Official UK procurement notice
Framework Agreement for Ad-Hoc Minibus and Coach Hire
Authority: North Lanarkshire Council (Local council)
What is being bought5 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionNorth Lanarkshire Council (the “Council”) requires the provision of passenger transport services to supplement its existing arrangements managed by Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) for school pupil transport (drop-offs and pickups before and after the school day), and transport for pupils with Additional Support Needs (ASN).
To enable the delivery of critical / key service provision, the council intends to establish a multi-lot, multi-supplier framework agreement for minibus and coach hire services to provide ad-hoc passenger journeys, primarily for educational purposes but available for use by other Council departments.
Transport required via the framework agreement will be used for a variety of purposes, including (but not limited to) one-off day trips, educational visits, cultural excursions and short-term block bookings such as swimming lessons, sports training etc.
the framework agreement shall include the provision of appropriately sized and equipped vehicles, qualified drivers, and compliance with all relevant safety and safeguarding standards. Optional elements, such as enhanced accessibility features or additional vehicle capacities, may be considered or sought via the framework agreement but are not mandatory.
Further information on the Lots, including applied Sub-Lots is detailed below however it is anticipated that a maximum of seven (7) Contractors shall be appointed to each of the five (5) Lots of the framework agreement.
Full information on the Details of Requirements to be applied within the framework agreement are detailed in ITT Annex 1 available via PCS-Tender.
- Recurrence: The framework agreement will be awarded for a maximum total period of 48 months. Following expiry of the framework agreement, the Council may elect to re-tender requirements.
CPV: Hire of buses and coaches with driver · Hire of passenger transport vehicles with driver · Road transport services
How this framework works
From the published notice- Places
- up to 35 suppliers · 16 bids on the busiest of 5 lots (0.5 per place) · 12 appointed
Lots and requirements (5)Procurement structure
5 lots · no lot values published · win at most 5 of them · same evaluation weights on every lotLot #14 to 16 Seat Vehicles (Excl .Driver)CancelledRenewal
In addition to the Description detailed above in this Contract Notice, Lot 1 of the framework agreement will comprise of vehicles with a passenger seating capacity of 4 – 16 seats.
Full information on the Details of Requirements, Lot approach etc. for the framework agreement is detailed in the tender pack, response envelopes etc. located in PCS-Tender
Lot #217 to 34 Seat Vehicles (Excl .Driver)CancelledRenewal
In addition to the Description detailed above in this Contract Notice, Lot 2 of the framework agreement will comprise of vehicles with a passenger seating capacity of 17 – 34 seats
Full information on the Details of Requirements, Lot approach etc. for the framework agreement is detailed in the tender pack, response envelopes etc. located in PCS-Tender
Lot #335 to 53 Seat Vehicles (Excl .Driver)CancelledRenewal
In addition to the Description detailed above in this Contract Notice, Lot 3 of the framework agreement will comprise of vehicles with a passenger seating capacity of 35 – 53 seats
Full information on the Details of Requirements, Lot approach etc. for the framework agreement is detailed in the tender pack, response envelopes etc. located in PCS-Tender
Lot #454 to 69 Seat Vehicles (Excl .Driver)CancelledRenewal
In addition to the Description detailed above in this Contract Notice, Lot 4 of the framework agreement will comprise of vehicles with a passenger seating capacity of 54 – 69 seats
Full information on the Details of Requirements, Lot approach etc. for the framework agreement is detailed in the tender pack, response envelopes etc. located in PCS-Tender
Lot #570+ Seat Vehicles (Excl .Driver)CancelledRenewal
In addition to the Description detailed above in this Contract Notice, Lot 5 of the framework agreement will comprise of vehicles with a passenger seating capacity of 70 seat or more.
Full information on the Details of Requirements, Lot approach etc. for the framework agreement is detailed in the tender pack, response envelopes etc. located in PCS-Tender
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 sub-criteria (9)
- Vehicles, Accessibility & Safety: 10%
- Service Delivery & Mobilisation: 10%
- Drivers, safeguarding & Incident Management: 7%
- Continues Improvement: 3%
- Fair Work First: 3%
- Community Benefits Methodology: 2%
- Community Benefits Offering Menu: 2%
- price: 60%
- Carbon Reduction / Net Zero: 3%
Published award criteria (9)
- Vehicles, Accessibility & Safety: 10
- Service Delivery & Mobilisation: 10
- Drivers, safeguarding & Incident Management: 7
- Continues Improvement: 3
- Carbon Reduction / Net Zero: 3
- Fair Work First: 3
- Community Benefits Methodology: 2
- Community Benefits Offering Menu: 2
- Price: 60
- Technical & professional ability
To ensure compliance with statutory obligations and to safeguard the Council and Service Users, all Contractors must hold a valid Public Service Vehicle (PSV) Operator’s Licence (or suitable acceptable equivalent) issued by the relevant regulatory authority e.g., the Traffic Commissioner.
The Contractors PSV Operations Licence must cover the type and size of vehicles proposed for use under this Framework Agreement.
- Price carries 60 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 6 points. This one is won on the number: sharpen the price before polishing the prose.
- “Framework Agreement for Ad-Hoc Minibus and Coach Hire” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 35 suppliers, 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 · publisher note attached- Procedure method
- Open 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
- Framework agreement
- 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
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
Yes · The framework agreement will be awarded for a maximum total period of 48 months. Following expiry of the framework agreement, the Council may elect to re-tender requirements.
