---
title: "Preliminary Market Engagement Notice for a Coach Service for 2027/28 academic year onwards"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06b5a3"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06b5a3"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06b5a3.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06b5a3.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "ASHFORD AND ST PETERS HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST"
published: "2026-06-16"
---

# Preliminary Market Engagement Notice for a Coach Service for 2027/28 academic year onwards

Buyer: ASHFORD AND ST PETERS HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06b5a3

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## Summary

The procurement process, initiated by Ashford and St Peters Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, is currently in the planning stage and involves a preliminary market engagement for a coach service intended to begin with the 2027 academic year. This engagement focuses on student transport services, covering four weekday return journeys between W6 8RF and KT16 0PZ. The Trust, located in Ashford, UK, aims to finalise these requirements through a pre-market engagement questionnaire, with submissions due by 30th June 2026. This procurement falls under the services category, particularly targeting the hire of passenger transport vehicles with drivers, and foresees a potential contract period not exceeding four years starting from 27th September 2027.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses involved in passenger transport services, especially those experienced with vehicle hire and driver provision. Companies listed on appropriate public procurement frameworks or those familiar with the Authority are encouraged to express interest. Engaging in this tender allows businesses to partake in a government procurement activity that promises growth via potential long-term contracts. Businesses offering innovative transport solutions, with flexibility and quality service standards, may find themselves competitively positioned to fulfil the Trust's transport needs and possibly secure continued engagements beyond the project's initial contract period.

## Notice

Pre-market engagement questionnaire for expressions of interest in being invited to tender for the supply of the Coach Service for Students for Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust from the start of the academic year in 2027 for a period to be decided not exceeding four years. The service will involve four weekday return journeys per week from W6 8RF to KT16 0PZ in the morning and the return trip in the afternoon.

### Planning Information

Pre-market engagement questionnaire for expressions of interest in being invited to tender for the supply of the Coach Service for Students for Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust from the start of the academic year in 2027 for a period to be decided not exceeding four years. 
Pre-market engagement with the aims and objectives of:
(1) developing the Authority’s requirements and approach to the procurement; 
(2) designing award criteria; 
(3) identifying suppliers that may be able to supply the goods, services or works required; 
(4) identifying likely contractual terms; 
(5) preparing the tender documents; 
this will help it then to decide the structure of its future requirements, the contract duration appropriate and the most suitable procurement route for its invitation to tender to fulfil its requirements.
The Pre-market engagement process:
The Authority is issuing an outline of its general requirements for the service alongside a pre-market engagement questionnaire for possible suppliers to express interest in being invited to tender to provide the requirement by answering the questions. 
The list of suppliers to which the questionnaire is initially addressed includes:
•individual supplier companies which are either known to the Authority from previous business, 
•or listed on one of the two frameworks and appropriate lots identified by the Authority as those under which services of this nature may be procured; and 
•expressions of interest will be accepted if other suppliers wish to respond to the Pre-Market Engagement Notice.
For suppliers awarded to the framework called Passenger Transport Services Lot 5 the procurement body (The Procurement Partnership Limited (TPPL)) which established that framework has offered to conduct the preliminary engagement for the Authority as an RFI within this premarket engagement and accordingly the questionnaire will be issued to those suppliers by TPPL and answers from them will be collated for the Authority by TPPL. 
For all other suppliers replies to the questionnaire must be submitted directly via Delta to the Authority.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/056500-2026 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 16 Jun 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 30 Jun 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 26 Sep 2027 - 26 May 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Planning |
| Lots status | Planning |
| Awards status | Not specified |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | ASHFORD AND ST PETERS HOSPITALS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST |
| Additional buyers | HEALTHCARE PARTNERS LIMITED |
| Locality | ASHFORD |
| Post town | Twickenham |
| Postcode | TW15 3AA |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ2 Surrey, East and West Sussex |
| ITL 3 | TLJ25 West Surrey |
| Local authority | Guildford |
| Electoral ward | Westborough |
| Westminster constituency | Guildford |
| Delivery location | TLI London, TLJ25 West Surrey |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

### Codes

- 60170000 - Hire of passenger transport vehicles with driver

## Release History

- 16 Jun 2026 at 09:46 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/056500-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/056500-2026
  16th June 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## 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-06b5a3. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06b5a3.json.