---
title: "Transport for School Swimming"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-07846d"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-07846d"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-07846d.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-07846d.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "Stoke-on-Trent City Council"
published: "2026-10-09"
---

# Transport for School Swimming

Buyer: Stoke-on-Trent City Council  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-07846d

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## Summary

Stoke-on-Trent City Council intends to procure transport for its school swimming service. The work is to carry pupils between their schools and their chosen swimming pools, coordinating journeys across multiple schools and venues. The council’s stated preference is for one coach operator to provide the complete transport service, allowing vehicles to be scheduled flexibly for different schools and pool facilities. The schedule may require a different vehicle for the return journey from the outward trip. This is passenger transport with drivers, delivered for schools and swimming venues in Stoke-on-Trent. The council is seeking a coordinated service that can manage busy periods when several schools are travelling to or from venues.

The process is at planning: the council has set out its intention to procure, but has not invited tenders. It expects to seek market feedback on service capacity, delivery models, scheduling, lesson durations, contract length, pricing, emissions, efficiency and operational risks. The council’s engagement milestone is dated 31 December 2026. The procurement is estimated at £450,000 excluding VAT (£540,000 including VAT). The planned contract period runs from 22 April 2027 to 21 April 2030. One lot is planned, and the council’s description points to a single-operator delivery model. The stated suitability information indicates the work is suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises. No evaluation basis or procurement procedure is stated at this planning stage.

This work is likely to suit coach and passenger transport operators able to provide vehicles with drivers and coordinate regular school journeys. The council is seeking capacity to transport groups of 30 to 60 pupils, with vehicles and drivers available on weekdays between 9:30am and 3:00pm. Suppliers should be prepared to explain how they would manage multiple schools travelling to and from three venues during peak periods, including situations where vehicles need to be reassigned between journeys or a different vehicle is needed for the return trip. The council also wants views on handling 30- and 60-minute lessons, efficient scheduling, reducing emissions, suitable pricing and contract models, and potential delivery risks or innovations. No specific accreditation is indicated.

## Notice

Stoke-on-Trent City Council offers a swimming service to local schools. Part of the service is the provision of transport to and from the schools and their chosen swimming pool. We are seeking a single coach operator to provide the complete transport solution. The schedule can be intense and, on occasions, a different vehicle from that used for the outward trip may be required for the return trip. Conversely, the same vehicle may be utilised to take different schools to differing pool facilities, hence the opportunity for efficiency is maximised with a single operator. This also allows us to be able to offer the schools a co-ordinated service.

### Planning Information

The Council is particularly interested in understanding:
• Capacity to transport groups of 30 to 60 pupils.
• Availability of vehicles and drivers between 9:30am and 3:00pm Monday to Friday.
• The suitability of single-provider versus multi-provider delivery models.
• Approaches to managing multiple schools travelling to and from the three venues during peak periods.
• Any operational challenges associated with 30- and 60-minute lesson durations.
• Recommended contract lengths and pricing models.
• Opportunities to reduce emissions and improve service efficiency.
• Any risks, barriers, or innovations that should be considered during procurement.
For further information and service requirements please contact John Cliffe via email :
john.cliffe@stoke.gov.uk

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/095523-2026 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 9 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 22 Apr 2027 - 22 Apr 2030 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £450,000 |
| 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 | Stoke-on-Trent City Council |
| Locality | STOKE-ON-TRENT |
| Postcode area | Stoke-on-Trent |
| Postcode | ST4 1HH |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLG West Midlands (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLG2 Shropshire and Staffordshire |
| ITL 3 | TLG23 Stoke-on-Trent |
| Local authority | Stoke-on-Trent |
| Electoral ward | Hartshill Park & Stoke |
| Westminster constituency | Stoke-on-Trent Central |
| Delivery location | TLG23 Stoke-on-Trent |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

### Codes

- 60170000 - Hire of passenger transport vehicles with driver

## Release History

- 9 Oct 2026 at 10:43 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/095523-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/095523-2026
  9th October 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-07846d. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-07846d.json.