- First published
- 18 Sept 2025, 11:16 BST
- Last source update
- 24 Apr 2026, 12:18 BST
- Award evaluation window
- 3 Dec 2025 – …
- Authority reference
NLC-CPT-25-077- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-037543- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-059cebFind a Tender
- Electronic trading
- e-invoicing allowed · electronic ordering · electronic payment
- Performance terms
Further information on contract performance conditions is located within Annex 7 of the ITT document within the PCS-Tender System.
- Review procedure
An economic operator that suffers, or is at risk of suffering, loss or damage attributable to a breach of duty under the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 or the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, may bring proceedings in the Sheriff Court or the Court of Session.
Publisher note: Tenderers must complete the SPD (Scotland) within the Qualification Envelope of the PCS Tender. Full Selection criteria is as stated in the procurement documents All Tenderers must complete the required Qualification and Technical Envelope applicable to all Lots, and Sub-Lots they are bidding for within the PCS-Tender as instructed. Late Tenders will not be considered under any circumstances. For the avoidance of any doubt, automated messages confirming receipt of a Tender should not be taken to imply acceptance of it by the Council. The Council will not provide additional notification to any Bidder of the rejection of a late Tender. The complete Tender (complete with SPD (Scotland)) should be submitted in accordance with the instructions detailed in PCS-Tender. (SC Ref:829674)
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 10 Dec 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission"}
- Accepted languages
- en
- Bid validity
- 150 days from the deadline
- Bids opened
- 3 Dec 2025, 12:00 GMT
Timeline
24 Oct 2025 → 24 Apr 2026 · 4 dates- Next notice expected366 days ago24 Oct 2025, 00:00 BST
- Bids opened325 days ago3 Dec 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Admission / appointment period ends318 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown10 Dec 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Notice published183 days ago24 Apr 2026, 12:18 BST
Notice history
5 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 30 Oct 2025- Status changed to active30 Oct 2025, 15:25 GMT
- Procurement method changed30 Oct 2025, 15:25 GMT
- Deadline published: 3 Dec 2025, 12:00 GMT30 Oct 2025, 15:25 GMT
- Deadline moved to 10 Dec 2025, 12:00 GMT1 Dec 2025, 16:20 GMT+7 days · was 3 Dec 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Status changed to complete24 Apr 2026, 12:18 BST
Published amendments (1 · 1 deadline change)
| When | What | Before | After | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | DeadlineTime limit · IV.2.2 | 3 Dec 2025 | 10 Dec 2025 | +7 d |
| — | Bid openingConditions for opening of tenders · IV.2.7 | 3 Dec 2025 | 10 Dec 2025 | +7 d |
Participants should be aware that the council is extending the deadline for Tender Returns to Wednesday 10 December 2025 to maximise participation and completeness of tenders.
Routine re-releases (4)
- 2025-09: 1 release · 18 Sept 2025
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast5 suppliers are admitted to this framework without individual award values or dates, see the supplier list below.
Contracts
All 2 of these contracts carry the same published figure, £80,000, the framework's maximum for the whole notice, not each contract's own value. They are not eleven separate sums.
Lot 4 – 54 to 69 Seat Vehicles (Excl .Driver)
- Signed
- 2 Apr 2026
- Value
- £640,000
- Status
- active
Lot 5 – 70+ Seat Vehicles (Excl .Driver)
- Signed
- 2 Apr 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Status
- active
Lot 1 – 4 to 16 Seat Vehicles (Excl .Driver)
- Signed
- 2 Apr 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Status
- active
Lot 2 – 17 to 34 Seat Vehicles (Excl .Driver)
- Signed
- 2 Apr 2026
- Value
- £240,000
- Status
- active
Lot 3 – 35 to 53 Seat Vehicles (Excl .Driver)
- Signed
- 2 Apr 2026
- Value
- £560,000
- Status
- active
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · 4 to 16 Seat Vehicles (Excl .Driver) | 16bids · 16 electronic · 16 from abroad | 15 | — | — |
| 2 · 17 to 34 Seat Vehicles (Excl .Driver) | 13bids · 13 electronic · 13 from abroad | 12 | — | — |
| 3 · 35 to 53 Seat Vehicles (Excl .Driver) | 13bids · 13 electronic · 13 from abroad | 12 | — | — |
| 4 · 54 to 69 Seat Vehicles (Excl .Driver) | 12bids · 12 electronic · 12 from abroad | 11 | — | — |
| 5 · 70+ Seat Vehicles (Excl .Driver) | 9bids · 9 electronic · 9 from abroad | 8 | — | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- Scottish CourtsReview body
Framework contractors & participating bidders
12 commercial parties on the notice- Blue Bus LtdFramework contractor
- Calmac Executive Travel LTDFramework contractor
- Doigs LtdFramework contractor
- GOLDEN EAGLE COACHES LtdFramework contractor
- K White TransportFramework contractor
- Kevin's Coaches LtdFramework contractor
- L A Travel LtdFramework contractor
- MacPhails Coaches LtdFramework contractor
- Millers Coaches Scotland LtdFramework contractor
- PHOTOFLASH TRAVEL LTDFramework contractor
Show 2 more suppliers
- Park's of Hamilton (Coach Hirers) LtdFramework contractor
- i travel transport services ltdFramework contractor
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Economic and financial selection criteria
- Technical selection criteria