--- title: "SC721 2026-08-03 09.00 Polstead to Thomas Gainsborough School, Great Cornard. Sudbury - AWARD" ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-d9fbb5b4-1473-4624-a310-d64db10fffb0" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-d9fbb5b4-1473-4624-a310-d64db10fffb0" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-d9fbb5b4-1473-4624-a310-d64db10fffb0.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-d9fbb5b4-1473-4624-a310-d64db10fffb0.json" source: "Contracts Finder" current_stage: "Award" buyer: "Suffolk County Council Passenger Transport" published: "2026-08-13" --- # SC721 2026-08-03 09.00 Polstead to Thomas Gainsborough School, Great Cornard. Sudbury - AWARD Buyer: Suffolk County Council Passenger Transport Current stage: Award OCID: ocds-b5fd17-d9fbb5b4-1473-4624-a310-d64db10fffb0 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-d9fbb5b4-1473-4624-a310-d64db10fffb0) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-d9fbb5b4-1473-4624-a310-d64db10fffb0.json) ## Summary Suffolk County Council Passenger Transport procured passenger transport services for a scheduled school route from Polstead to Thomas Gainsborough School in Great Cornard, near Sudbury. The requirement sits within the wider supply of passenger transport services and is classified as transport services excluding waste transport. The work is a service rather than a goods or construction contract, involving transport associated with school travel. The buyer is Suffolk County Council Passenger Transport, based in Ipswich, Suffolk. The stated delivery address is linked to Ipswich, while the route itself serves Polstead, Great Cornard and the Sudbury area. This is a single route requirement rather than a multi-lot procurement, and the council’s stated contract scope includes the right to extend the arrangement. This procurement has been awarded and the tender is complete. Suffolk County Council Passenger Transport ran a mini-competition under its Dynamic Purchasing System for the supply of passenger transport services. The award was made on 3 August 2026 to GROUND TRAVEL -IPSWICH LTD for £172,634. The awarded contract period runs from 3 September 2026 to 31 August 2031. The original tender deadline was 3 August 2026 at 09:00, with clarification questions due by 28 July 2026 at 09:00. The council reserved the right to extend the contract until 31 July 2033. The procurement was for services and was marked as unsuitable for small and medium-sized enterprises and voluntary, community or social enterprise organisations. For suppliers that did not win, this award demonstrates sustained public-sector demand for contracted school passenger transport on a defined local route. A credible competitor for a future requirement from Suffolk County Council would need to provide dependable passenger transport between rural or local communities and a school, with the operational capacity to maintain a regular service throughout the school year. Experience of school transport, route planning, passenger safety, punctuality and day-to-day service continuity would be commercially relevant. Suppliers would also need to be able to compete through the council’s Dynamic Purchasing System for passenger transport services and manage a contract lasting several years. The recorded award to a dedicated Ipswich passenger transport business indicates the importance of local delivery capability and transport-sector specialism. ## 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. .SC721 2026-08-03 09.00 Polstead to Thomas Gainsborough School, Great Cornard. Sudbury 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 MONDAY 3RD AUGUST 2026 AT 09.00 Please note late returns will NOT be permitted. The deadline for clarification questions is TUESDAY 28TH JULY 2026 AT 09.00 which must be generated via the correspondence option on the website. The council reserves the right to extend this contract up until 31st July 2033 ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Contracts Finder | | Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/aef9150b-cf89-44fb-87ac-aebdd62cff04 | | 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 | 13 Aug 2026 | | Submission deadline | 3 Aug 2026 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | 3 Aug 2026 | | Contract period | 3 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2031 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | £172,634 | | 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 | GROUND TRAVEL -IPSWICH LTD | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport) ### Codes - 60000000 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport) ## Release History - 13 Aug 2026 at 15:59 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/aef9150b-cf89-44fb-87ac-aebdd62cff04 ## Documents - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/aef9150b-cf89-44fb-87ac-aebdd62cff04 13th 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-d9fbb5b4-1473-4624-a310-d64db10fffb0. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-d9fbb5b4-1473-4624-a310-d64db10fffb0.json.