---
title: "SC23191 Coroner Removals and Transfer Service"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-044f05"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-044f05"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-044f05.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-044f05.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "KENT COUNTY COUNCIL"
published: "2025-01-07"
---

# SC23191 Coroner Removals and Transfer Service

Buyer: KENT COUNTY COUNCIL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-044f05

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## Summary

Kent County Council is leading the procurement for the Coroner Removals and Transfers Service, encompassing the Mid Kent & Medway, North-West Kent, North-East Kent, and Central & South-East Kent regions. This procurement process, following a competitive procedure with negotiation, seeks suppliers for two primary services: Lot 1, the Coroner Removals Service, which is divided into 15 contract areas, and Lot 2, the Coroner Transfers Service, divided into 2 contract areas. The service period spans from January 1st, 2025, to December 31st, 2029, with the total indicative contract value calculated based on recent service volumes. The successful suppliers, such as HATS Group Limited, Jacksons Hub Limited, and Woollard & Kent Funeral Services Limited, will provide 24/7 services in line with the statutory obligations under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.

This tender presents substantial growth opportunities for businesses specialising in community, social, and personal services, particularly those with capabilities in mortuary and funeral services. It offers a sustained and structured service demand, spanning multiple geographic zones, ensuring long-term engagement and financial stability for the successful bidders. SMEs and large enterprises with the necessary infrastructure and a proven track record in managing high-demand services are particularly well-suited. Additionally, this contract encourages resilience within the service through the strategic awarding of multiple lots to reduce dependency on single suppliers, fostering a diverse and competitive supplier environment.

## Notice

Coroners are independent judicial officers, appointed by the local authority within the coroner area. Local authorities have a legal obligation to support the work of Coroner's, to fund all the costs of the service and to provide the necessary resources to enable them to carry out their statutory obligations under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009. This includes the provision of appropriate contractual arrangements for the removal of the deceased. For the four Kent coroner areas of Mid Kent & Medway, North-West Kent, North-East Kent and Central & South-East Kent, KCC is the lead authority for the administrative areas of Kent and Medway. There are two requirements for this service: Lot 1: Coroner Removals Service Lot 2: Coroner Transfers Service

### Lot Information

Proposed Coroners Removals Contract Lotting : 1: Sevenoaks A (above m25) 2 : Sevenoaks B (below m25) 3: Dartford & Gravesham 4: Tunbridge Wells 5: Tonbridge and Malling 6: Medway 7: Maidstone 8: West Swale 9: East Swale 10: Ashford 11: Canterbury 12: Shepway 13: Thanet 14: Dover NEK 15: Dover CSEK Proposed Coroner Transfers Contract Lotting: 16: East Kent 17: West Kent

Coroners are independent judicial officers, appointed by the local authority within the coroner area. Local authorities have a legal obligation to support the work of Coroner's, to fund all the costs of the service and to provide the necessary resources to enable them to carry out their statutory obligations under the Coroners and Justice Act 2009. This includes the provision of appropriate contractual arrangements for the removal of the deceased. For the four Kent coroner areas of Mid Kent & Medway, North-West Kent, North-East Kent and Central & South-East Kent, KCC is the lead authority for the administrative areas of Kent and Medway. KCC is legally responsible for meeting all the costs of the coroner service. Medway Council meets its share of all the costs of the service and the basis for this arrangement is set out in a service level agreement. Coroners investigate deaths that have been reported to them if they have reason to think that: The death was violent or unnatural; The cause of death is unknown; or The deceased died while in prison, police custody or another type of state detention. When a death is reported to the Coroner, he or she: establishes whether an investigation is required; if yes, investigates to establish the identity of the person who has died; how, when, and where they died, and any information to register the death; and uses information discovered during the investigation to assist in the prevention of other deaths where possible. Coroners Removals The coroner may decide that a suitable practitioner (normally a pathologist) is required to examine the deceased and carry out a post-mortem examination to discover the cause of death. In this scenario, the deceased needs to be transported from where it is lying to a designated mortuary for further enquiries to be made (to hold a post-mortem if required). The movement of the deceased to the mortuary constitutes a "Coroners Removal". In the cases where a post-mortem has been deemed necessary, the deceased needs to be transferred from the location of death to one of the designated post-mortem facilities below; QEQM Hospital, Margate William Harvey Hospital, Ashford Medway Maritime Hospital, Gillingham Tunbridge Wells Hospital, Pembury Darenth Valley Hospital, Dartford Coroners Transfer In some cases, it is necessary to transfer the deceased from a designated mortuary to another designated mortuary. These transfers can occur locally as a transfer between mortuaries within Kent and Medway but can occur outside of Kent. This is due to the specific expertise that different mortuaries possess (E.g. London mortuary specialises in child deaths, Brighton mortuary specialises in infectious cases etc.) Cases like these where the deceased is transferred between mortuaries are more commonly known as a "Coroners Transfer". This procurement is seeking suppliers to deliver both a Coroner Removals and a Coroners Transfer service across the four Kent coroner areas. The providers are required to perform the services: 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year; For a coroner's removal to be at the place of death within 1 hour of being directed to attend by Kent County Constabulary; For a transfer, to have completed it within 48 hours of being directed to do so by a Coroner's Officer; The contract lots (1.6) provides a suitable breakdown of the areas that service providers will be able to bid for in the upcoming contract. This breakdown in service areas is provisional, as the Council will remain flexible to feedback from the market on the proposed lots for the contract.

