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Lewis and Harris School and Public Bus Service 2026-31

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

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 requirement covers routes throughout both islands and is a public road transport service. It is arranged as one requirement covering delivery of school transport and public bus services throughout Lewis and Harris, serving school users and the wider public. The buying organisation is Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, the local authority based in Stornoway. The relevant service category is public road transport services (CPV 60112000). The requirement concerns the operation of bus routes rather than the supply of vehicles or a standalone transport consultancy service, so it is most relevant to passenger transport operators with the ability to provide scheduled and school services across the islands.

This procurement has been awarded and the tender is complete. Comhairle nan Eilean Siar used a limited negotiated procedure without publication of a contract notice, after an earlier open procurement was abandoned because the tenders received could not meet its needs. The award was made to Lochs Motor Transport Ltd, and the contract is active. The contract was signed on 10 September 2026 and has a value of £20,000,000. The requirement is for a five-year period. There was one lot covering school and public bus services throughout Lewis and Harris. The stated rationale relied on the absence of suitable tenders or participation requests in the earlier open procedure. The procurement was covered by the Government Procurement Agreement.

This award shows sustained local-authority demand for an integrated school and public bus operation across Lewis and Harris at substantial scale. A future competitor would need to operate passenger transport services across the islands, cover routes throughout the area and meet both school-transport and public-service requirements. Credibility would depend on demonstrable operational capacity: the ability to run a sizeable network reliably, coordinate services for different passenger groups and maintain continuity across a geographically dispersed island area. The selected supplier is recorded as an SME, showing that the requirement can be delivered by a suitably capable smaller operator rather than only by a national transport group. Businesses assessing a future opportunity should therefore focus on proven local route operations, dependable fleet and driver capacity, and experience delivering contracted school and public bus services for a local authority.

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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 intends to award this contract 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

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/086429-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Negotiated without publication of a contract notice
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
£20,000,000 £10M-£100M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
11 Sep 20264 days 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
Not Specified
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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