--- title: "CRA Bus Tender" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-077b40" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-077b40" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077b40.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077b40.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Award" buyer: "The David Ross Education Trust" published: "2026-09-28" --- # CRA Bus Tender Buyer: The David Ross Education Trust Current stage: Award OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-077b40 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-077b40) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077b40.json) ## Summary The David Ross Education Trust procured student bus transport to and from Charles Read Academy at the start and end of each school day. The requirement covered three routes: Grantham West, Grantham East, and Sleaford and Bourne. This is school transport using buses or coaches with drivers, delivered for the academy and its students. The contracts were divided by route, with providers appointed separately for Grantham West and for the other two routes. The Trust is the buying organisation. The service supports students travelling to and from the academy each school day, rather than general passenger transport. The procurement is complete and contracts have been awarded. The Trust used a limited call-off through the Crescent Purchasing Consortia dynamic purchasing system, with no separate call for competition published for this call-off. Grantham West was awarded to Bland's (Rutland) Ltd for £216,000. Grantham East and Sleaford and Bourne were each awarded to P.C. Coaches of Lincoln Ltd, for £260,000 and £277,000 respectively. All three contracts were signed on 29 May 2026 and are active. The underlying requirement was student transport for the 2026–27 school year. Each route was evaluated on price (40%) and six quality areas: staffing, transport code of conduct, service delivery and capability, flexibility and charges, customer care, and social value (10% each). The three routes are recorded as cancelled in the tender data, despite active awards and contracts. This award demonstrates recurring demand from the Trust for dedicated daily school transport, split into geographically defined routes rather than one combined service. Suppliers seeking comparable work should be able to operate suitable buses or coaches with drivers and reliably carry students to and from school at the beginning and end of each school day. The evaluation gives equal weight to several delivery capabilities: staffing, adherence to a transport code of conduct, service delivery, flexibility, customer care and social value. Price also matters substantially, but a competitive offer needs to show credible operational delivery and responsive service as well. Two small and medium-sized transport businesses won the routes, indicating that this scale of provision was delivered by specialist regional operators rather than requiring a single provider for all routes. ## Notice The provision of Student Transport Services for Charles Read Academy for 2026-27. ### Lot Information Grantham West The David Ross Education Trust (Trust) sought transport providers for the transport of students to/from Charles Read Academy (Academy) at the start and end of each school day. Grantham East The David Ross Education Trust (Trust) sought the services of transport providers for students to/from Charles Read Academy (Academy) at the start and end of each school day. Sleaford & Bourne The David Ross Education Trust (Trust) sought transport providers for the transport of students to/from Charles Read Academy (Academy) at the start and end of each school day. ### Procurement Information The call off was through CPC DPS only and was previously advertised by CPC ref 2023/S 000-036536 and couldn't be linked on the F03 form ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/091303-2026 | | Notice type | Award Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Limited | | Procurement method details | Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | SME | | All stages | Award | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 28 Sep 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | Not specified | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | £753,000 | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Complete | | Lots status | Cancelled | | Awards status | Active | | Contracts status | Active | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | The David Ross Education Trust | | Locality | LOUGHBOROUGH | | Postcode area | Leicester | | Postcode | LE11 4SQ | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLF East Midlands (England) | | ITL 2 | TLF2 Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | | ITL 3 | TLF22 Leicestershire CC and Rutland | | Local authority | Charnwood | | Electoral ward | Loughborough Ashby | | Westminster constituency | Loughborough | | Delivery location | TLC North East (England), TLD North West (England), TLE Yorkshire and The Humber, TLF East Midlands (England), TLG West Midlands (England), TLH East (England), TLI London, TLJ South East (England), TLK South West (England) | ## Supplier | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Number of suppliers | 2 | | Supplier names | Mark Bland Travel Ltd; P.C.Coaches of Lincoln Ltd | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport) ### Codes - 60000000 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport) - 60172000 - Hire of buses and coaches with driver ## Release History - 28 Sep 2026 at 10:31 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/091303-2026 ## Notice URLs - https://www.dret.co.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-077b40. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077b40.json.