Renewal: The existing contract is due for renewal. It is due to expire on the 21st May 2024, however the Council can confirm that this date is subject to an extension (extension period to be confirmed at later date). This will allow an appropriate time line for service providers to participate in procurement exercise as required.

Lot 1 :Coroners Removals Service

The Coroners Removals Service (Lot 1) has been separated into 15 contract areas: 1 (A) - Sevenoaks A (above A25) 1 (B) - Sevenoaks B (below A25) 1 (C) - Dartford & Gravesham 1 (D) - Tunbridge Wells 1 (E) - Tonbridge and Malling 1 (F) - Medway 1 (G) - Maidstone 1 (H) - West Swale 1 (I) - East Swale 1 (J) - Ashford 1 (K) - Canterbury 1 (L) - Shepway 1 (M) - Thanet 1 (N) - Dover NEK 1 (O) - Dover CSEK The Coroners Removals Service includes the provision of appropriate contractual arrangements for the removal of the deceased to a designated mortuary. The movement of the deceased to the mortuary constitutes a "Coroners Removal". Where an organisation is awarded a contract area, they are responsible for providing this service throughout the specified area. They must deliver this service 24/7, 365 days a year, and in accordance with the service requirements as detailed within the specification. Additional information: All tenderers had to achieve a "Pass" for their quality response to be evaluated on their price submission for each contract Lot. Price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents.

Renewal: The initial terms for this contract is 3 years with an optional extension period of up to 24 months. Contract extension will be subject to supplier performance etc throughout the initial term. Please refer to the tender documents (Terms and Conditions) for further information.

Lot 2 Coroners Transfers Service

The Coroners Transfers Service (Lot 2) has been separated into 2 contract areas: 2 (A) West Kent Transfers 2 (B) East Kent Transfers In certain circumstances, it is necessary to transfer the deceased from a designated mortuary to another designated mortuary. These transfers can occur locally as a transfer between mortuaries within Kent and Medway but can occur outside of Kent. Where an organisation is awarded a contract area, they are responsible for providing this service throughout the specified area. They must deliver this service 24/7, 365 days a year, and in accordance with the service requirements as detailed within the specification. Additional information: All tenderers had to achieve a "Pass" for their quality response to be evaluated on their price submission for each contract Lot. Price is not the only award criterion and all criteria are stated only in the procurement documents.

Renewal: The initial terms for this contract is 3 years with an optional extension period of up to 24 months. Contract extension will be subject to supplier performance etc throughout the initial term. Please refer to the tender documents (Terms and Conditions) for further information.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000386-2025 |
| Notice type | Planning Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Competitive procedure with negotiation |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large, SME |
| All stages | Planning, Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 7 Jan 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 26 Jul 2024 |
| Future notice date | 9 Jun 2024 |
| Award date | 29 Nov 2024 |
| Contract period | 1 Jan 2025 - 31 Dec 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £4,000,000 |
| Lots value | £4,000,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £4,205,700 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Cancelled, Planned |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | KENT COUNTY COUNCIL |
| Locality | MAIDSTONE |
| Post town | Rochester |
| Postcode | ME14 1XX |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ4 Kent |
| ITL 3 | TLJ45 Mid Kent |
| Local authority | Maidstone |
| Electoral ward | Penenden Heath |
| Westminster constituency | Maidstone and Malling |
| Delivery location | TLJ4 Kent |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 3 |
| Supplier names | HATS GROUP; JACKSONS HUB; WOOLLARD & KENT FUNERAL SERVICES |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 98 - Other community, social and personal services

### Codes

- 98000000 - Other community, social and personal services

## Release History

- 7 Jan 2025 at 15:42 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/000386-2025
- 26 Jun 2024 at 12:03 - TenderUpdate - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019541-2024
- 25 Jun 2024 at 15:42 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/019481-2024
- 2 Apr 2024 at 14:57 - Planning - Planning Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/010638-2024

## Notice URLs

- http://www.kent.gov.uk
- https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/1f2ee65b-43c6-42dd
- https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/d8598373-181a-4b44-8279-dd98fb084653@3253a20d-c735-4bfe-a8b7-3e6ab37f5f90
- https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert/Index?advertId=b61db9e3-01f1-ee11-8129-005056b64545

## 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-h6vhtk-044f05. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-044f05.json.