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Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - School and Special Transport Open Framework

Bedford Borough Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

21 Aug 2026 at 14:44

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Bedford Borough Council plans to establish a School and Special Transport Open Framework for passenger transport services. It will replace the existing Passenger Transport Dynamic Purchasing System and support the Council’s statutory home-to-school travel duties for eligible compulsory school-age children, as well as locally eligible post-16 students. Services will also cover Adult and Children’s Social Care transport, including contact sessions, day services and respite provision. The requirement may involve passenger cars, taxis, public road transport, non-scheduled transport and special-purpose passenger transport, including cars with drivers (CPV 60130000 and related codes). Transport will serve requirements within Bedford Borough and the wider United Kingdom location recorded for the service.

This is a planning-stage preliminary market engagement exercise, not an invitation to tender. The Council expects to publish procurement documents in early September 2026, evaluate applications in October 2026, notify framework admission outcomes in November 2026, and award and commence the framework in November or December 2026. These are indicative expectations. The framework is intended to run from 1 December 2026 to 30 November 2029, with renewal permitted until 30 November 2030. The recorded procurement value is £0 (GBP). There is one planned lot, and the framework is expected to be run electronically through the ADAM eProcurement System. Providers may submit comments and clarification questions by email by 27 August 2026.

The planned framework should suit passenger transport operators able to provide safe, reliable and compliant services for children, young people, adults and other service users. Relevant businesses may include taxi firms, private-hire and chauffeur operators, minibus and other passenger vehicle providers, and organisations arranging specialist or non-scheduled road transport. The range of users and journey types is likely to favour suppliers with flexible vehicle fleets, suitable drivers and the capacity to meet varied route and individual passenger requirements, including social care transport. Small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community or social enterprises are identified as suitable participants. Admission would position approved providers to compete for future framework call-off requirements.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - School and Special Transport Open Framework

Notice Description

Bedford Borough Council has a statutory duty to provide free home to school travel for compulsory school-aged children who meet nationally prescribed eligibility criteria and for post-16 students who meet locally determined criteria. To fulfil this duty, the Council commissions transport services from external providers using a range of vehicle types to meet the diverse needs of routes and individual passengers. In addition, the School and Specialist Transport Team arranges transport for a range of Adult and Children's Social Care requirements, including contact sessions, day services, and respite provision. To support the efficient and compliant procurement of these services, the Council is establishing a new Open Framework to replace the existing Passenger Transport Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS). Bedford Borough Council is undertaking Preliminary Market Engagement in relation to the establishment of this new Open Framework for the provision of Home to School, Specialist Transport, and related passenger transport services. The Framework will replace the Council's existing Passenger Transport Dynamic Purchasing System and will be used to procure transport services for eligible children, young people, adults and other service users as required. The Council is publishing this notice to inform the market of the proposed procurement, provide an overview of the service requirements, and invite interested providers to engage with the opportunity. The procurement process is expected to be conducted electronically through the ADAM eProcurement System, with approved providers being eligible to participate in future call-off opportunities under the Open Framework. Indicative timescales are: Publication of procurement documents: Early September 2026 Evaluation of applications: October 2026 Notification of framework admission outcomes: November 2026 Framework award and commencement: November/ December 2026 These dates are indicative only and may be subject to change. This notice does not commence the procurement process and is intended solely to support market awareness and engagement ahead of the formal tender opportunity. Interested providers are encouraged to register their interest and participate in the forthcoming procurement opportunity when advertised.

Planning Information

Providers currently operating under the existing Passenger Transport DPS have been informed of the Council's intention to re-procure these services. This UK2 Preliminary Market Engagement Notice constitutes the Council's market engagement activity and is published to raise awareness of the forthcoming opportunity and provide all interested suppliers with an opportunity to submit comments and clarification questions. No further market engagement events are planned. Suppliers may submit comments and clarification questions via email to ian.fraser@bedford.gov.uk by the deadline stated in this notice. Responses may be shared with all interested suppliers to ensure transparency and equal access to information. Participation in this engagement is voluntary and will not be a condition of participation in any subsequent procurement process. The Council may use feedback received to inform the procurement strategy and tender documentation and reserves the right to amend its requirements and procurement approach accordingly.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06e9b8
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/079984-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Dynamic, Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

CPV Codes

34110000 - Passenger cars

60112000 - Public road transport services

60120000 - Taxi services

60130000 - Special-purpose road passenger-transport services

60140000 - Non-scheduled passenger transport

60171000 - Hire of passenger cars with driver

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
21 Aug 20265 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
4 Sep 20262 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Dec 2026 - 30 Nov 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Bedford Borough 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
BEDFORD
Postcode
MK42 9AP
Postcode Area
Milton Keynes
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLH East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLH2 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLH24 Bedford
Delivery Location
TLH24 Bedford
Local Authority
Bedford
Electoral Ward
Cauldwell
Westminster Constituency
Bedford

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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