Find a TenderOpen for tender Tender notice
Published 5 Aug 2025, 17:00 BST

Official UK procurement notice

24062 Provision for Supply, build and Fit out of a new Mobile Library Vehicle

Authority: Cambridgeshire County Council (Local council)

GoodsOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitableVCSE suitable
Published estimate£250,000≈ £125k / year · £300,000 inc. VAT · 1 value update
Submission deadline 5 Jan 202712:00 GMT · 76d 18h left
Clarification cut-off 6 Nov 202623:59 GMT · questions to the authority
Contract term 2 yrsends 31 Mar 2029 · up to 31 Mar 2030 with extensions · starts 1 Apr 2027

What is being bought

Published requirement description

This procurement will be for the supply, build and fit out of a new electric mobile library vehicle, and work with our 3rd party maintenance and servicing contractor Cambridge City Council - Vehicle Engineering Services (CambscityVES)to ensure warranties are maintained and utilised.

This procurement will award ONE contract to ONE supplier only.

This is an outright purchase and build.

The contract is anticipated to commence on 1st January 2027 and will continue for a period of twenty four (24) months unless terminated in accordance with the Conditions of Contract.

There is the potential for a contract extension of twelve (12) months depending on both the success in achieving the required outcomes and availability of further funding.

The contract term will not include the warranty and defect periods

The estimated total value of the contract over the total contract period is a maximum value (inclusive of VAT) of three hundred thousand pounds (£300,000), but no guarantee is given as to the actual value of the contract

  • Not divided into lots: Due to the limited market and the need for consistency in the build, managing the risk and title of the vehicle during its various stages, the use of lots though possibly was considered not suitable for the Authority, the resources it has to manage the potential different contracts and suppliers adding risk to the overall contract. premarket engagement did ask this questions about the practicalities and usefulness of Lotting and the insights from the market were mixed, with a single contract single supplier option advantages outweighing the lotting option.

CPV: Mobile library vehicles · Specialist vehicles

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Renewal 2 yrsSMEVCSEPublished value£250,000
Contract period: 1 Apr 2027 – 31 Mar 2029 (2 yrs) · up to 31 Mar 2030 with extensionsValue: £250,000 exc. VAT · £300,000 inc. VAT
Delivery: East of EnglandEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligibleTurnover guideline: ~£249,658/yr≈ 2× annual value
Extensions: There is the potential for a contract extension of up to twelve (12) months depending on both the success in achieving the required outcomes and availability of further funding. The Authority will exercise their right to extend in multiple months, up to the maximum of twelve (12) months. The minimum period in any one instance will be two (2) months. The contract term will not include the warranty and defect periods
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)2
  • Economic & financial standing

    Please refer to the Procurement documents

  • Technical & professional ability

    Please refer to the Procurement documents

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

What it takes to win
i

How this buyer will score bids.

The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).

Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add more
How bids are scored
  • Quality
  • Price
Conditions of participation2
  • Economic & financial standing

    Please refer to the Procurement documents

  • Technical & professional ability

    Please refer to the Procurement documents

What this means for your bid
  • Turnover usually expected at this size: about £249,658 (twice the annual value).

Turnover is an indicative market norm (≈2× annual value), not a published condition.

Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid

How Cambridgeshire County Council buys Heavy-duty motor vehicles (CPV 3414), and who usually turns up

Cambridgeshire County Council’s own published record, next to the published market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Heavy-duty motor vehicles (CPV 3414) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.

Question for the bid
This buyerCambridgeshire County Council · all categories
What to do with it
How often do SMEs win?
i

How often small and medium firms win.

Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.

The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 318 of 343 known-size awards · market: CPV 3414 · East of England, n=22
93%55%

Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.

How often do local suppliers win?
i

How often local firms win similar work.

Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.

Here, local means registered in East of England.

A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 199 of 380 known-location awards · market: CPV 3414 · East of England, n=30
52%27%

Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered in East of England.

How long to a decision?
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 25 decided notices · market: CPV 3414 · UK-wide, n=16
42 days40 days

Half of these awards were announced within 42 days of the bid deadline.

How often single-bid or direct?
i

How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.

Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.

Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.

Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: at least 54 of 124 procurements with awards had no recorded rival · market: CPV 3414 · East of England, n=31
44%55%

Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.

