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SEND Home to School/College Transport.

London Borough of Croydon

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

16 Oct 2026 at 09:40

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The London Borough of Croydon is planning an open framework for home-to-school and college transport for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), as well as adult passenger transport. Services are expected to include taxis, multi-purpose vehicles and wheelchair-accessible vehicles; minibuses and coaches; passenger assistants; and ad hoc or contingency transport. The services are for users, families and schools in Croydon, within the London Borough of Croydon. The council is consulting the market to shape the future service model and framework, with the stated aim of supporting safe, reliable, high-quality transport that offers value for money.

This is the planning and market-engagement stage, not an invitation to tender. The council is seeking provider feedback through a voluntary questionnaire to understand market capacity, capability, innovation, readiness and barriers to participation, and to inform its procurement strategy and future contract arrangements. The council expects the framework to commence in September 2027; the stated contract period runs from 1 September 2027 to 31 August 2035. The estimated value is £213 million excluding VAT (£255.6 million including VAT). Providers were asked to submit the questionnaire by 5pm on 5 November 2026 through the Croydon e-Procurement Portal. A future notice is anticipated in February 2027. Engagement does not commit either party to a later procurement.

The council is seeking input from a broad range of providers, including taxi operators, minibus providers, community transport organisations and specialist transport suppliers. The work may suit businesses able to provide passenger transport for children and young people with SEND and adult passengers, using suitable vehicles and, where relevant, wheelchair-accessible transport. Providers able to supply passenger assistants, cover ad hoc and contingency journeys, and contribute to safe, reliable and high-quality services are also relevant to the scope. The council is interested in suppliers’ capacity, capability, innovative approaches, market readiness and views on barriers to participation. Small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community and social enterprises are identified as suitable. The engagement offers a chance to inform the planned framework; it does not confer an advantage in any future competition.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

SEND Home to School/College Transport.

Notice Description

SEND Home to School/College Transport. The procurement covers the provision of SEN home-to-school/college and adult passenger transport services, including: Taxi, MPV and wheelchair-accessible vehicles Minibus and coach services Passenger Assistants Ad hoc and contingency provision Pre Engagement Marketing Questionnaire for SEND Home to School/College Transport. The Council is currently exploring options for the procurement of a new Open Framework for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) transport services, with a planned commencement date of September 2027. The purpose of this questionnaire is to understand the capacity, capability, innovation, and views of the market to help shape the future procurement approach. We are keen to engage with a broad range of providers, including taxi operators, minibus providers, community transport organisations, and specialist transport suppliers, to ensure the framework supports the delivery of safe, reliable, high-quality, and value-for-money transport services for children and young people with SEND. Your feedback will help the Council assess market readiness, identify opportunities to improve outcomes for service users, understand potential barriers to participation, and inform the design of the framework and future contract arrangements. Participation in this exercise is voluntary and does not commit either the Council or any provider to a future procurement process. Any information provided will be used solely to inform our planning and procurement strategy. We welcome open and constructive feedback and appreciate your contribution in helping us develop a sustainable and effective SEND transport model that meets the needs of children, young people, families, schools, and providers. This pre-market engagement is being carried out in accordance with the Procurement Act rules on Pre-Market Engagement (including Regulation 16). Disclaimer The information in this document is solely for the purposes of a soft market testing exercise, and no representation, warranty, or undertaking is given by the Council as to its accuracy or completeness, and the Council accepts no liability in relation to it. The Council reserves the right to, at its discretion: (a) to change this document and/or the process for the soft market testing exercise, (b) to proceed or not with a subsequent procurement. Any subsequent procurement will be separate. Neither participation (or otherwise) in this exercise nor any information supplied will advantage or disadvantage any person in such procurement. No expense in responding to soft market testing will be reimbursed by the Council. The Council will not treat as confidential any information submitted in response to the Exercise, and respondents should note that the Council is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and may be obliged to disclose responses under that Act. Please submit your completed questionnaire by 05th November at 5pm via the Council's procurement portal - The Council is using the Croydon e-Procurement Portal (https://in-tendhost.co.uk/croydontenders/) Providers should express an interest in this opportunity - and will then be able to upload their soft market testing response on the Croydon e-Procurement Portal

Planning Information

Please register on the Croydon Tenders Portal and submit the questionnaire

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-078915
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/097735-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

CPV Codes

60100000 - Road transport services

60112000 - Public road transport services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£213,000,000 £100M-£1B
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
16 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
1 Feb 20274 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Sep 2027 - 31 Aug 2035 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
London Borough of Croydon
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
CROYDON
Postcode
CR0 1EA
Postcode Area
Croydon
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI6 Outer London - South
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI62 Croydon
Delivery Location
TLI62 Croydon
Local Authority
Croydon
Electoral Ward
Fairfield
Westminster Constituency
Croydon West

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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