--- title: "QOC731 2026-09-07 (0900) Lowestoft - The Clare School, Norwich (4 seats and a PA) - AWARD" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-4c07d090-da15-4ec6-a0db-097a8cd6aef1" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-4c07d090-da15-4ec6-a0db-097a8cd6aef1" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-4c07d090-da15-4ec6-a0db-097a8cd6aef1.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-4c07d090-da15-4ec6-a0db-097a8cd6aef1.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Award" buyer: "Suffolk County Council" published: "2026-09-08" --- # QOC731 2026-09-07 (0900) Lowestoft - The Clare School, Norwich (4 seats and a PA) - AWARD Buyer: Suffolk County Council Current stage: Award OCID: ocds-b5fd17-4c07d090-da15-4ec6-a0db-097a8cd6aef1 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-4c07d090-da15-4ec6-a0db-097a8cd6aef1) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-4c07d090-da15-4ec6-a0db-097a8cd6aef1.json) ## Summary Suffolk County Council Passenger Transport procured passenger transport services for The Clare School in Norwich. The requirement is a dedicated route from Lowestoft to the school, providing four passenger seats and a passenger assistant (PA). This is a student transport service rather than general freight or public bus operation. The buying organisation is Suffolk County Council Passenger Transport, based in Ipswich, Suffolk. The stated service category is transport services, excluding waste transport (CPV 60000000). The delivery information identifies the United Kingdom and the council’s Ipswich address; the route description identifies Lowestoft and Norwich as the operational locations. Businesses suited to this opportunity are specialist passenger transport providers able to support school travel and passenger-assistance requirements. This procurement has been awarded following a mini-competition under the Dynamic Purchasing System for the supply of passenger transport services. Rainbows Transport was selected for an award of £292,068. The award date was 8 September 2026, and the awarded contract runs from 10 September 2026 to 31 August 2031. The council reserved the right to extend the contract until 31 July 2033. The original submission deadline was 7 September 2026 at 09:00, with clarification questions due by 4 September 2026 at 09:00. The tender was recorded as complete and the award as active. The requirement was treated as a services procurement and was not identified as suitable for SMEs or voluntary, community and social enterprises. Although this contract has been awarded, it gives passenger transport businesses a clear example of the council’s demand for contracted school travel. A credible future supplier would need to operate reliable passenger transport between Lowestoft and Norwich, provide at least four passenger places, and supply a passenger assistant as part of the service. Relevant capability includes safeguarding-conscious school transport, dependable daily operations, suitable vehicles, trained drivers and passenger-assistance staff, route planning, and the capacity to maintain continuity over a multi-year service. The buying route is also important: businesses would need to understand and qualify for the council’s passenger transport Dynamic Purchasing System before competing for similar requirements. The recorded scale and council assessment point towards an established operator with sufficient operational capacity rather than a small informal provider. ## Notice Suffolk County Council is seeking a mini competition against the following Dynamic Purchasing System: 'The supply of Passenger Transport Services', OJEU Notice Id: 2018/S 031-067685. QOC731 2026-09-07 (0900) Lowestoft - The Clare School, Norwich (4 seats and a PA) Further details can be found in the 'Tenders / My Tenders' area of this website, by selecting the 'View Details' button for this project. The deadline for returned submissions is 0900 on 07/09/2026. Please note late returns will NOT be permitted. The deadline for clarification questions is 0900 on 04/09/2026 which must be generated via the correspondence option on the website. The council reserves the right to extend this contract up until 31/07/2033. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/9db16ca3-17bf-4f39-a53a-74b10dbf6e18 | | Notice type | Award Notice | | Procurement type | Dynamic | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Not Specified | | Procurement method details | Not specified | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Award | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 8 Sep 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | 8 Sep 2026 | | Contract period | 10 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2031 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | £292,068 | | 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 | Suffolk County Council | | Locality | SUFFOLK | | Postcode area | Ipswich | | Postcode | IP1 2BX | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLH East (England) | | ITL 2 | TLH6 Suffolk | | ITL 3 | TLH62 Ipswich | | Local authority | Ipswich | | Electoral ward | Gipping | | Westminster constituency | Ipswich | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## Supplier | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Number of suppliers | 1 | | Supplier names | Rainbows Transport | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport) ### Codes - 60000000 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport) ## Release History - 8 Sep 2026 at 10:12 - AwardUpdate - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/9db16ca3-17bf-4f39-a53a-74b10dbf6e18 - 8 Sep 2026 at 10:12 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/9db16ca3-17bf-4f39-a53a-74b10dbf6e18 ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/9db16ca3-17bf-4f39-a53a-74b10dbf6e18 8th September 2026 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder ## Notice URLs - https://www.suffolk.gov.uk/business/tenders-and-supplying-us ## 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-b5fd17-4c07d090-da15-4ec6-a0db-097a8cd6aef1. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-4c07d090-da15-4ec6-a0db-097a8cd6aef1.json.