How many bids did past lots attract?

i

How many bids past lots received.

Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.

Past bids do not predict this tender.

Last 36 months.

This buyer56 lots with bid counts · all categories
9% had one bid
The market37 lots with bid counts · CPV 3414 · UK-wide
22% had one bid
Buyer / market · select a colour for counts
1 bid9% / 22%
Buyer: 5 of 56 lots with published bid counts. Market: 8 of 37 lots with published bid counts.
2–332% / 35%
Buyer: 18 of 56 lots with published bid counts. Market: 13 of 37 lots with published bid counts.
4–638% / 35%
Buyer: 21 of 56 lots with published bid counts. Market: 13 of 37 lots with published bid counts.
7+21% / 8%
Buyer: 12 of 56 lots with published bid counts. Market: 3 of 37 lots with published bid counts.

How did awards compare with estimates?

i

Where winning prices landed against estimates.

Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.

Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.

Last 36 months.

This buyer51 lots with estimate and award · all categories
47% below estimate
The market21 lots with estimate and award · CPV 3414 · UK-wide
38% below estimate
Buyer / market · select a colour for counts
Below estimate47% / 38%
Buyer: 24 of 51 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 8 of 21 lots with an estimate and award.
Within ±2%39% / 29%
Buyer: 20 of 51 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 6 of 21 lots with an estimate and award.
Above estimate14% / 33%
Buyer: 7 of 51 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 7 of 21 lots with an estimate and award.
2

Assess each lot
i

What past awards tell you about each lot.

See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.

No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.

Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list

Lot #1CPV 341424 monthsSME suitablePublished estimate£250k
Expected competition
i

How many bids this lot may attract.

The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.

Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.

A forecast, not a list of bidders.

3expected bids19% single-bid risk
forecast from 9 past contests
Forecast chances for this lot
1 bid19%
Chance this lot gets 1 bid: 19%. This is a forecast.
2–342%
Chance this lot gets 2–3: 42%. This is a forecast.
4–635%
Chance this lot gets 4–6: 35%. This is a forecast.
7+3%
Chance this lot gets 7+: 3%. This is a forecast.
Commercial price forecast
i

Where the award price may land.

The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.

Based on 3 comparable awards. Each lot reflects its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.

A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.

£250kLevel with estimate
3 comparable awards
Forecast compared with the buyer’s estimate
Middle 50%£240k–£250k
Half of likely prices fall between £240,303 and £250,000.
Estimate£250k
The buyer published an estimate of £250,000 for this lot.
A 47% chance the award lands exactly on the estimate.

Who has supplied this buyer on similar work?
i

Who has done similar work for this buyer.

Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.

A past supplier may not bid again.

SupplierThis buyer’s earlier contractLotAward valueWhy listed
Econ Engineering LtdWorked for this buyer21029 CCC Winter Vehicle Fleetnotice published Feb 2022——Similar wording and category

Who could compete for this lot?
i

Who could compete for this lot?

Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.

None is confirmed as a bidder.

SupplierWon in this categoryLive contractsAward vs estimate
1 win in East of England7 panel places
£9.4m27 awards in 36m · last this month6 live · £5.6m
i

Public contracts this supplier still holds.

Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book.

Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity.

4% above n=6
4 wins in East of England14 panel places
£39m43 awards in 36m · last 3 months ago15 live · £66m
i

Public contracts this supplier still holds.

Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book.

Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity.

4% above n=3
3 wins in East of England
£2.9m7 awards in 36m · last 1 months ago1 live · £56k
i

Public contracts this supplier still holds.

Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book.

Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity.

at estimate n=1
1 win in East of England3 panel places
£2.2m6 awards in 36m · last 6 months ago1 live · £43k
i

Public contracts this supplier still holds.

Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book.

Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity.

at estimate n=3
3 panel places
£17m10 awards in 36m · last 4 months ago3 live · £1.7m
i

Public contracts this supplier still holds.

Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book.

Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity.

18% below n=4
About this data
  • Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
  • Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
  • Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
  • Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Open procedure
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Goods
Notice status
Open for tender
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Yes (GPA, CPTPP)
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
5 Aug 2025, 17:00 BST
Last source update
7 Oct 2026, 13:07 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 17 Feb 2027
Authority reference
DN820145/24062
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-094726
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Mobile library vehiclesSpecialist vehicles
Delivery area
East of England (UKH12)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0581fc Find a Tender
Contract terms summary

Payment for this contract will be linked to meeting and passing agreed milestones as the project progresses.

