---
title: "CONTRACT FOR THE REMOVAL, TRANSPORT & STORAGE FOR DARLINGTON CORONIAL CASES"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06f076"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06f076"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f076.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f076.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Durham County Council"
published: "2026-09-02"
---

# CONTRACT FOR THE REMOVAL, TRANSPORT & STORAGE FOR DARLINGTON CORONIAL CASES

Buyer: Durham County Council  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06f076

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## Summary

Durham County Council commissioned body removal, transportation and temporary storage services for HM Coroner’s cases across County Durham and Darlington. The service covers the dignified and timely removal of deceased persons from places of death, transport to nominated mortuary facilities, and temporary storage when mortuary capacity is exceeded. Work is carried out on behalf of the Council and the coroner for the relevant areas. It is a specialist funeral and related service, classified under CPV 98370000. Delivery spans the County Durham and Darlington areas. Providers must handle sensitive coronial work with respect and care, while meeting the operational requirements associated with deceased-person transfers and temporary storage.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded. Durham County Council used a direct award below the applicable threshold, without competition, under the light-touch regime. Whitehouse Funeral Service Limited was selected as the supplier. The contract was signed on 28 August 2026 and runs from 1 September 2026 to 30 April 2028. Its value is £200,000 excluding VAT and £240,000 including VAT. Two optional 12-month extensions may be agreed, subject to budget and commissioner approval, giving a maximum possible end date of 30 April 2030. The parties may also modify the contract in circumstances permitted by section 74 of the Procurement Act 2023. The award covers one completed lot.

This award demonstrates demand from Durham County Council for a dependable funeral-services provider able to support coronial operations across County Durham and Darlington. A credible future competitor would need practical capacity for prompt deceased-person removal, secure and appropriate transportation to nominated mortuaries, and temporary storage when facilities reach capacity. It would also need staff able to work sensitively with bereaved people, coroners and public-sector teams, maintaining dignity throughout. Experience of coronial requirements, relevant legislation and professional standards would be central to demonstrating competence. The appointed supplier is an SME, indicating that a specialist independent funeral business with suitable local coverage and operational resilience can serve this requirement. Providers should be able to sustain reliable response arrangements and storage capability for a recurring council service.

## Notice

The Council is seeking a provider to deliver body removal, transportation and, where required, temporary storage services on behalf of HM Coroner for Areas of County Durham and Darlington. The service includes the dignified and timely removal of deceased persons from the place of death, transportation to nominated mortuary facilities, and the provision of temporary storage arrangements where mortuary capacity is exceeded. Services must be delivered in accordance with coronial requirements, relevant legislation and professional standards, ensuring respect, sensitivity and care for the deceased at all times.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083111-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - without competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 2 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 1 Sep 2026 - 30 Apr 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £200,000 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Durham County Council |
| Locality | DURHAM |
| Postcode area | Durham |
| Postcode | DH1 5WB |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLC North East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLC4 Northumberland, Durham and Tyne & Wear |
| ITL 3 | TLC41 Durham |
| Local authority | County Durham |
| Electoral ward | Framwellgate & Newton Hall |
| Westminster constituency | City of Durham |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | WHITEHOUSE FUNERAL SERVICE LIMITED |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 98 - Other community, social and personal services

### Codes

- 98370000 - Funeral and related services

## Release History

- 2 Sep 2026 at 14:44 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083111-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083111-2026
  2nd September 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://whitehousefuneralservice.co.uk
- http://www.durham.gov.uk/
- 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-06f076. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f076.json.