two suppliers received awards for this requirement, showing that the council placed contracts with both Rainbows Transport and ALBIES LTD. The stated SME suitability was false, so small and medium-sized businesses should not assume the opportunity was designated as suitable for them.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

QBR079 2026-08-10 (0900) Lowestoft - Warren Lodge @ Warren School, Beccles (8 seats and a passenger assistant) - 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. QBR079 2026-08-10 (0900) Lowestoft - Warren Lodge @ Warren School, Beccles (8 seats and a passenger assistant) 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 0900 on 10/08/2026. Please note late returns will NOT be permitted. The deadline for clarification questions is 0900 on 06/08/2026 which must be generated via the correspondence option on the website. The council reserves the right to extend this contract up until 31/07/2033.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-ee4e293c-e071-461e-89aa-d705707f707a
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/fe59e3b2-adbc-4047-b7d3-237b971ecddf
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
£317,870 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
21 Oct 20265 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
20 Aug 20262 months ago
Contract Period
3 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2031 4-5 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
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

Rainbows Transport

ALBIES LTD

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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