Tender

Body Removal and Storage Colchester and Tendring areas of Essex

ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

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 is seeking tenders for the provision of body removal and storage services in the Colchester and Tendring areas. The contract, classified under "Funeral and related services", is part of the Coroner Service managed by Essex County Council and includes regions under unitary authorities such as Thurrock Council and Southend City Council. Currently in the tender stage, the procurement process is classified as an open procedure with an estimated total contract value of £180,000. The deadline for market engagement responses was set for 24th July 2025, with the tender expected to be published in September 2025. The provisional date for contract award is December 2025, and the contract is anticipated to commence on 1st April 2026.

This tender presents a significant opportunity for businesses specializing in body removal services to establish or expand their presence in the Essex region. The contract allows participation from SMEs, making it accessible to a broader range of companies. With an initial two-year term and the possibility of extension for an additional three years, this contract is suited for firms that can demonstrate a capacity for high-quality service delivery at competitive prices. Essex County Council will utilise the ProContract eSourcing portal for this process, ensuring an open and transparent competition. Interested parties are encouraged to ensure their registration on the platform for any correspondence related to this tender.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

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, ECC must provide body removal services splitting the county into 6 geographical areas. Page 2 to 5 We are wishing to engage on an opportunity for re-tendering a contract to cover body removal in the Colchester and Tendring Districts. We are inviting responses from the market to support Essex County Council to design a tender which will meet our requirements and provide best value for the residents of Essex. The closing date for responses is 5pm on 24 July 2025. The current estimated publication date for the tender is September 2025 with a provisional contract award date during December 2025. The contract start date will be April 1st, 2026. This notice is intended as an awareness, communication and information gathering exercise. Participation is no indication of a commitment to partake in any future tendering process nor does it infer any preferential or special status on those individuals and organisations who participate. Please also note that this notice is not intended as a call for competition and as such you will need to express your interest in any future tender opportunity once the tender notice is published. You are also advised to ensure your data on the Central Digital Platform is maintained up to date. Please also note the following with regard to the potential impact of Local Government Reform (LGR) and Devolution to this project. The contracting authority is Essex County Council and any Successor Body meaning one or more entities which assumes any of the Council's functions (as applicable) as a result of Local Government Reform (LGR). Such successor body or bodies may be, without limitation, a local authority, a combined authority, a combined county authority, a strategic authority or any other status determined pursuant to the Devolution and LGR Legislation.

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.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-055500
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/072494-2025
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

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
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
10 Nov 20253 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
8 Dec 2025Today
Future Notice Date
1 Sep 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2028 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
procurementsanda@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

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

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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