---
title: "Diamond 4 De Minimis Contract"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06e4cf"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06e4cf"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e4cf.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e4cf.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Leicestershire County Council"
published: "2026-08-24"
---

# Diamond 4 De Minimis Contract

Buyer: Leicestershire County Council  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06e4cf

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## Summary

Leicestershire County Council procured public road transport services for the Diamond 4 bus service between Ashby and Burton. The requirement concerns operation of a local bus service, with funding split equally between Leicestershire County Council and the East Midlands Combined County Authority. Delivery is in Leicestershire and supports public passenger transport provision along the Ashby–Burton route. The buying organisation is Leicestershire County Council, a sub-central public authority. The service falls within the transport services category and is suited to small and medium-sized enterprises. The selected operator, Diamond Bus (East Midlands) Ltd, is a bus company based in Oldbury. The procurement relates to a single service requirement rather than separately described goods, construction works or multiple service lots.

The procurement has been awarded and the tender is complete. Leicestershire County Council made a direct award to DIAMOND BUS (EAST MIDLANDS) LTD on 17 August 2026. The award value is £230,000 gross, in pounds sterling. The awarded contract period runs from 4 September 2026 to 19 August 2027. A signature milestone was scheduled for 4 September 2026. The council used a direct-award procedure under the de minimis arrangements for bus service subsidies, relying on the Transport Act and related 2004 regulations. The stated rationale permits local authorities to use de minimis contracts within the applicable subsidy limits. The contract is associated with a framework agreement, although the award was made directly. One completed lot was awarded, with public road transport services as the classified requirement.

This award shows a defined requirement for an established bus operator able to run a local public passenger transport service between Ashby and Burton. A credible future competitor would need operational capacity for scheduled bus services, suitable vehicles, qualified driving and maintenance arrangements, and the systems needed to manage reliable day-to-day delivery. Experience of publicly supported bus routes and working with local authorities would be directly relevant, particularly where service performance, continuity and coordination with public funding arrangements matter. The buyer accepted an SME supplier, so the opportunity is not limited to the largest transport groups. Suppliers should also understand de minimis subsidy arrangements and direct-award routes in the bus sector, as well as the council’s use of framework-based procurement mechanisms for transport requirements.

## Notice

Diamond 4 De Minimis Contract Ashby- Burton. 50-50 funding split between Leicestershire County council and EMCCA

### Procurement Information

This contract is exempt from the Procurement Act 2023 regulations as they are awarded on a De Minimis basis as provided for under the Transport Act and Service Subsidy Agreements (Tendering) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2004. Local authorities or Passenger Transport Authorities/Executives with forecast expenditure on bus service subsidies in any one year of PS600,000 or more will be able to spend up to 25% of this on de minimis contracts; within this 25% there is no limit on the expenditure in any year with any single operator.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080297-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 24 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 14 Aug 2026 |
| Contract period | 4 Sep 2026 - 19 Aug 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £230,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Leicestershire County Council |
| Locality | LEICESTER |
| Postcode area | Leicester |
| Postcode | LE3 8RA |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLF East Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLF2 Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire |
| ITL 3 | TLF22 Leicestershire CC and Rutland |
| Local authority | Blaby |
| Electoral ward | Glenfield Faire |
| Westminster constituency | Mid Leicestershire |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | DIAMOND BUS (EAST MIDLANDS) LTD |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

### Codes

- 60112000 - Public road transport services

## Release History

- 24 Aug 2026 at 12:23 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080297-2026
- 14 Aug 2026 at 15:01 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/077756-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080297-2026
  24th August 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/077756-2026
  14th August 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.leics.gov.uk
- https://www.diamondbuses.com/
- 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-06e4cf. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e4cf.json.