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Postal Services

Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

04 Aug 2026 at 18:16

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

17 Jul 2026 at 18:59

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

19 Jun 2026 at 17:40

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales procured national postal services for South Wales Police. The requirement covers collection, sorting and delivery of letters and parcels, including ticket office mail, across all UK addresses. It also includes Recorded Delivery, Special Delivery, bulk mail and business mail services. The work supports operational correspondence from South Wales Police, including court documentation, legal notices and sensitive communications. The main category is postal and courier services. Delivery covers South Wales and the wider United Kingdom, with nationwide coverage required. The buyer is a public authority based in Bridgend, and the service is intended to provide secure, reliable and legally compliant handling of official post, including proof of delivery and evidentially compliant processes.

This completed procurement used a direct award under the light-touch regime, justified by Royal Mail’s statutory Universal Service Obligation and the absence of a comparable end-to-end national letter service. The contract was awarded to Royal Mail Group Limited on 17 July 2026 for £1,754,000 gross. The contract was signed on 31 July 2026 and runs from 1 August 2026 to 30 June 2028. The award and contract are active. Evaluation was based on the single-supplier technical reason that Royal Mail is the only UK provider required to deliver letters nationwide six days a week at uniform and affordable prices. The procurement comprised one completed lot and was above the relevant threshold.

This requirement demonstrates sustained public-sector demand for a nationwide postal operator able to cover every UK address, rather than a regional courier service. A credible competitor for comparable work would need dependable collection, sorting and delivery infrastructure for letters, parcels, bulk mail and business mail, with capacity to handle official correspondence at scale. Relevant capability includes Recorded and Special Delivery, secure handling, proof of delivery and processes that support court documents, legal notices and sensitive communications. Suppliers would also need to demonstrate legal compliance, operational continuity and evidential standards. The buyer’s rationale shows that broad end-to-end coverage and a statutory or equivalent ability to provide universal letter delivery are central to competing for this type of requirement.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Postal Services

Notice Description

Provision of national postal services, including from South Wales Police * Collection, sorting and delivery of letters and parcels including the ticket office mail. * Recorded / Special Delivery services * Bulk mail / business mail services * Coverage across all UK addresses

Procurement Information

The proposed direct award to Royal Mail Group Ltd is justified on the following grounds: 1.Universal Service Obligation (USO) *Royal Mail is the only provider in the UK with a statutory Universal Service Obligation. *It is legally required to deliver letters to every UK address, six days per week, at a uniform and affordable price. *This ensures guaranteed nationwide coverage that alternative providers cannot match. 2.Absence of Comparable Competition *While other courier providers exist they: Do not provide full national letter delivery services Rely partially on Royal Mail infrastructure for final delivery ("last mile") No alternative supplier can independently deliver a fully compliant, end-to-end postal service across all required service types. 3 . Operational Necessity and Continuity *South WalesPolice require a reliable, secure, and legally compliant postal service for: oCourt documentation oLegal notices oSensitive correspondence *Royal Mail provides established processes for: oSecure handling oProof of delivery oCompliance with evidential standards

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06b98f
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073909-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

64 - Postal and telecommunications services

CPV Codes

64100000 - Post and courier services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£1,754,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
£1,754,000 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
4 Aug 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
19 Jun 20262 months ago
Contract Period
1 Aug 2026 - 30 Jun 2028 1-2 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
Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
BRIDGEND
Postcode
CF31 3SU
Postcode Area
Cardiff
Country
Wales
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLL Wales
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLL5 South East Wales
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLL51 Central Valleys and Bridgend
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Bridgend
Electoral Ward
Brackla East and Coychurch Lower
Westminster Constituency
Bridgend

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

ROYAL MAIL GROUP LIMITED

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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