Official UK procurement notice
NESO Coach Services Tender
Authority: NATIONAL ENERGY SYSTEM OPERATOR LIMITED (Public body)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionNESO is seeking a single provider of a fully managed coach service, including electrical vehicles, drivers, maintenance, cleaning, and garaging, to operate employee shuttle buses between train station(s) and office(s). The initial term would be 3 years (+1+1 possible extension).
Total contract value including VAT: £2.2m
Total contract value excluding VAT: £1.8m
- How the procedure runs: The Tender Process will consist of 3 stages: • Stage 1 (PSQ & ITT) - combined submission • Stage 2 (Site Visits & Negotiations/BAFO) - Optional but planned - minimum of 3x Bidders • Stage 3 (Contract Award) - 1 Supplier awarded Bidder Tender Responses MUST be submitted via SAP Ariba, as a combined (PSQ & ITT) submission. NESO, as the Contracting Authority, intends and expects to proceed to Stage 2 upon completion of Stage 1. However, the Contracting Authority reserves the right, at its sole discretion, not to progress to Stage 2. Should the Contracting Authority choose not to launch Stage 2, the Award Decision will be based exclusively on the results of Stage 1 The PSQ evaluation is a pass / fail step of the Tender process, and Bidders must achieve a pass mark on all mandatory pass questions. If Bidders do not pass the PSQ, they will not progress to the next stage of the Tender Process and their ITT response will not be assessed in any form as part of the Tender Process. Further details on the Tender Process are described in the Tender Instructions. Responding to this notice: • Bidders wishing to participate in this Tender must respond via email to the advertised NESO email inbox listed in the Tender Notice. • Bidders should include in their email the attachment from the Tender Notice (completed NDA); please include the name and email address of the lead contact, and supporting team members, per Bidder for circulation of SAP Ariba portal details. • Upon receiving such email, the Contracting Authority will review completed NDAs and following compliance checks, issue Bidders with links to NESO's SAP Ariba portal, granting access to the full suite of Tender Documents.
CPV: Road transport services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£2,050,000
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 sub-criteria (3)
- Technical: 40%
- Commercial: 50%
- Social Value: 10%
Published award criteria (3)
- Technical: As per tender instructions
- Social Value: As per tender instructions
- Commercial: As per tender instructions
- Price carries 50 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 5 points. This one is won on the number: sharpen the price before polishing the prose.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
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
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Utilities
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 17 Nov 2025, 09:45 GMT
- Last source update
- 2 Oct 2026, 13:33 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 10 Aug 2026
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-028766- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05e220Find a Tender
- How it runs
The Tender Process will consist of 3 stages:
- Stage 1 (PSQ & ITT) - combined submission
- Stage 2 (Site Visits & Negotiations/BAFO) - Optional but planned - minimum of 3x Bidders
- Stage 3 (Contract Award) - 1 Supplier awarded
Bidder Tender Responses MUST be submitted via SAP Ariba, as a combined (PSQ & ITT) submission.
NESO, as the Contracting Authority, intends and expects to proceed to Stage 2 upon completion of Stage 1. However, the Contracting Authority reserves the right, at its sole discretion, not to progress to Stage 2. Should the Contracting Authority choose not to launch Stage 2, the Award Decision will be based exclusively on the results of Stage 1
The PSQ evaluation is a pass / fail step of the Tender process, and Bidders must achieve a pass mark on all mandatory pass questions. If Bidders do not pass the PSQ, they will not progress to the next stage of the Tender Process and their ITT response will not be assessed in any form as part of the Tender Process.
Further details on the Tender Process are described in the Tender Instructions.
Responding to this notice:
- Bidders wishing to participate in this Tender must respond via email to the advertised NESO email inbox listed in the Tender Notice.
- Bidders should include in their email the attachment from the Tender Notice (completed NDA); please include the name and email address of the lead contact, and supporting team members, per Bidder for circulation of SAP Ariba portal details.
- Upon receiving such email, the Contracting Authority will review completed NDAs and following compliance checks, issue Bidders with links to NESO's SAP Ariba portal, granting access to the full suite of Tender Documents.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 1 May 2026, 23:59 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 20 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
17 Nov 2025 → 14 Oct 2026 · 11 dates- Planning notice published339 days ago17 Nov 2025, 09:45 GMT
- Market engagement318 days ago8 Dec 2025, 23:59 GMT
Objectives of the engagement:
- Test market appetite
- Validate and refine scope
- Understand pricing models
- Explore delivery options
Submitting your response would enable us to capture your expression of interest and help ensure the resulting arrangement is commercial viable, accessible and fit for purpose.
Response Instructions
All responses (including expression of interest) must be submitted via MS form link: forms.office.com/e/12Dzi21qtg ↗ - Please submit your responses by 8th of December (12pm)
Completion of this form:
. Registers your expression of interest
. Provides an opportunity to offer feedback
Engagement Method
All supplier are requested to respond exclusively through the MS form.
For any queries or clarifications, please reach out to NESO Procurement team via [email protected]. Please note that we will not be providing any additional information on individual basis to ensure fairness and transparency.
Disclaimer
This is not a call for competition. Participation does not affect future tendering opportunities.
- Next notice expected241 days ago23 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Tender notice published209 days ago27 Mar 2026, 17:13 GMT
- Clarification questions by185 days ago20 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
- Submission deadline174 days ago1 May 2026, 23:59 BST
- Award decision expected by73 days ago10 Aug 2026, 23:59 BST
- Assessment summaries sent22 days ago1 Oct 2026, 00:00 BST
- Contract starts22 days ago1 Oct 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published20 days ago2 Oct 2026, 13:33 BST
- Standstill ends8 days ago14 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
Notice history
9 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 17 Nov 2025- Preliminary market engagement notice published17 Nov 2025, 09:45 GMTUK2
- Tender notice published27 Mar 2026, 17:13 GMTUK4
- Published value updated to £2,050,00027 Mar 2026, 17:13 GMTwas £1,800,000
- Status changed to active27 Mar 2026, 17:13 GMT
- Procurement method changed27 Mar 2026, 17:13 GMT
- Deadline published: 1 May 2026, 23:59 BST27 Mar 2026, 17:13 GMT
- Contract award notice published2 Oct 2026, 13:33 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete2 Oct 2026, 13:33 BST
- Contract signature expected15 Oct 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horseman Coaches LtdSME15 Oct 2026 – 14 Oct 2029 · up to 14 Oct 2031Extensions: +1+1 Possible extension: Two extension of 12 months each to make a total contract period of five years. · Options: The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid. The contract includes the right to modify existing routes and to add new routes as needed, provided these remain within the contract value and allowable uplifts. The published contract value already includes a provision for an additional route expected to be required around year 4 of the agreement | £1,849,722 | 29 Sept 2026standstill to 14 Oct 2026 | Standstill |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2final-stage tenders · 3 at stage one | 2 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- HORSEMAN COACHES LIMITEDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (5)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specifications Please complete NDA and provide it back when responding to this notice (via email to [email protected]). Please also provide your SAP Ariba number (AN ID) when responding to this notice. Please include the name and email address of the lead contact, and support…
- Bidding documents and specificationsAccess: Bidders will be granted access to the full suite of Tender Documents on SAP Ariba following review of completed Bidder NDAs by the Contracting Authority.
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender