SS15 96 DPS - Supported Local Bus (including Kent Karrier) and Home to School Transport Services

Kent County Council (the Council) is the largest county council in England covering an area of 3,500 square kilometres. It has an annual expenditure of over £1.6bn on goods and services and a population of 1.8m.

The Council provides a wide range of personal and strategic services on behalf of its residents, operating in partnership with 12 district councils and over 300 parish/town councils. This requirement is from the Growth, Environment and Transport Directorate is for the provision of services operated using PSV or Community (Section 19 or 22) Bus Permits.

The requirements relate to the Council's activity in respect of Supported Local Bus (including Kent Karrier) and Home to School Transport Services. Supported Bus services are procured for the delivery of socially necessary bus services (including Kent Karrier), where the authority will fund the provision of a local bus service which is not commercially viable, which would therefore not otherwise run but which the authority has identified as meeting a social need i.e. rural connectivity.

Home to School Transport services are procured to provide school transport for those pupils who are determined by our Education and Young People's Directorate as eligible for free home to school transport. Where the volume of pupils is sufficient to justify a larger vehicle (minibus, coach or bus) these will require provision of this transport by a Public Service Vehicle Licensed Operator who can run services either as a public bus service or as a privately hired vehicle.

Further details of the full scope and specific requirements will be provided within the tender documentation issued under this DPS. Further background and technical information can be found within the tender documentation.

This Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) was established in 2016, with a start date of 01 January 2017. Due to the lack of viable alternatives provided by the Procurement Act 2023 (PA23) and in line with the transition arrangements, the Council is extending the 'Supported Local Bus and Home to School Transport Services' DPS period of validity - in accordance with Regulation 28(1)(a) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 - from 31 December 2027 to 23 February 2029, to ensure continuity of service.

All other terms and conditions of the DPS remain unchanged. This Dynamic Purchasing System has a total value of £100 million, covering the period from its establishment in 2017 through to the end of its period of validity.