--- title: "QIP947 0900 2026-08-20 Leiston - Apex education, Ipswich (4-seated vehicle and a PA required) - AWARD" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-bba549cd-539e-4616-a5d3-c214faae75bb" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-bba549cd-539e-4616-a5d3-c214faae75bb" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-bba549cd-539e-4616-a5d3-c214faae75bb.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-bba549cd-539e-4616-a5d3-c214faae75bb.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Award" buyer: "Suffolk County Council Passenger Transport" published: "2026-08-21" --- # QIP947 0900 2026-08-20 Leiston - Apex education, Ipswich (4-seated vehicle and a PA required) - AWARD Buyer: Suffolk County Council Passenger Transport Current stage: Award OCID: ocds-b5fd17-bba549cd-539e-4616-a5d3-c214faae75bb [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-bba549cd-539e-4616-a5d3-c214faae75bb) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-bba549cd-539e-4616-a5d3-c214faae75bb.json) ## Summary Suffolk County Council Passenger Transport procured passenger transport services for the journey identified as QIP947: Leiston to Apex Education in Ipswich. The requirement is for a four-seated vehicle and a passenger assistant (PA), indicating transport for a small number of passengers with supervised support. The main work category is passenger transport services (CPV 60000000). Delivery is associated with Ipswich, including the IP1 2BX area, and the wider requirement identifies Leiston as the starting location. This is a council transport service rather than the supply of vehicles alone, so relevant businesses are operators able to provide both the vehicle and the required passenger-assistance service. The buying organisation is Suffolk County Council Passenger Transport. The procurement is complete and has been awarded following a mini-competition under the Dynamic Purchasing System for the supply of Passenger Transport Services. The submission deadline was 20 August 2026 at 09:00, with clarification questions due by 19 August 2026 at 09:00. Universal Cabs Ltd was awarded the contract on 21 August 2026 for £48,564. The awarded contract period runs from 1 September 2026 to 31 July 2028. The tender record describes the requirement as a service and indicates that it was not suitable for SMEs or voluntary, community and social enterprises. The award is active and relates to the complete tender rather than separate published lots. The recorded tender status is complete. This award shows that Suffolk County Council buys small-scale, scheduled passenger transport combining a four-seated vehicle with a passenger assistant, delivered between Leiston and Ipswich. A credible future competitor would therefore need dependable passenger transport operations, access to a suitable four-seat vehicle, and the staffing capacity to provide a PA alongside the driver or vehicle service. Experience handling education-related journeys and providing safe, supervised travel would be directly relevant to this requirement. Suppliers should also be able to operate through a Dynamic Purchasing System mini-competition, respond to its tendering and clarification processes, and demonstrate reliable service delivery over a multi-year contract. The buyer’s indication that the opportunity was not suitable for SMEs or VCSEs points towards established operators with sufficient operational resilience. ## 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. QIP947 0900 2026-08-20 Leiston - Apex education, Ipswich (4-seated vehicle and a PA required) 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 2026-08-20. Please note late returns will NOT be permitted. The deadline for clarification questions is 0900 2026-08-19 which must be generated via the correspondence option on the website. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/ff030579-d6a1-48a4-866e-688c9bf7022d | | 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 | 21 Aug 2026 | | Submission deadline | 20 Aug 2026 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | 21 Aug 2026 | | Contract period | 1 Sep 2026 - 31 Jul 2028 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | £48,564 | | 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 Passenger Transport | | 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 | Universal Cabs Ltd | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport) ### Codes - 60000000 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport) ## Release History - 21 Aug 2026 at 12:11 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/ff030579-d6a1-48a4-866e-688c9bf7022d ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/ff030579-d6a1-48a4-866e-688c9bf7022d 21st August 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-bba549cd-539e-4616-a5d3-c214faae75bb. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-bba549cd-539e-4616-a5d3-c214faae75bb.json.