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De Minimis Agreements to the 68 Bus Route within Bedford Borough

Bedford Borough Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

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08 Sep 2026 at 14:25

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Bedford Borough Council is procuring public road transport services for the 68 bus route in Bedford, operated by Grant Palmer Ltd. The requirement covers four service enhancements: extending the route to Wilkinson Road; increasing peak-time frequency in Stewartby; providing Stewartby weekend peak services; and serving Stewartby Broadmead Road. The agreements are intended to enhance the existing registered bus service and respond to local transport needs. Delivery is centred on Bedford, with specific service activity in Stewartby and at Wilkinson Road and Stewartby Broadmead Road. This is a passenger transport operation rather than a vehicle supply, construction or consultancy requirement, and is relevant to bus operators and transport providers able to deliver scheduled local bus services.

The procurement is complete and was awarded by direct award to Grant Palmer Ltd. The council used a de minimis agreement because the requirement enhances an existing registered bus route and was considered impossible to tender. The award date was 8 September 2026. The awarded value is £298,710 including tax, for one lot. The contract period runs from 3 October 2026 to 2 October 2027, with the agreement scheduled for signature by 2 October 2026. The four agreements are subject to periodic review using passenger data, assessment of the service’s social necessity and available budget. The selected supplier is Grant Palmer Ltd, based in Flitwick. The procurement’s stated category is public road transport services.

For a future requirement of this kind, credible suppliers would need to operate scheduled local bus services and have the operational capacity to enhance an existing registered route across Bedford and Stewartby. The award demonstrates demand for targeted route extensions, additional peak-time frequency and weekend peak provision, rather than a wholly new network. Relevant capability includes planning and running reliable passenger services, adapting timetables and routes, and managing delivery across several linked service changes. Suppliers should also be able to provide passenger data for periodic performance and service-need reviews, and show that they can work within public-sector budget constraints. Existing local route knowledge and the ability to support socially necessary transport would strengthen a competing operator’s position when this type of requirement next reaches the market.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

De Minimis Agreements to the 68 Bus Route within Bedford Borough

Notice Description

Bedford Borough Council intends to award deminimus agreements to the 68 bus route operated by Grant Palmer in Bedford. There are 4 agreements in place for the 68 service provided by Grant Palmer, which are the following - Enhancement of the service to include Wilkinson Road, increased frequency of peak time services in Stewartby, Stewartby weekend peak services and Stewartby Broadmead Road. Agreements will be made for a period of 1 year, subject to periodic review following analysis of passenger data, social necessity of the service and available budget.

Procurement Information

De minimis agreements to enhance existing registered bus route, therefore impossible to tender.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06f4aa
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/084944-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency 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

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

CPV Codes

60112000 - Public road transport services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£298,710 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
8 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
3 Oct 2026 - 2 Oct 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Pending
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
Not specified
Local Authority
Bedford
Electoral Ward
Cauldwell
Westminster Constituency
Bedford

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Grant Palmer Ltd

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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