Award

Ask AI about this notice

Summarise, research or assess it with AI

View Markdown

Share this notice

Send this contract to a colleague

Provision of Local Bus Transport for Students to New College Durham

New College Durham

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

15 Oct 2026 at 14:08

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

15 Oct 2026 at 12:59

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

New College Durham bought local bus transport for students travelling from surrounding areas to its college sites in County Durham. The service is intended to connect students across the catchment area with college, using frequent buses throughout college hours to accommodate flexible timetables, with coverage on all routes every 15 minutes. It also requires numerous pick-up and drop-off points, affordable fares, and digital ticketing through a mobile app or travel card, including facilities to book and monitor journeys. This is a passenger transport service rather than a one-off vehicle purchase: delivery depends on operating scheduled routes and serving students across the surrounding area. The buying organisation is New College Durham, and the service is delivered across County Durham.

The procurement is complete and was awarded by direct award without competition. The stated basis was that only Go North East and Arriva could provide the full route coverage, available fleet, operational readiness, flexible scheduling, student fares and digital ticketing required. The award date was 15 October 2026. Arriva Durham County Limited was awarded £650,000 and Go North East Limited was awarded £711,845; both awards cover the same service period, from 3 November 2026 to 2 August 2027. The opportunity was arranged as one lot, with the service required for nine months. The process rationale cites the Procurement Act 2023 and a market assessment finding no viable alternative operator able to meet the combined coverage, frequency, affordability and technology requirements.

For a future requirement of this kind, a credible operator would need to demonstrate comprehensive scheduled route coverage across the areas from which New College Durham students travel, rather than capacity on a small number of isolated routes. The buyer’s stated requirements point to an established local network, sufficient buses and scheduling capacity to run frequent services throughout college hours and adapt to varied timetables. Suppliers would also need to offer many accessible boarding and drop-off points, affordable student fares supported by suitable fare structures or concessionary schemes, and working digital ticketing through an app or travel card, including journey booking and monitoring. The award to two established regional bus operators shows that substantial operating capability and a network able to serve the full catchment were central to this requirement.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Provision of Local Bus Transport for Students to New College Durham

Notice Description

The contracting authority has awarded a contract for the provision of local bus transport services to facilitate the travel of students from all surrounding areas to New College Durham sites within County Durham. The service must provide: * Frequent services to accommodate flexible college hours, recognising that students do not always travel within traditional core times. (covering all routes during college hours every 15 minutes) * Numerous pick-up and drop-off locations across the surrounding areas to ensure accessibility for all students. * Affordable transport solutions, taking into account the financial pressures on students and families. * Modern ticketing options, including the use of a mobile app or travel card, to allow easy access, booking, and monitoring of journeys. The service is required for a period of nine (9) months, commencing asap.

Procurement Information

This contract is being directly awarded without competition under the relevant provisions of the Procurement Act 2023 on the grounds that only Go North East & Arriva has the operational capability, fleet availability, established network, and route coverage necessary to deliver the required services in full. Key reasons include: * Exclusive Coverage: Go North East & Arriva are the sole operator with an existing network of scheduled and supported services covering all surrounding areas of County Durham required for student transport. * Operational Readiness: The provider already operates buses on the required routes and can mobilise immediately without the need for additional infrastructure or licensing. * Service Flexibility: Go North East & Arriva have the fleet and scheduling capacity to deliver services across a broad range of hours, matching the flexible nature of college timetables. * Accessibility: The operator can provide numerous pick-up and drop-off points to match the college's requirements. * Affordable Travel: Go North East & Arriva are uniquely positioned to deliver services at affordable student rates through its established fare structures and concessionary schemes. * Digital Ticketing: The provider already offers modern travel solutions including mobile apps and travel cards, which are necessary for student convenience and efficient service management. * No Viable Alternative: Market assessment confirmed that no other local operator can provide comprehensive coverage across the catchment area while meeting the frequency, affordability, and technology requirements.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-07887f
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/097509-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award 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

60000000 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£1,361,845 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
15 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
15 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Contract Period
3 Nov 2026 - 2 Aug 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
New College Durham
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
DURHAM
Postcode
DH1 5ES
Postcode Area
Durham
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLC North East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLC41 Durham
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
County Durham
Electoral Ward
Framwellgate & Newton Hall
Westminster Constituency
City of Durham

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
2
Supplier Names

Arriva Durham County Limited

Go North East

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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.

Loading OCDS record...