Loading contract…
BETAThis is a new independent transparency project, not an official government website. The data is sourced from public registers and may contain errors, so always verify against the official source. If you find a problem, please report it here.
Bedford Borough Council has a statutory duty to provide free home to school travel for compulsory school-aged children who meet nationally prescribed eligibility criteria and for post-16 students who meet locally determined criteria. To fulfil this duty, the Council commissions transport services from external providers using a range of vehicle types to meet the diverse needs of routes and individual passengers. In addition, the School and Specialist Transport Team arranges transport for a range of Adult and Children's Social Care requirements, including contact sessions, day services, and respite provision. To support the efficient and compliant procurement of these services, the Council is establishing a new Open Framework to replace the existing Passenger Transport Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS).
Bedford Borough Council is undertaking Preliminary Market Engagement in relation to the establishment of this new Open Framework for the provision of Home to School, Specialist Transport, and related passenger transport services. The Framework will replace the Council's existing Passenger Transport Dynamic Purchasing System and will be used to procure transport services for eligible children, young people, adults and other service users as required.
The Council is publishing this notice to inform the market of the proposed procurement, provide an overview of the service requirements, and invite interested providers to engage with the opportunity. The procurement process is expected to be conducted electronically through the ADAM eProcurement System, with approved providers being eligible to participate in future call-off opportunities under the Open Framework.
Indicative timescales are:
Publication of procurement documents: Early September 2026
Evaluation of applications: October 2026
Notification of framework admission outcomes: November 2026
Framework award and commencement: November/ December 2026
These dates are indicative only and may be subject to change.
This notice does not commence the procurement process and is intended solely to support market awareness and engagement ahead of the formal tender opportunity.
Interested providers are encouraged to register their interest and participate in the forthcoming procurement opportunity when advertised.
Tender notice (UK4). Open for bids. The submission deadline and how to submit are on this notice.
Bids are submitted through the buyer’s own portal, not on this site. Read the full notice on Find a Tender before relying on any date here.
No supplier information available.
This procurement was divided into 6 lots, each awarded separately.
| Lot | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Lot 1 Passenger transport services using vehicles with capacity for 1-3 passengers Dec 2026 – Mar 2029 | £48,000,000 | active |
| Lot 2 Passenger transport services using vehicles with capacity for 4-8 passengers Dec 2026 – Mar 2029 | £48,000,000 | active |
| Lot 3 Passenger Transport Services (9-16 Passengers) Dec 2026 – Mar 2029 | £48,000,000 | active |
| Lot 4 Passenger Transport Services (17-33 Passengers) Dec 2026 – Mar 2029 | £48,000,000 | active |
| Lot 5 Passenger transport services using vehicles with capacity for 49 or more passengers Dec 2026 – Mar 2029 | £48,000,000 | active |
| Lot 6 Medical Transport Services Dec 2026 – Mar 2029 | £48,000,000 | active |
Weightings from the notice, applied to every lot.
Changes the buyer published to this notice after it first appeared.
This notice has been amended to include clarifications and responses to queries received from interested providers following publication of the original notice. The additional information is provided to ensure transparency and equal access to information for all potential applicants. No other substantive changes have been made unless otherwise stated within this amendment.
Please see below the Q&A:
1. How can we participate in the preliminary market engagement process.
The published UK2 Preliminary Market Engagement Notice constitutes the Council's market engagement activity. Interested suppliers may participate by reviewing the information provided in this notice and submitting any comments or clarification questions via email to …@bedford.gov.uk by the engagement deadline of 27 August 2026. No further market engagement events are planned. Participation is voluntary and is not a requirement for participation in the subsequent procurement process.
2. Whether there is a supplier questionnaire, expression of interest form or supplier engagement event that we should complete or attend.
No. However, your expression of interest has been noted, and you will receive a confirmation email once the tender has been published and is live.
3. When the formal procurement for the School and Special Transport Open Framework is expected to be published.
As per the notice beginning of September 2026.
4. Which procurement portal will be used for the formal tender.
As per the notice ADAM platform.
5. Whether suppliers who express an interest at this stage will be notified once the framework opens for applications.
Yes. All suppliers who register their interest during this stage will be notified by email when the framework opens for applications and the tender notice is published.
6. Whether there are any specific licensing, vehicle, driver, passenger assistant, DBS, safeguarding or training requirements that prospective suppliers should begin preparing for in advance.
Licensing requirements will vary depending on the vehicle type; however, all Private Hire Vehicle (PHV) Operator Licences and Hackney Carriage Driver Licences must be issued by Bedford Borough Council, while Public Service Vehicle (PSV) Licences must be issued within the East of England region. Passenger Assistants will be required to hold PATS training delivered by a Community Transport Association-approved provider. Safeguarding training must be completed through BlueLight. In addition, all drivers and Passenger Assistants will be required to obtain a Bedford Borough Council Transport Team badge, which involves providing the necessary documentation and successfully completing an English language assessment.
7. Will suppliers be required to already hold a valid Bedford Borough Council Private Hire Operator Licence at the point of submitting their tender/application to the framework, or would an operator licence application that is already in progress be acceptable pending approval?
If you have a current operators licence you can upload and we have assurance from our Licensing team that an application has been submitted then we can accept that to join the framework, with the condition that a BBC licence would be in place before you could win/start any call-offs.