Official UK procurement notice
Approved Contractors for the Integrated Transport Unit (ITU) Framework (2)
Authority: Bolton Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe Borough Council of Bolton ("the Authority") requested tenders for Approved Contractors for the Integrated Transport Unit (ITU) Framework Agreement. This Procurement was conducted in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023, using the Open Framework Procedure.
The original Framework commenced 1 August 2025 for eight (8) years in total.
Framework 2 will be for the remaining seven (7) years.
It is intended for Framework 2 to commence 1 June 2026, subject to the information, specification and tender package enclosed.
Existing Providers on The Framework will be carried over to the new Framework(2). However, they were invited to resubmit their Operational Route Mileage Charges form as part of this round.
Changes to pricing will take effect from 1 September 2026.
Open Frameworks are "reopened" (i.e. one Framework in the scheme expires as the next one commenced) periodically throughout the term to allow new suppliers to tender for a
place on the Framework.
The Open Framework will re-open intermittently, during which periods new providers will be able to gain entry onto the Framework Agreement.
Linked to OCID: ocds h6vhtk-051013 (Original Framework Award Notice)
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 1 Mar 2027, 23:59 GMT.
CPV: Transport services (excl. Waste transport)
How this framework works
From the published notice- Type
- Closed framework · open framework scheme (admission reopens)
- Call-offs
- call-offs may be awarded directly or by further competition
- Bids received
- 13 bids received · 13 suppliers appointed
- Framework period
- 6 yrs 11 mo from 1 Sept 2026
- Scheme runs until
- 17 Oct 2033
Published description of the framework
Following the establishment of the framework, individual route schedules will be awarded to the contractor with the right type of vehicle for the number of clients to be transported on a particular individual route and who has submitted the best price for the mileage determined for that particular route.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedPublished value£28,000,000
What it takes to wini
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 morei
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).
Published award criteria (2)
- Quality
- Social Value
- “Approved Contractors for the Integrated Transport Unit (ITU) Framework…” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract: call-offs may be direct or by further competition.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Open framework scheme
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 1 Mar 2027
- First published
- 5 Mar 2026, 15:03 GMT
- Last source update
- 13 May 2026, 16:50 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 18 May 2026
- Authority reference
TC076- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-020006- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-066340Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 6 Apr 2026, 16:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 30 Mar 2026, 16:00 BST
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
5 Mar 2026 → 1 Sept 2026 · 8 dates- Tender notice published231 days ago5 Mar 2026, 15:03 GMT
- Clarification questions by206 days ago30 Mar 2026, 16:00 BST
- Admission / appointment period ends199 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown6 Apr 2026, 16:00 BST
- Assessment summaries sent162 days ago13 May 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published162 days ago13 May 2026, 16:50 BST
- Award decision expected by156 days ago18 May 2026, 23:59 BST
- Standstill ends152 days ago22 May 2026, 23:59 BST
- Contract starts51 days ago1 Sept 2026, 00:00 BST
Notice history
4 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 5 Mar 2026- Tender notice published5 Mar 2026, 15:03 GMTUK4
- Contract award notice published13 May 2026, 16:50 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete13 May 2026, 16:50 BST
- Contract signature expected29 May 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| A2U TRAVELS LTDVCSE, A2Z TRANSFERZ LTD, GRACE HEALTH LTD, Green Destinations Ltd, OAKDALE TRAVEL LTD, TRAVEL DELUXE LIMITED +7 more1 Jun 2026 – 31 Jul 2033 | £28,000,000 | 13 May 2026standstill to 22 May 2026 | Standstill |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13final-stage tenders | 13 | 1 | — |
Who bid
- wonA2U TRAVELS LTDVCSE · North West England
- wonA2Z TRANSFERZ LTD · North West England
- did not winCOMFY CONNECT LTD · Greater London
- did not winG.K Transferz · North West England
- wonGRACE HEALTH LTD · West Midlands
- wonGREEN DESTINATIONS LTD · West Midlands
- wonOAKDALE TRAVEL LTD · North West England
- did not winSLINE TRAVEL LIMITED · North West England
- did not winSPARK UK MEDICAL LIMITED · North West England
- did not winSpeedy Transferz · North West England
- wonTRAVEL DELUXE LIMITED · North West England
- wonTRIPLE ZERO TAXIS LIMITED · North West England
- wonVEEZU NORTH LIMITED · Wales (Cymru)
Bidders as named on the Procurement Act 2023 award notice. “Won” means the bidder holds an award on this notice.
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Framework contractors & participating bidders
13 commercial parties on the notice- A2U TRAVELS LTDFramework contractor
- A2Z TRANSFERZ LTDFramework contractor
- COMFY CONNECT LTDFramework contractor
- G.K TransferzFramework contractor
- GRACE HEALTH LTDFramework contractor
- GREEN DESTINATIONS LTDFramework contractor
- OAKDALE TRAVEL LTDFramework contractor
- SLINE TRAVEL LIMITEDFramework contractor
- SPARK UK MEDICAL LIMITEDFramework contractor
- Speedy TransferzFramework contractor
Show 3 more suppliers
- TRAVEL DELUXE LIMITEDFramework contractor
- TRIPLE ZERO TAXIS LIMITEDFramework contractor
- VEEZU NORTH LIMITEDFramework contractor
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specifications
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender