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Lewis and Harris School and Public Bus Service 2026-31

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

29 Sep 2026 at 08:42

Award Notice
Award

11 Sep 2026 at 13:54

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar procured school and public bus services across Lewis and Harris in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The work covers bus routes throughout both islands and combines transport for pupils with services for the public. The buying organisation is the local authority Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, based in Stornoway. This is passenger road transport, rather than a purchase of vehicles or transport infrastructure. The requirement is presented as one service covering the two islands, with delivery across Lewis and Harris. The contract is for the provision of these services over a five-year period.

The procurement is complete: Comhairle nan Eilean Siar selected Lochs Motor Transport Limited and entered into contracts. The authority first ran an open procedure, advertised on 6 August 2026, but abandoned it because none of the tenders met its stated needs. It then used a negotiated procedure without prior publication. Two active contract entries name the same supplier for the requirement: one is valued at £20,000,000 and was signed on 10 September 2026; the other is valued at £20,085,000 and was signed on 22 September 2026. These figures are reported separately. The stated service period is five years. The original single lot was assessed on quality and price, weighted 10% and 90% respectively.

For transport operators, this award demonstrates demand from Comhairle nan Eilean Siar for a substantial, multi-year service combining school journeys and public bus routes across Lewis and Harris. A credible competitor would need to show it can organise and deliver passenger bus services throughout both islands, meeting the authority’s requirements for both pupil and public transport. The previous open competition was abandoned because no tender was considered capable of meeting those requirements; future competitors would therefore need to address the specification closely, rather than rely on a low price alone. The recorded evaluation placed most weight on price, while also scoring quality. The selected supplier was Lochs Motor Transport Limited, recorded as an SME.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Lewis and Harris School and Public Bus Service 2026-31

Notice Description

This requirement is for school and public bus services in Lewis and Harris, na h-Eileanan an Iar (the Outer Hebrides), Scotland, United Kingdom for a five year period.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Delivery of school and Public Bus Services throughout Lewis and Harris

Procurement Information

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar has awarded this contract for the provision of Lewis and Harris School and Public Bus Services using the negotiated procedure without prior publication under the conditions of regulation 33(1)(a) of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 (the "Regulations"). The Comhairle previously conducted a procurement under the open procedure for the provision of services to which this contract relates, which was advertised in terms of contract notice AUG561826 dated 6 August 2026 (the "Procurement"). The Comhairle decided to abandon the Procurement on the basis that none of the tenders received was capable of meeting the Comhairle's needs and requirements as specified in the procurement documents relative to the Procurement. The Comhairle subsequently published a voluntary ex ante transparency notice in respect of its intention to award this contract to Lochs Motor Transport Limited pursuant to regulation 33(1)(a) of the Regulations and allowed a period of at least 10 days to elapse between the date of publication of that notice and the date on which it entered into the contract. The Comhairle has now awarded and entered into the contract

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06f81d
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/091639-2026
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

60112000 - Public road transport services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£40,085,000 £10M-£100M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
29 Sep 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
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
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
STORNOWAY
Postcode
HS1 2BW
Postcode Area
Outer Hebrides
Country
Scotland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLM Scotland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLM2 Highlands and Islands
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLM20 Highlands and Islands
Delivery Location
TLM64 Na h-Eileanan Siar
Local Authority
Na h-Eileanan Siar
Electoral Ward
Steòrnabhagh a Deas
Westminster Constituency
Na h-Eileanan an Iar

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

LOCHS MOTOR TRANSPORT 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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