Bidders should ensure they read the procurement documents fully to understand this process.

Review and risk notes
Risks

There is a possiblity due to recent market uncertainty effecting material costs during the life of the contract, changes to the intended design and unforeseen delays to the project overall.

Where this may happen, the Authority has identified a need to change the value of the contract from the stated value in the tender documents.

In Section 4 of the ITT - the process and the justification to modify the value is detailed and the relevant sections under the PA2023 act.

How to participate & submission route

Official notice Submit via ProContract (Due North)
Submission portal named on this notice: ProContract (Due North) · Who buys & how to bid on ProContract
Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free · short registration with manual review; public opportunity list
Requests to participate (first stage)
—
Tender submission deadline
5 Jan 2027, 12:00 GMT
Clarification deadline
6 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

procontract.due-north.com/Procurer/Advert/View ↗

Bidders can access the tender documents for this opportunity at the link provided.

The Authority uses ProContract entendering system. if you have not used this system before you will need to register.

When expressing interest - the Pop up box will have a link to the actual procurement project.

If you close the pop up box, you can locate the project in the Home screen of your account. Search under the Active procurement.

Published estimate £250,000 excludes VAT (£300,000 including VAT).

Timeline

5 Aug 2025 → 1 Apr 2027 · 8 dates
  1. Planning notice published
    5 Aug 2025, 17:00 BST
  2. Market engagement97 days ago
    15 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST

    This engagement is a follow up from the previous one undertaken last year to seek advice and guidance from the market on :

    1. vehicle fuel types - pros and cons
    2. whether asking for price against a range of fuel types is a good idea,
    3. What would be the best way to evaluate against the different range of pricing of the fuel types

    If you are interested in participating in the engagement, please message the procurement lead who will share the relevant premarket documents which includes a link to the questionnaire.

    procurement lead: [email protected]

    Engagement window is between 29th June 2026 from 13:30 to 14th July 2026 @ 18:30

    the Questionnaire link will not open until 13:15.

  3. Next notice expected80 days ago
    1 Aug 2026, 23:59 BST
  4. Tender notice published13 days ago
    7 Oct 2026, 13:07 BST
  5. Today
    20 Oct 2026
  6. Clarification questions byin 17 days
    6 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
  7. Submission deadlinein 77 days
    5 Jan 2027, 12:00 GMT
  8. Award decision expected byin 120 days
    17 Feb 2027, 23:59 GMT
  9. Contract startsin 162 days
    1 Apr 2027, 00:00 BST

Notice history

8 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 5 Aug 2025
  1. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    5 Aug 2025, 17:00 BST
    UK2
  2. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    29 Jun 2026, 13:12 BST
    UK2
  3. Published value updated to £250,000
    29 Jun 2026, 13:12 BST
    was £342,000
  4. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    14 Jul 2026, 11:34 BST
    UK2
  5. Tender notice published
    7 Oct 2026, 13:07 BST
    UK4
  6. Status changed to active
    7 Oct 2026, 13:07 BST
  7. Procurement method changed
    7 Oct 2026, 13:07 BST
  8. Deadline published: 5 Jan 2027, 12:00 GMT
    7 Oct 2026, 13:07 BST
Published amendments (1)

Extended to give more time for the premarket. We may extend further though under discussion

Routine re-releases (4)
  • 2025-08: 1 release · 5 Aug 2025

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Nothing awarded yet
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Cambridgeshire County Council

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PJVB-3262-VGVJ New Shire Hall Emery Crescent Enterprise Campus,, Alconbury Weald, Huntingdon, East of England, PE28 4YEContact name, email

Official documents & specifications (6)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

  • Technical specifications tenderTechnical specificationsBidders can access the tender documents for this opportunity at the link provided. The Authority uses ProContract entendering system. if you have not used this system before you will need to register. When expressing interest - the Pop up box will have a link to the actual procur…
  • Bidding documents and specifications tenderBidding documents and specificationsBidders can access the tender documents for this opportunity at the link provided. The Authority uses ProContract entendering system. if you have not used this system before you will need to register. When expressing interest - the Pop up box will have a link to the actual procu…

Notices published for this procedure