Official UK procurement notice
Dorset Learning Centre Transport
Authority: Dorset Council (Local council)·Consortium: 2 public authorities
What is being bought4 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionDorset Council has gone out to tender to procure a transport service for the following Learning Centres
- Dorchester Learning Centre, based in Dorchester
- The Forum Centre, based in Blandford
- The Orchard (Forum Centre satellite provision), based in Lytchett Minster
- Harbour Vale Learning Centre, based in Sherborne
The core requirement is for the provision of home to school transport at standard bell times. In addition, there will be a requirement to provide transport outside of normal school hours to off-site provisions such sports events and work experience, as well as offering flexible responses to changes including cancellations and additional journeys.
Pupils attending Learning Centres may be located all over the county, as the centre they attend is largely determined by availability of places at the time. We are seeking experienced operators to organise, plan and operate transport as per the requirements of the individual Learning Centre.
The procurement was divided into four Lots, with each Lot corresponding to one Learning Centre:
- Lot 1: Dorchester Learning Centre
- Lot 2: The Forum Centre
- Lot 3: The Orchard (Forum Centre satellite provision)
- Lot 4: Harbour Vale Learning Centre
Tenderers could tender for one, multiple or all Lots. Each Lot was evaluated separately.
This further competition procurement process was run through the Passenger Transport DPS.
CPV: Road transport services
How this dynamic market works
From the published notice- Type
- Dynamic market
- Bids received
- 5 bids on the busiest of 4 lots · 3 suppliers appointed
Lots and requirements (4)Procurement structure
4 lots · 1 with a published value · same evaluation weights on every lotLot #1Dorchester Learning CentreAwardedRenewalPublished value£80,000,000
The provision of home to school transport for Dorchester Learning Centre.
The core requirement is for the provision of home to school transport at standard bell times. In addition, there will be a requirement to provide transport outside of normal school hours to off-site provisions such sports events and work experience, as well as offering flexible responses to changes including cancellations and additional journeys.
Pupils attending Learning Centres may be located all over the county, as the centre they attend is largely determined by availability of places at the time. We are seeking experienced operators to organise, plan and operate transport as per the requirements of the individual Learning Centre.
Lot #2The Forum CentreAwardedLot estimate not published
The provision of home to school transport for The Forum Centre.
The core requirement is for the provision of home to school transport at standard bell times. In addition, there will be a requirement to provide transport outside of normal school hours to off-site provisions such sports events and work experience, as well as offering flexible responses to changes including cancellations and additional journeys.
Pupils attending Learning Centres may be located all over the county, as the centre they attend is largely determined by availability of places at the time. We are seeking experienced operators to organise, plan and operate transport as per the requirements of the individual Learning Centre.
Lot #3The Orchard (Forum Centre satellite provision)AwardedLot estimate not published
The provision of home to school transport for The Orchard (Forum Centre satellite provision)
The core requirement is for the provision of home to school transport at standard bell times. In addition, there will be a requirement to provide transport outside of normal school hours to off-site provisions such sports events and work experience, as well as offering flexible responses to changes including cancellations and additional journeys.
Pupils attending Learning Centres may be located all over the county, as the centre they attend is largely determined by availability of places at the time. We are seeking experienced operators to organise, plan and operate transport as per the requirements of the individual Learning Centre.
Lot #4Harbour Vale Learning CentreAwardedLot estimate not published
The provision of home to school transport for Harbour Vale Learning Centre.
The core requirement is for the provision of home to school transport at standard bell times. In addition, there will be a requirement to provide transport outside of normal school hours to off-site provisions such sports events and work experience, as well as offering flexible responses to changes including cancellations and additional journeys.
Pupils attending Learning Centres may be located all over the county, as the centre they attend is largely determined by availability of places at the time. We are seeking experienced operators to organise, plan and operate transport as per the requirements of the individual Learning Centre.
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: 20
- Price: 80
- Price carries 80 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 8 points. This one is won on the number: sharpen the price before polishing the prose.
- “Dorset Learning Centre Transport” is a dynamic market: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Restricted procedure
- Legal basis
- CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Dynamic market
- Who may use this agreement
- Any qualifying supplier may apply while the market is open
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- No (one-off requirement)
- First published
- 23 Apr 2021, 14:13 BST
- Last source update
- 10 Jul 2026, 16:35 BST
- Authority reference
DN817559- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-065342- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-02a99fFind a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Admission period ends
- 23 Feb 2029, 12:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission"}
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
10 Jul 2026 → 23 Feb 2029 · 2 dates- Notice published106 days ago10 Jul 2026, 16:35 BST
- Today24 Oct 2026
- Admission / appointment period endsperiod end, not a bid countdown23 Feb 2029, 12:00 GMT
Notice history
5 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 24 Apr 2025- Published value updated to £80,000,00024 Apr 2025, 14:43 BSTwas £20,000,000
- Deadline moved to 30 Apr 2027, 12:00 BST24 Apr 2025, 14:43 BST+730 days · was 30 Apr 2025
- Buyer details updated24 Apr 2025, 14:43 BST
- Deadline moved to 23 Feb 2029, 12:00 GMT19 Feb 2026, 16:38 GMT+665 days · was 30 Apr 2027, 12:00 BST
- Status changed to complete10 Jul 2026, 16:35 BST
Published amendments (1 · 1 deadline change)
| When | What | Before | After | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | DeadlineIV.2.2 | 30 Apr 2027 | 23 Feb 2029 | +665 d |
The original contract end date of 30 April 2027 has been extended to 23 February 2029, resulting in a total extension period of 1 year, 9 months and 24 days. This arrangement is an established Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) operating under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, allowing ongoing supplier admission and flexible call off arrangements. The extension reflects the revised transitional …
Routine re-releases (4)
- 2021-04: 1 release · 23 Apr 2021
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast4 suppliers are admitted to this dynamic market without individual award values or dates, see the supplier list below.
Contracts
All 2 of these contracts carry the same published figure, £1,272,500, the dynamic market's maximum for the whole notice, not each contract's own value. They are not eleven separate sums.
Lot 1: Dorchester Learning Centre
- Signed
- 8 Jul 2026
- Value
- £2,650,000
- Status
- active
Lot 2: The Forum Centre
- Signed
- 8 Jul 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Status
- active
Lot 3: The Orchard (Forum Centre satellite provision)
- Signed
- 8 Jul 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Status
- active
Lot 4: Harbour Vale Learning Centre
- Signed
- 8 Jul 2026
- Value
- £1,825,000
- Status
- active
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Dorchester Learning Centre | 2bids | — | — | — |
| 2 · The Forum Centre | 4bids | — | — | — |
| 3 · The Orchard (Forum Centre satellite provision) | 3bids | — | — | — |
| 4 · Harbour Vale Learning Centre | 5bids | — | — | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
2 public bodies on the noticeSuppliers admitted to the dynamic market
3 commercial parties on the notice- 24x7 ltdAdmitted to the market
- M&J TaxiAdmitted to the market
- P&D Contracts (Weymouth) LtdAdmitted to the market
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice.