Find a TenderOpen admission Tender notice
Published 24 Sept 2026, 18:14 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Ground Transportation Framework for UK

Authority: British Council (Local council)

Framework agreementServicesCompetitive flexible procedureAbove threshold
Framework ceiling (notional)£640,000framework ceiling, not attributable revenue
Admission open until 20 Oct 202614:00 BST · period end, not a bid countdown
Clarification cut-off 7 Oct 202614:00 BST · questions to the authority
Framework period 2 yrsup to 4 yrs with extensions · starts 7 Dec 2026
Bids per lot · this authority 4.5all categories · n=46 · competition analysis ↓

What is being bought

Published requirement description

The British Council is seeking to appoint vehicle driven transport services specifically, standard car transportation, executive chauffeur car hire and coach services on its behalf during visits from overseas delegations and or the transportation of staff, guests and stakeholders and on an as needed basis.

  • How the procedure runs: The procedure will comprise an initial tender stage, followed by supplier clarification and a Best and FINAL Tender stage.

CPV: Road transport services · Support services for land, water and air transport · Travel agency, tour operator and tourist assistance services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Lot 1Renewal 2 yrsPublished value£640,000
Contract period: 7 Dec 2026 — 6 Dec 2028 (2 yrs) · up to 4 yrs with extensionsDelivery: UK
Value
£640,000 exc. VAT · £768,000 inc. VAT
Extensions
The initial framework agreement will be for an initial two year term with the option to extend for up to two additional 12 month periods
60100000 Road transport services63500000 Travel agency, tour operator and tourist assistance services63700000 Support services for land, water and air transport

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: 60%Price: 40%
Published sub-criteria (2)
  • Quality & Methodology — 60%
  • Pricing Approach — 40%
Published award criteria (2)
  • Pricing Approach — Pricing

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

How British Council buys Road transport services (CPV 6010) — and who usually turns up

British Council’s own published record, next to the Greater London market for the same work. This notice is a framework or DPS, so only frameworks and DPS are compared. Whole-market view: Road transport services (CPV 6010) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Left: this authority. Right: the market where the work is delivered. Bids and award-vs-estimate pairs are per lot, from contested frameworks and DPS only — direct awards (including PA 2023 transparency notices) report one bid by definition and are left out. On Procurement Act 2023 notices the count is the tenders assessed at the final stage, not every submission received; pairs compare like with like (VAT-exclusive, or VAT-inclusive on both sides). Empty means nothing was published, not filled in from elsewhere.

This authority

British Council

framework/DPS notices in 36 months: 1 in division 60 (1 route not published) · 57 in all categories (3 route not published)

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 46 lots. 32 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 3.5) and 14 from older notices (bids received, middle 8).

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

4.5all categories · 36m · n=46 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 46 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

9%all categories · 36m · n=46 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 24 months: 15 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

3% belowall categories · 24m · n=15 pairs
Deadline → award date
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.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 18 notices.

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

Last 36 months.

45dall categories · 36m · n=18 notices
Notice updates
i

How often this buyer changes a notice after publishing it.

Middle number of amendments per notice. Deadline extensions and corrections both count.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 24 months: 476 notices.

Last 24 months.

0all categories · 24m · n=476 notices
Awarded without competition
i

How often this buyer awards without a competition.

Direct or limited awards as a share of its notices that say which procedure was used. These routes are legal in defined cases. This is just the record.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 54 notices.

Last 36 months.

0%all categories · 36m · n=54 notices
Bids per lot robust · n=46
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 46 lots on 24 contested notices · all categories, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 9%
  • 2–3 26%
  • 4–6 30%
  • 7+ 35%

Median 4.5 · 46 lots on 24 contested notices · all categories.

How procedures are run robust · n=54
i

Which procedures buyers here use.

Notices by the procedure they declare: open, selective, limited or direct. Open and selective are competitions; limited and direct are not.

Based on 57 notices · all categories, last 36 months.

  • Open 94%
  • Selective 6%
  • Limited 0%
  • Direct 0%

57 notices · all categories. Open and selective are competed (they feed the bid and price figures above); limited and direct are not; notices publishing no route are outside all four.

The market · authority’s region

Greater London · Road transport services (CPV 6010)

framework/DPS notices delivered in Greater London in 36 months: 10 in CPV 6010 (7 competed, 3 route not published) · 48 in division 60 (40 competed, 8 route not published) · the notice publishes no delivery location, so the authority’s registered region is used

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 6010), last 36 months: 8 lots. All 8 lots are from older notices, which count bids received.

