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Passenger Transport Services 2026 - Route Based (1-8 Seat Provision)

West Northamptonshire Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

28 Jul 2026 at 16:42

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Summary of the contracting process

West Northamptonshire Council procured weekday, term-time passenger transport for one school route, using a vehicle suitable for one to eight passengers. The service runs between Tiffield Road, Caldecote, and Sponne School on Brackley Road, Towcester, with an outbound journey at 08:17 and a return journey at 15:05. The vehicle must be at Sponne School by 15:00 for the afternoon collection. The route covers approximately four contracted passenger miles per day. This is a local school transport service rather than general passenger transport: the supplier is responsible for providing the vehicle and operating the specified morning and afternoon journeys for the council’s education transport requirement. The council is based in Northampton and the service operates in the Caldecote and Towcester area.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded to Carlton Car Service Ltd. It used a below-threshold limited competition under the light-touch regime. The award was made on 28 July 2026 and the contract was signed the same day. The contract runs from 4 September 2026 to 23 July 2028, covering the stated school-term service period. Its value is £24,900 including gross value, and the council set a starting price for the competition. The award covers one route-based service. The selected supplier is based in Milton Keynes. The contract is recorded as active, while the tender is complete, so this procurement has produced an agreed supplier and operating arrangement rather than an opportunity to submit a bid.

This procurement shows recurring local demand for small-vehicle school transport from West Northamptonshire Council, with a requirement that can be delivered by a small or specialist passenger transport operator rather than a large fleet provider. A credible competitor for a future requirement would need an appropriate one- to eight-seat vehicle, dependable weekday morning and afternoon availability during school terms, and the operational discipline to meet fixed collection and school arrival times. Familiarity with short, route-based education transport around Caldecote, Towcester and Northamptonshire would be relevant, as would the capacity to provide consistent service throughout the school year. The awarded supplier is an SME, indicating that a focused local operator with suitable vehicle capacity and reliable scheduling can compete for this type of council work.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Passenger Transport Services 2026 - Route Based (1-8 Seat Provision)

Notice Description

Passenger Transport Services 2026 - Route Based (1-8 Seat Provision) : Contract No: RT33 Mondays to Fridays (Term time only) Service No: 537 Outbound 08:17 - Tiffield Rd, Caldecote, NN12 8AG 08:30 - Sponne School, Brackley Road, Towcester, Northants, NN12 6DJ Return 15:05 - Sponne School, Brackley Road, Towcester, Northants, NN12 6DJ 15:12 - Tiffield Rd, Caldecote, NN12 8AG The vehicle must be on site (pm) at Sponne School by 1500 Daily Contracted Passenger Miles: 4.0 miles **Please note WNC will be setting a start price on this contract**

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d5be
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/071414-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - limited competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

CPV Codes

60000000 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£24,900 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
28 Jul 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
4 Sep 2026 - 24 Jul 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
West Northamptonshire 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
NORTHAMPTON
Postcode
NN1 1ED
Postcode Area
Northampton
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLF East Midlands (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLF2 Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLF24 West Northamptonshire
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
West Northamptonshire
Electoral Ward
Castle
Westminster Constituency
Northampton North

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

CARLTON CAR SERVICE LTD

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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