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North Northamptonshire Council Bus Framework Mini-Competition CONTRACT PC2614

North Northamptonshire Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

08 Sep 2026 at 18:31

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

North Northamptonshire Council has procured bus and road transport services to strengthen rural accessibility in and around North Northamptonshire. The requirement covers scheduled services linking Oundle, Corby and Rushden Lakes, including routes CB1, CB2, CB5, CB14 and 601, with the 601 including a school journey. It also covers services linking Corby with Stamford, Rushden Lakes and Market Harborough through routes CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5 and CB6. The council is also considering regular weekday travel from Corby to Rushden Lakes, potentially using different routes. The work is for public passenger transport operations rather than vehicle supply or infrastructure. The stated intention was to award one contract for Lots 1 to 6 and another for Lots 7 to 14, although the recorded awards relate to Lot 1.

This procurement has reached the award stage following a competitive mini-competition under a framework, using a selective procedure. The tender is complete. BLAND'S (RUTLAND) LTD was awarded a contract worth £454,182.48 gross, and LAWSON'S OF CORBY LTD was awarded a separate contract worth £204,978 gross; both awards are recorded against Lot 1. Both contract periods run from 8 September 2026 to 3 September 2028, with an optional extension available to 2 September 2029. Both awards were dated 20 August 2026. The awards are recorded as active, with signature scheduled for 8 September 2026. The service category is road transport. The recorded tender value exceeds the applicable threshold for the first award but is below it for the second.

This outcome demonstrates demand for operators able to deliver scheduled rural bus services across North Northamptonshire and neighbouring parts of Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire and Leicestershire. A credible future competitor would need to plan and operate multiple routes, connect dispersed communities with destinations such as Corby, Oundle, Stamford, Rushden Lakes and Market Harborough, and accommodate education-related travel alongside public passenger journeys. The requirement also points to the importance of reviewing service viability and identifying operating efficiencies, including where a regular weekday journey may use alternative routing. The awards to two local small and medium-sized operators indicate that established regional bus businesses with practical local knowledge, suitable operating capacity and the ability to manage separate service packages can compete for this council’s rural transport requirements.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

North Northamptonshire Council Bus Framework Mini-Competition CONTRACT PC2614

Notice Description

North Northamptonshire Council (hereafter referred to as 'the Council') requires quotations for the operation of the following; Lots 1 to 6 These Lots are for the strengthening of rural accessibility through the provision of CB1, CB2, CB5, CB14 and 601 between Oundle, Corby and Rushden Lakes. In each case we are looking what savings are to be made by putting the school journey (601) and journeys to Rushden Lakes. We are also looking at the viability of a regular journey at 09:15 from Corby to Rushden Lakes every Mondays to Fridays, (although this could be via different routes). Lots 7 to 14 These Lots are for the strengthening of rural accessibility through the provision of CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5 and CB6 between Corby and Stamford, Rushden Lakes, Corby and Market Harborough. The Council envisages that there will be 2 contracts awarded as a result of this mini-competition; 1 Contract for Lots 1-6 and 1 Contract for Lots 7-14.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06f516
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085134-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Award under framework
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

CPV Codes

60100000 - Road transport services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£659,160 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
8 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
20 Aug 20263 weeks ago
Contract Period
8 Sep 2026 - 3 Sep 2028 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
North 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
CORBY
Postcode
NN17 1QG
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)
TLF25 North Northamptonshire
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
North Northamptonshire
Electoral Ward
Corby West
Westminster Constituency
Corby and East Northamptonshire

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
2
Supplier Names

Mark Bland Travel Ltd

Lawson's Of Corby Ltd

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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