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

7CPV 6010 · 36m · n=8 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 6010), last 36 months: 8 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

0%CPV 6010 · 36m · n=8 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Nothing published for this region in this sector: not measured on frameworks — a panel award is a ceiling, not a price.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

—not measured on frameworks — a panel award is a ceiling, not a price
Deadline → award date
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.

Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 60), last 36 months: 9 notices.

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

Last 36 months.

58ddivision 60 · 36m · n=9 notices
SME bidders
i

How much of this market goes to small and medium firms.

SME bidders where buyers published the split, otherwise SME winners.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 6010), last 36 months: 8 lots.

Last 36 months.

44%CPV 6010 · 36m · n=8 lots
Winners based in the region
i

How much work like this goes to companies based in the delivery region.

Awards in this category delivered here where the winner’s registered address is in the region.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 6010), last 36 months: 10 awards.

Registered address, so a national firm with a local branch counts as outside.

Last 36 months.

40%CPV 6010 · 36m · n=10 awards
Bids per lot robust · n=8
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 8 lots on 3 contested notices · CPV 6010, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 0%
  • 2–3 13%
  • 4–6 25%
  • 7+ 63%

Median 7 · 8 lots on 3 contested notices · CPV 6010.

How procedures are run robust · n=7
i

Which procedures buyers here use.

Notices by the procedure they declare: open, selective, limited or direct. Open and selective are competitions; limited and direct are not.

Based on 10 notices · CPV 6010, last 36 months.

  • Open 43%
  • Selective 57%
  • Limited 0%
  • Direct 0%

10 notices · CPV 6010. Open and selective are competed (they feed the bid and price figures above); limited and direct are not; notices publishing no route are outside all four.

robust · n=15
i

Where this tender’s estimate would land if the usual pattern repeats.

We apply the buyer’s usual movement between estimate and award (or the region’s) to the estimate on this notice.

Based on this buyer’s own usual movement over 15 lots (all categories), applied to the £640,000 estimate on this notice.

A benchmark, not a price to bid.

Awards in British Council (all categories, n=15 pairs) land a median 3% below: on this notice’s £640,000 that is about £623,360. Context for a bid, not a recommended price.
Coverage and what to read with care
  • Each tile explains itself. The on a figure says what it is, how it is counted and which scope this notice’s own record came from (class, division, all categories, or the authority’s 24-month row). The two columns are never blended and nothing is filled from a UK-wide figure; an empty tile means the source published nothing usable. Long form: Methodology.
  • Coverage. Roughly 40 % of notices publish a bid count; about half publish an ITL1 delivery location, so the market column reads the authority’s registered region when the notice has none (labelled). About 30 % of award-vs-estimate pairs are exact matches — the buyer published the award at the estimate. n is on every figure; a thin sample is muted, never hidden.
  • “Match” and “relevance” are model scores from the nightly matcher, not published facts. Find a Tender does not publish who is bidding. Never shown: contact details, payment behaviour, or a recommended price.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Competitive flexible procedure
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Open admission
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Framework agreement
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
No (one-off requirement)
First published
24 Sept 2026, 18:14 BST
Last source update
24 Sept 2026, 18:14 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end — 23 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
Authority reference
ITT1036756
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Road transport servicesSupport services for land, water and air transportTravel agency, tour operator and tourist assistance services
Delivery area
UK
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0779fa Find a Tender
How it runs
The procedure will comprise an initial tender stage, followed by supplier clarification and a Best and FINAL Tender stage.

How to participate & submission route

Official notice Apply via TCS TAP eSourcing
Submission portal named on this notice: TCS TAP eSourcing
Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free
Expression of interest (EOI)
—
Appointment period ends
20 Oct 2026, 14:00 BST
Clarification deadline
7 Oct 2026, 14:00 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release
Supplier Self Registration (British Council MyProcurement): tap.tcsapps.com/tap2/ ↗ View Public Tender (British Council MyProcurement): tap.tcsapps.com/tap2sup/ ↗

Timeline

5 published dates · Europe/London
  1. Tender notice publishedearlier today
    24 Sept 2026, 18:14 BST
  2. Clarification questions byin 13 days
    7 Oct 2026, 14:00 BST
  3. Admission / appointment period endsin 26 days · period end, not a bid countdown
    20 Oct 2026, 14:00 BST
  4. Award decision expected byin 60 days
    23 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
  5. Contract startsin 73 days
    7 Dec 2026, 00:00 GMT

Commercial outcome & contract awards

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

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Tender notice published
    24 Sept 2026, 18:14 BSTUK4

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

British Council

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PHTN-1551-GCQH 1 Redman Place, London, London, E20 1JQ

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

  • Conflict of interest declarationtenderConflict of interest declarationNot published

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender