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501 Local Bus Service - Dumfries to Castle Douglas to Kirkcudbright

Dumfries and Galloway Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

20 Aug 2026 at 14:54

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Dumfries and Galloway Council procured the 501 local bus service linking Dumfries, Castle Douglas and Kirkcudbright. The requirement is passenger transport with a driver, covering the routes set out in the service specification. The work is delivered along the Dumfries–Castle Douglas–Kirkcudbright corridor in Dumfries and Galloway. This is a public bus operation rather than a general vehicle-hire requirement: relevant businesses are passenger transport operators, bus and coach companies, and suppliers able to run scheduled local services. The procurement relates to a modification of the original contract under Regulation 72 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015. Dumfries and Galloway Council is the buying organisation and regional or local authority.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded. It used a limited procedure without prior publication of a call for competition, described as an award procedure outside the scope of the directive. The requirement was evaluated on quality at 40% and price at 60%. McCalls Coaches Ltd was awarded the contract, with the contract signed on 8 June 2026. The active contract value is £819,000 excluding any stated tax treatment, in GBP. The process records one bid, which came from an SME, and one electronic bid. The published lot is marked cancelled, while the award and associated contract are recorded as active. The procurement is identified as a modification to the original contract rather than a new competitive call.

This award indicates established demand from Dumfries and Galloway Council for a scheduled local bus service on the Dumfries–Castle Douglas–Kirkcudbright corridor. A credible competitor for a future requirement would need the operational capability to provide passenger transport with drivers across the specified routes, maintain reliable scheduled services, and manage delivery across several towns. The evaluation gives quality greater importance than price, so evidence of service reliability, operational planning, passenger experience and effective route delivery would matter alongside competitive pricing. The incumbent is an SME coach operator, showing that the requirement can be delivered by a specialist small or medium-sized passenger transport business rather than only a large national transport group. Experience running local bus or coach services would be directly relevant.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

501 Local Bus Service - Dumfries to Castle Douglas to Kirkcudbright

Notice Description

Dumfries to Castle Douglas to Kirkcudbright 501 Local Bus Service

Lot Information

Lot 1

Provision of passenger transport with the specification for 501 covering routes. This is a modification to the original contract under Reg72.

Procurement Information

The Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06e8c7
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/079527-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

CPV Codes

60170000 - Hire of passenger transport vehicles with driver

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£819,000 £500K-£1M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
20 Aug 20266 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
8 Jun 20262 months ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Dumfries and Galloway 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
DUMFRIES
Postcode
DG1 2HP
Postcode Area
Dumfries and Galloway
Country
Scotland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLM Scotland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLM9 Southern Scotland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLM92 Dumfries and Galloway
Delivery Location
TLM92 Dumfries and Galloway
Local Authority
Dumfries and Galloway
Electoral Ward
Nith
Westminster Constituency
Dumfries and Galloway

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

McCalls Coaches Ltd

Further Information

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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