Award

Body Removal and Storage Colchester and Tendring areas of Essex

ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 5 releases in its history.

Award

07 Jan 2026 at 16:10

Tender

10 Nov 2025 at 15:09

PlanningUpdate

31 Jul 2025 at 12:21

PlanningUpdate

23 Jul 2025 at 11:57

Planning

27 Jun 2025 at 11:02

Summary of the contracting process

Essex County Council has recently completed the awarding stage of a procurement process for the provision of body removal and storage services in the Colchester and Tendring areas, having issued the contract to The Hunnaball Family Funeral Group Limited. The contract, operating under the main procurement category of services, will commence on 1st April 2026 with a potential extension up to 31st March 2031. The procurement was conducted through an open procedure, allowing for the participation of interested suppliers. The recently awarded contract, valued at a gross amount of £144,000, represents a strategic effort by Essex County Council to support its Coroner Service across its administrative regions, including Thurrock and Southend City Councils, enhancing its operational framework in the Funeral Services industry category. The upcoming milestones include the formal contract signing scheduled for 26th January 2026.

This tender presents a significant business opportunity for companies specialising in funeral and related services, particularly small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as indicated by the procurement's focus on attracting SME bidders. Engaging with such contracts can lead to business growth by establishing strong working relationships within public sector frameworks, enhancing credibility and track record, and providing a stable demand schedule over the contract period. Further opportunities are indicated for other enterprises in similar geographies or industries, given the potential for contract renewals by Essex County Council's discretion, offering extended terms for those performing successfully under the current awarded agreements.

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Notice Title

Body Removal and Storage Colchester and Tendring areas of Essex

Notice Description

Delivery of body removal services in the Colchester and Tendring areas of Essex. Essex County Council (ECC) is responsible for providing the Coroner Service for the Essex Coroner Area which includes the administrative areas of Essex County Council and the unitary authorities (Thurrock Council and Southend City Council). In support of this work, the Authority intends to award contracts to cover body removal in the Colchester and Tendring Districts.

Lot Information

Colchester City Council Area

Provision of Body Removal in this area

Renewal: 14.1 The Agreement term for this agreement with be 2 years. The initial term will be from 1st April 2026 to 31st March 2028 with the option of an extension for a further three years. The Authority may at its sole discretion extend the Contract Term by such period as it may specify in written notice given not less than 3 months prior to the expiry of the Contract Term (as extended from time to time) and may do so on as many occasions as it shall think fit provided that such extensions shall not exceed 36 months in total. The decision to extend the Agreement with is at the sole discretion of Essex County Council.

Tendring District Council Area

Provision of body removal services in the Tendring District Council Area

Renewal: 14.1 The Agreement term for this agreement with be 2 years. The initial term will be from 1st April 2026 to 31st March 2028 with the option of an extension for a further three years. The Authority may at its sole discretion extend the Contract Term by such period as it may specify in written notice given not less than 3 months prior to the expiry of the Contract Term (as extended from time to time) and may do so on as many occasions as it shall think fit provided that such extensions shall not exceed 36 months in total. The decision to extend the Agreement with is at the sole discretion of Essex County Council.

Planning Information

The Authority wishes to invite interested parties to complete a market engagement questionnaire using Microsoft forms. A link to the microsoft form will be included within the documents that will be published on Procontract, the Councils e-tendering system. Responses to this market engagement can only be submitted via Procontract. ECC uses an e-tendering system, ProContract and you will need to create an account on ProContract to access and respond to both this market engagement exercise and to bid for any future opportunities issued by ECC, including this Body Removal Contract. Please visit https://procontract.due-north.com/Register to register an account. It is free to register and use the system. If you have any questions regarding this exercise, please submit them via the ProContract Portal and we will reply to your questions as soon as possible. We look forward to your participation and contributions.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-055500
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/001201-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

98 - Other community, social and personal services


CPV Codes

98370000 - Funeral and related services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£180,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£180,000 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
£180,000 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
7 Jan 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
8 Dec 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
1 Sep 2025Expired
Award Date
23 Dec 20252 months ago
Contract Period
31 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
mihaela.matei@essex.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
CHELMSFORD
Postcode
CM1 1QH
Post Town
Chelmsford
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH3 Essex
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH36 Heart of Essex
Delivery Location
TLH3 Essex

Local Authority
Chelmsford
Electoral Ward
Moulsham and Central
Westminster Constituency
Chelmsford

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

THE HUNNABALL FAMILY FUNERAL GROUP

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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