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C024PA - Deceased Collection and Transport Service for Mid and South Essex

Essex County Council

This public procurement record has 5 releases in its history.

Award

26 Aug 2026 at 10:28

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

20 Jul 2026 at 12:14

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Tender

01 Jun 2026 at 11:59

UK4 - Tender Notice
Planning

13 Jan 2026 at 12:50

UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Planning

12 Jan 2026 at 16:21

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Essex County Council is procuring specialist deceased collection and transport services for the Essex Coroner Area, supporting its statutory coroner function across Essex, Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea. The requirement covers collecting deceased people following police requests, transporting them to an approved storage location, and maintaining secure custody and correct identification during transfer. The service is divided geographically across mid and south Essex: Castle Point, Rochford and Southend; Basildon and Thurrock; Brentwood, Chelmsford and Maldon; and south of Braintree. This is a funeral and related service requirement (CPV 98370000) delivered across those local authority areas. The buyer is Essex County Council, a sub-central public authority, and the procurement uses a framework agreement structure.

The procurement is complete and was awarded through an accelerated open procedure because of urgency. The tender deadline was 30 June 2026 at noon, the award period ended on 16 July 2026, and awards were made on 17 July 2026. Lot 1, Castle Point, Rochford and Southend, went to The Heartfelt Funeral Company Ltd for £385,000 net (£462,000 gross). The same supplier won Lot 2, Basildon and Thurrock, for £284,000 net (£340,800 gross), and Lot 3, Brentwood, Chelmsford and Maldon, for £317,000 net (£380,000 gross). Daniel Robinson & Sons Ltd won Lot 4, south of Braintree, for £114,000 net (£138,000 gross). Contracts were signed on 21 August 2026 for Lots 1–3 and 17 August 2026 for Lot 4. All run from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2031, with possible extension to 30 September 2034. Evaluation was 50% commercial, 45% technical and 5% social value; suppliers could bid for and win any number of lots.

This award demonstrates a recurring requirement for funeral directors or specialist deceased-transport providers able to serve defined Essex geographies at scale. Credible competitors would need a 24-hour, 365-day operation, vehicles and facilities capable of responding to police requests, and reliable arrangements for secure storage and handover. The service standard requires attendance at the scene within 60 minutes of a collection request and delivery to the storage location within three hours of that request. Providers must maintain chain-of-custody security, prevent unauthorised access, and label each deceased person with at least three identification points, including a unique identifier. The opportunity was suitable for SMEs, and competition included several small businesses, so regional operators with robust operational coverage and evidence of compliant handling would be well placed when this requirement next returns to market.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

C024PA - Deceased Collection and Transport Service for Mid and South Essex

Notice Description

Essex County Council (ECC) is responsible for delivering the Coroner Service for the Essex Coroner Area, which includes the administrative areas of Essex County Council and the unitary authorities of Thurrock Council and Southend-on-Sea City Council. As part of this statutory function, ECC contracts specialist providers to deliver deceased collection and transport services within the county which is split into 5 geographical service areas. Following tender evaluation and contract award, the Authority has contracted suppliers for the provision for deceased collection and transport services for mid and south Essex service areas covering Brentwood, Chelmsford, Maldon, Basildon, Thurrock, Castle Point, Rochford, Southend, and South of Braintree

Lot Information

Castle Point, Rochford, & Southend

Renewal: The Authority may at its discretion offer to extend the Contract Term by such period as it may specify in written notice given not less than three (3) months prior to the expiry of the Contract Term.

Basildon and Thurrock

Renewal: The Authority may at its discretion offer to extend the Contract Term by such period as it may specify in written notice given not less than three (3) months prior to the expiry of the Contract Term.

Brentwood, Chelmsford and Maldon

Renewal: The Authority may at its discretion offer to extend the Contract Term by such period as it may specify in written notice given not less than three (3) months prior to the expiry of the Contract Term.

South of Braintree

Renewal: The Authority may at its discretion offer to extend the Contract Term by such period as it may specify in written notice given not less than three (3) months prior to the expiry of the Contract Term.

Planning Information

The Authority intends to hold one-to-one online meetings with interested suppliers to assess the viability and practicality of an opportunity of this nature, with a focus on achieving a quick turnaround procurement process. Please note that this event is both strategic and operational in nature, therefore, it is recommended that Directors/Decision makers attend. Online meeting slots of 30 minutes will be available between 10:00 am and 1:30 pm on Thursday, 15 January 2025. Suppliers wishing to participate can book a slot by emailing their company name, attendee contact details, and preferred time slot to benedict.itoyah@essex.gov.uk. Bookings will be accepted from now until 3:00 pm on 14 January 2025.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-060405
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/081110-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
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
£1,100,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£1,100,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
£1,100,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
£1,100,000 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
26 Aug 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
30 Jun 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
2 Feb 2026Expired
Award Date
17 Jul 20262 months ago
Contract Period
1 Oct 2026 - 30 Sep 2031 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Essex 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
CHELMSFORD
Postcode
CM1 1QH
Postcode Area
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
TLH31 Southend-on-Sea, TLH32 Thurrock, TLH34 Essex Haven Gateway, TLH35 West Essex, TLH36 Heart of Essex, TLH37 Essex Thames Gateway
Local Authority
Chelmsford
Electoral Ward
Moulsham and Central
Westminster Constituency
Chelmsford

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
2
Supplier Names

THE HEARTFELT FUNERAL COMPANY LTD.

Daniel Robinson & Sons

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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