---
title: "North Northamptonshire Council Bus Framework Mini-Competition CONTRACT: PW 2601"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06f50f"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06f50f"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f50f.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f50f.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "North Northamptonshire Council"
published: "2026-09-08"
---

# North Northamptonshire Council Bus Framework Mini-Competition CONTRACT: PW 2601

Buyer: North Northamptonshire Council  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06f50f

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## Summary

North Northamptonshire Council procured local bus operation services for routes W1, W2 and W8, running Monday to Friday. The requirement covers the continued strengthening of the existing commercial W1 and W2 services and operation of the W8 service. A single bus operator was required to provide all three services together, rather than separate operators for individual routes. This is a passenger transport services contract, with delivery focused on the North Northamptonshire area. The council is the public-sector buyer. The work is therefore suited to an established bus operator or a transport business with the vehicles, operational control, scheduling, staffing and service-management capability needed to run multiple local routes as one coordinated network.

The procurement is complete and was awarded to Midland Red (South) Limited on 1 May 2026. It was a competitive mini-competition under an existing framework, using a selective procedure, with one completed lot. The award value is £800,000 gross, including the stated contract value in pounds sterling. The contract period runs from 8 September 2026 to 7 September 2027, with an optional extension and a maximum extent date of 11 April 2030. The council required one operator to deliver all three services. The published outcome identifies Midland Red (South) Limited as the successful supplier. The procurement is classified as transport services and was above the relevant threshold. A future signature milestone was scheduled for 8 September 2026.

For a supplier assessing future North Northamptonshire bus opportunities, this award shows demand for an operator able to take responsibility for a group of weekday local services, including both established commercial routes and a further named service. Credibility would depend on demonstrating reliable day-to-day bus operations, sufficient vehicles and drivers, coordinated scheduling across several routes, and the management systems needed to maintain continuity and strengthen existing services. Experience operating local passenger networks and working with a council under a framework mini-competition would be relevant. The requirement also favours businesses with enough operational capacity to provide all services through one organisation, rather than specialists whose offer covers only a single route.

## Notice

North Northamptonshire Council (hereafter referred to as 'the Council') requires quotations for the operation of local bus services W1, W2 and W8 Monday to Friday. This contract is for the continued strengthening of existing commercial bus services W1 and W2. This contract is also for the W8 bus service. The Council requires one Operator that can provide all 3 of these services.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085120-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Award under framework |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 8 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 1 May 2026 |
| Contract period | 8 Sep 2026 - 7 Sep 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £800,000 |
| 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 | North Northamptonshire Council |
| Locality | CORBY |
| Postcode area | Northampton |
| Postcode | NN17 1QG |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLF East Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLF2 Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire |
| ITL 3 | TLF25 North Northamptonshire |
| Local authority | North Northamptonshire |
| Electoral ward | Corby West |
| Westminster constituency | Corby and East Northamptonshire |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | MIDLAND RED (SOUTH) LIMITED |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

### Codes

- 60000000 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

## Release History

- 8 Sep 2026 at 17:42 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085120-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085120-2026
  8th September 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.stagecoachbus.com
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/api/1.0/ocdsReleasePackages/ocds-h6vhtk-05d849
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.northnorthants.gov.uk/

## 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-06f50f. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f50f.json.