---
title: "Public Bus Service (Lot 5) MD678 Witheridge to Exeter"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-43c14a1e-5712-4bd7-9e67-32a3d2bc737e"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-43c14a1e-5712-4bd7-9e67-32a3d2bc737e"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-43c14a1e-5712-4bd7-9e67-32a3d2bc737e.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-43c14a1e-5712-4bd7-9e67-32a3d2bc737e.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Devon County Council"
published: "2026-09-11"
---

# Public Bus Service (Lot 5) MD678 Witheridge to Exeter

Buyer: Devon County Council  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-43c14a1e-5712-4bd7-9e67-32a3d2bc737e

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## Summary

Devon County Council procured a local bus service between Witheridge and Exeter, operating on Wednesdays except public holidays. The requirement covers the supply and provision of service 678, a passenger transport service delivered in the South West of England. It is a service contract for regular local bus operations rather than vehicle supply, construction or general transport consultancy. The buyer is Devon County Council, based in Exeter. The requirement was run as a mini-competition under the council’s Passenger Transport Dynamic Purchasing System, specifically its passenger transport arrangements. Businesses relevant to this opportunity are bus and coach operators able to provide scheduled local passenger services on the Witheridge–Exeter route, including the operational resources needed to maintain the Wednesday timetable and meet the council’s passenger transport contract conditions.

The procurement is complete and was awarded to MD Coaches on 27 July 2026. The awarded contract value is £130,440. The contract period runs from 2 September 2026 to 2 September 2034. It used a selective procurement method through a restricted procedure and was conducted as a mini-competition from Lot 5 of Devon County Council’s Passenger Transport Dynamic Purchasing System. The tender deadline was 27 July 2026 at 12:00. The recorded procurement category is services, with transport services as the classification. The contract covers one requirement: local bus service 678 between Witheridge and Exeter on Wednesdays, excluding public holidays. The opportunity was identified as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises. MD Coaches is the selected supplier.

For a supplier that did not win this procurement, the award demonstrates established demand from Devon County Council for scheduled local bus operations on a defined rural-to-city route. A credible competitor for a similar requirement would need to be a suitably organised bus or coach operator with the vehicles, drivers, scheduling capability and operational resilience to deliver a weekly public service reliably. Experience of local passenger transport, route planning, timetable management and working to public-sector passenger transport conditions would be relevant. The buyer’s use of a Passenger Transport Dynamic Purchasing System and a mini-competition indicates that operators qualified for the relevant purchasing arrangement can compete through a structured route. Small and medium-sized operators may be well placed where they can evidence dependable delivery and sufficient capacity for a long-term service commitment.

## Notice

This is a mini-competition from Lot 5 of the Devon County Council Passenger Transport Dynamic Purchasing System (CP1185-15) For the supply and provision of local bus service 678 operating between Witheridge to Exeter on Wednesday only (Except Public Holidays). The projected duration of the contract is eight years, however the Devon County Council (DCC) Passenger Transport Standard Conditions of Contract still apply, and therefore either the contractor or DCC can give notice as per the terms and conditions to terminate the contract at any time. MD678

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/f4f80486-48ee-4f33-b41f-dd9b5b6a144a |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Dynamic |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Restricted procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 11 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 27 Jul 2026 |
| Contract period | 2 Sep 2026 - 2 Sep 2034 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £130,440 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £130,440 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Devon County Council |
| Locality | EXETER |
| Postcode area | Exeter |
| Postcode | EX2 4QD |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK4 Devon |
| ITL 3 | TLK43 Devon CC |
| Local authority | Exeter |
| Electoral ward | Newtown and St Leonard's |
| Westminster constituency | Exeter |
| Delivery location | TLK South West (England) |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | MD Coaches |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

### Codes

- 60000000 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

## Release History

- 11 Sep 2026 at 11:50 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/f4f80486-48ee-4f33-b41f-dd9b5b6a144a

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/f4f80486-48ee-4f33-b41f-dd9b5b6a144a
  11th September 2026 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder

## Notice URLs

- https://www.devon.gov.uk

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-43c14a1e-5712-4bd7-9e67-32a3d2bc737e. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-43c14a1e-5712-4bd7-9e67-32a3d2bc737e.json.