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Transportation of Bodies on Behalf of the Coroner for Cornwall & The Isles of Scilly

Cornwall Council

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

Award

27 Jul 2026 at 12:35

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

16 Jan 2026 at 11:16

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

24 Nov 2025 at 16:01

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

09 Oct 2025 at 11:29

UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Cornwall Council commissioned transportation of bodies for the Coroner for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. The service involves collecting bodies from the place of death, following instruction from the Police Control Centre or a Coroner’s Officer, and transporting them to designated mortuaries or body-holding facilities. The requirement supports investigations into sudden, unexpected or unnatural deaths. Work is organised geographically across Cornwall’s Community Network Areas, with possible journeys to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth and Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital in Exeter. One lot covers collections from the Isles of Scilly arriving at Penzance harbour, and another covers journeys to other UK destinations. The procurement is for specialist road transport services, including cadaver transport and storage-related supplies, managed by Cornwall Council.

The procurement is complete and was awarded through an open procedure. The award date was 14 January 2026. Eight geographical lots were planned, each valued at £375,000 excluding VAT (£450,000 including VAT). Lot 1 covered Community Network Areas 1 and 2; Lots 2 to 6 covered further Cornwall areas; Lot 7 covered Areas 14, 16 and 17; and Lot 8 covered other UK destinations. Awards went to Cornwall Funeral Services Ltd for Lots 1 to 5 and Lot 8, and The Arthur W Bryant Funeral Service Limited for Lot 7. Lot 6 was unsuccessful. Contracts were signed between 10 and 31 March 2026, starting 1 April 2026 and ending 31 March 2030, with two optional two-year extensions available to 31 March 2034. Evaluation used price, quality and social value through a Price-per-Quality-Point-Ratio method, with economic and technical selection criteria.

This procurement shows recurring demand from Cornwall Council for specialist, responsive body transportation rather than ordinary passenger transport. A credible future competitor would need suitable vehicles, trained staff and operating arrangements for sensitive collections from scenes of death, secure transfer to mortuaries or body-holding facilities, and journeys across Cornwall, to hospitals in Devon or to destinations elsewhere in the UK. Coverage across defined local areas suggests that dependable local capacity matters, while the national lot requires broader geographic reach and coordination. The requirement was explicitly suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community or social enterprises, and attracted two small-business bids on most lots and three on the national lot. Strong bids would need to demonstrate technical and economic capacity, service quality and measurable social value, while remaining commercially competitive.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Transportation of Bodies on Behalf of the Coroner for Cornwall & The Isles of Scilly

Notice Description

The Coroner for Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly is required to arrange the removal of bodies from the place of death to a designated mortuary or body holding facility in order to allow the investigation into any sudden, unexpected or unnatural deaths reported to them under The Coroner's & Justice Act 2009. Cornwall's Senior Coroner manages the strategy for body transportation. The Police Control Centre or (occasionally) a Coroner's Officer will instruct a service provider for collections from scene to a mortuary. Cornwall Council, the responsible body, uses a competitive tender process to appoint these service providers, ensuring efficient transport of bodies within the county, to Devon, or even nationally, as needed. The Council commissions this statutory service and the current contract is due to expire on 31/03/26. A new tender process needs to be completed.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Council's Community Network Areas 1* and 2.

Options: The contract includes extension options.

Renewal: The contract is anticipated to commence on 1st April 2026 and will continue for a period of four year(s) unless terminated or extended in accordance with the Contract terms. The initial term of the Contract is four years. This term is subject to any termination rights contained within the Contract. The contract terms include the potential for contract extension. The contract duration is four years, plus two optional two-year extensions.

Lot 2

Cornwall Council's Historical Community Network Areas 3 and 4

Options: The contract includes extension options.

Renewal: The contract is anticipated to commence on 1st April 2026 and will continue for a period of four year(s) unless terminated or extended in accordance with the Contract terms. The initial term of the Contract is four years. This term is subject to any termination rights contained within the Contract. The contract terms include the potential for contract extension. The contract duration is four years, plus two optional two-year extensions.

Lot 3

Cornwall Council's Historical Community Network Areas 5, 6 and 7.

Options: The contract includes extension options.

Renewal: The contract is anticipated to commence on 1st April 2026 and will continue for a period of four year(s) unless terminated or extended in accordance with the Contract terms. The initial term of the Contract is four years. This term is subject to any termination rights contained within the Contract. The contract terms include the potential for contract extension. The contract duration is four years, plus two optional two-year extensions.

Lot 4

Cornwall Council's Historical Community Network Areas 8, 11, and 12.

Options: The contract includes extension options.

Renewal: The contract is anticipated to commence on 1st April 2026 and will continue for a period of four year(s) unless terminated or extended in accordance with the Contract terms. The initial term of the Contract is four years. This term is subject to any termination rights contained within the Contract. The contract terms include the potential for contract extension. The contract duration is four years, plus two optional two-year extensions.

Lot 5

Cornwall Council's Historical Community Network Areas 9, 10 and 13.

Options: The contract includes extension options.

Renewal: The contract is anticipated to commence on 1st April 2026 and will continue for a period of four year(s) unless terminated or extended in accordance with the Contract terms. The initial term of the Contract is four years. This term is subject to any termination rights contained within the Contract. The contract terms include the potential for contract extension. The contract duration is four years, plus two optional two-year extensions.

Lot 6

Cornwall Council's Historical Community Network Areas 15, 18 and 19.

Options: The contract includes extension options.

Renewal: The contract is anticipated to commence on 1st April 2026 and will continue for a period of four year(s) unless terminated or extended in accordance with the Contract terms. The initial term of the Contract is four years. This term is subject to any termination rights contained within the Contract. The contract terms include the potential for contract extension. The contract duration is four years, plus two optional two-year extensions.

Lot 7

Cornwall Council's Historical Community Network Areas 14,16 and 17.

Options: The contract includes extension options.

Renewal: The contract is anticipated to commence on 1st April 2026 and will continue for a period of four year(s) unless terminated or extended in accordance with the Contract terms. The initial term of the Contract is four years. This term is subject to any termination rights contained within the Contract. The contract terms include the potential for contract extension. The contract duration is four years, plus two optional two-year extensions.

Lot 8

Services to other UK destinations.

Options: The contract includes extension options.

Renewal: The contract is anticipated to commence on 1st April 2026 and will continue for a period of four year(s) unless terminated or extended in accordance with the Contract terms. The initial term of the Contract is four years. This term is subject to any termination rights contained within the Contract. The contract terms include the potential for contract extension. The contract duration is four years, plus two optional two-year extensions.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05ab69
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/070754-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

CPV Codes

33940000 - Cadaver transport and storage equipment and supplies

60100000 - Road transport services

60112000 - Public road transport services

60130000 - Special-purpose road passenger-transport services

60140000 - Non-scheduled passenger transport

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£3,000,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£3,000,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£375,000 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
£375,000 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
27 Jul 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
21 Dec 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
24 Nov 2025Expired
Award Date
14 Jan 20267 months ago
Contract Period
1 Apr 2026 - 31 Mar 2030 4-5 years
Recurrence
2033-09-05

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Cornwall 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
TRURO
Postcode
TR1 3AY
Postcode Area
Truro
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK3 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK30 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
Delivery Location
TLK3 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, TLK30 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly
Local Authority
Cornwall
Electoral Ward
Truro Boscawen & Redannick
Westminster Constituency
Truro and Falmouth

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
2
Supplier Names

Cornwall Funeral Services Ltd

The Arthur W Bryant Funeral Service Limited

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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