2026-06-09 09:00 - QOC893 Trimley St Martin to Doucecroft School, Colchester, Essex - AWARD
Suffolk County Council Passenger TransportEstimated Value
Up to £0
Deadline
9 June 2026
Published
9 June 2026
Type
services
Overview
Suffolk County Council is seeking a mini competition against the following Dynamic Purchasing System: `The supply of Passenger Transport Services`, OJEU Notice Id: 2018/S 031-067685. Trimley St Martin to Doucecroft School, Colchester, Essex.
Further details can be found in the 'Tenders / My Tenders' area of this website, by selecting the 'View Details' button for this project. The deadline for returned submissions is 09:00 Tuesday 9th June 2026.
Please note late returns will NOT be permitted. The deadline for clarification questions is 15:00 Monday 8th June 2026 which must be generated via the correspondence option on the website.
AI Analysis
Powered by AI — always verify against official documents
Suffolk County Council is running a mini competition to hire a passenger transport operator to provide school transport services between Trimley St Martin and Doucecroft School in Colchester, Essex. This is a one-off assignment under their existing Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for passenger transport, so you must already be registered on that DPS to bid.
Requirements
- Must be registered on Suffolk County Council's Dynamic Purchasing System for 'The supply of Passenger Transport Services' (OJEU Notice 2018/S 031-067685)
- Must submit tender by 09:00 on Tuesday 9 June 2026 (no late bids accepted)
- Must submit clarification questions by 15:00 on Monday 8 June 2026 via the website correspondence tool
- No specific qualifications or certifications listed in this notice — check the full tender documents and the original DPS framework terms
Key Tasks & Deliverables
- Provide passenger transport (school minibus or coach service) operating from Trimley St Martin to Doucecroft School, Colchester, Essex
- Transport arrangement details (frequency, timing, vehicle type, number of passengers) to be confirmed in the full tender documents
How to Read This Tender
- 1This is a 'mini competition' under a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) — this means the council is not accepting new suppliers; only those already on their approved DPS list can bid. If you're not already registered on this DPS, you cannot bid on this contract.
- 2The notice is very brief because the full details (route specifics, passenger numbers, times, vehicle requirements, pricing schedule) are in the 'Tenders / My Tenders' section of the council's procurement portal — you must log in and click 'View Details' to see what you're actually bidding for.
- 3Deadlines are strict and stated twice: questions must be in by 15:00 Monday 8 June (not the bid deadline), and bids must arrive by 09:00 Tuesday 9 June. The council explicitly warns late submissions will not be accepted.
- 4Look for the original DPS framework agreement (from OJEU 2018/S 031-067685) to understand what terms, insurance, driver qualifications, and vehicle standards you've already committed to as a DPS member — those still apply to this competition.
- 5This appears to be a short-notice or urgent tender (notice posted close to the deadline date), so check whether there are any amendments or clarification responses already published on the portal.
Tips for Small Businesses
- If you run a small coach or minibus operator and are already on this DPS, this is a direct opportunity — you don't have to re-tender against 50 competitors, just compete in the mini competition. Check the portal immediately to see what capacity you need and confirm your vehicle insurance and driver CPC are current.
- This is school transport, so the council will likely require enhanced DBS checks for drivers and may have specific safeguarding requirements — confirm these in the full tender documents before bidding, as recruitment delays could cost you the contract.
- If you're not on the DPS, don't bid this time, but find out when the DPS is next open for new members (usually advertised separately) and apply then — once you're on it, you'll automatically get mini competition notices like this one.
Award Details
GROUND TRAVEL -IPSWICH LTD
£188,897
Likely incumbents
Suppliers who won similar work from this buyer in the last 5 years.
- 1
UNITY TRAVEL ltd
7 contracts wonlatest 6 Aug 2026ends 31 Jul 2031£520,266
total awarded
- 2
Nice Travel Solutions Limited
6 contracts wonlatest 7 Aug 2026ends 31 Jul 2031£588,574
total awarded
- 3
Hawk Express Cabs Ltd
6 contracts wonlatest 31 Jul 2026ends 31 Jul 2031£230,578
total awarded
- 4
All Day Cars
4 contracts wonlatest 7 Aug 2026ends 31 Jul 2029£412,110
total awarded
- 5
GROUND TRAVEL -IPSWICH LTD
4 contracts wonlatest 29 Jul 2026ends 31 Jul 2031£256,215
total awarded
UNITY TRAVEL ltd is the most likely incumbent based on recency and category match. To win, bidders typically need a clearly differentiated proposition or a price advantage.
Before you bid, buyers check
two years of filed accountsyour financial standingturnover vs contract valueyour Companies House recordcash flow for 30-day termscredit scores and ratios
Actions
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How to Apply
Step-by-step submission guide
Submission Portal
Contracts Finder
Open the original notice
Click the button below to view this tender on Contracts Finder
Find the submission method
Look for "How to apply" section — most tenders link to an eSourcing platform (e.g. In-Tend, ProContract, Jaggaer)
Create an account
Register on the eSourcing platform for free — you'll need a company email and DUNS number
Download tender documents
Download the ITT (Invitation to Tender), specification, pricing schedule, and any templates
Submit your response
Upload completed documents through the portal before the deadline — late bids are automatically rejected
Most buyers do NOT accept email submissions. You must submit through their eSourcing platform. Check the notice for the exact link.
Buyer Profile
Suffolk County Council Passenger TransportKey Dates
Published
9 June 2026
Submission deadline
9 June 2026
Renewal expected60% confident
July 2028
Predicted using median duration of past contracts from this buyer in the same CPV division (25 months from contract start date → renewal expected by Jul 2028).
Notice type
Contract
Source
contracts finder
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