Find a TenderAwarded without competition
Published 6 Oct 2026, 09:18 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Provision of transport for stroke and suspected stroke patients

Official notice

Authority: Somerset NHS Foundation Trust (Central government)

ServicesAward procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Awarded value£150,000published contract · exc. VAT
Awarded 8 Sept 2026no call for competition
Awarded to Western Medical Services Limited

What is being bought

Published requirement description

A short term urgent contract to deliver a dedicated transport service for patients requiring repatriation to Yeovil District Hospital following admission to a hospital for stroke or suspected stroke.

CPV: Ambulance services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published
Lot #1This is a short term urgent award contract to deliver a dedicated transport service…Awarded
This is a short term urgent award contract to deliver a dedicated transport service for patients requiring repatriation to Yeovil District Hospital following admission to a hospital for stroke or suspected stroke. The Trust considers that there was an urgent need to award a contract. The lifetime value of the contract is expected to be £150,000 The contract dates are 9 September 2026 - 25 January 2027 with the option to extend until 28 February 2027.
Delivery: South West · The Services will be carried out across Somerset and Dorset.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record · publisher note attached
Procedure method
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Legal basis
CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Awarded without competition
Procurement threshold
Unspecified in notice
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Direct award — no call for competition
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
No (one-off requirement)
First published
6 Oct 2026, 09:18 BST
Last source update
6 Oct 2026, 09:18 BST
Authority reference
TRA030
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-094062
Classification (CPV)
Ambulance services
Delivery area
South West (UKK2)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-078145 Find a Tender
Why no open competition
The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the directive
Published justification
This contract has been awarded under the urgent circumstances provision of the Provider Selection Regime (PSR). This contract has been awarded under the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Procurement Act 2023 do not apply to this award.

Publisher note: This contract has been awarded under regulation 14 of the Health Care Services (Provider Selection Regime) Regulations 2023 (PSR). For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of the Procurement Act 2023 do not apply to this award. Regulation 14 was applicable because: (1) the award must be made urgently as the Trust requires a dedicated transport provider to be in place from 9 September 2026; (2) the reason for the urgency is that following challenges and having received legal advice (privilege in which is not waived) the Trust was unable to conclude its planned procurement for the service and there is insufficient time to complete a new Competitive Process before the service is required to go live; and (3) delaying the award of the contract is likely to pose a risk to patient safety because there will be a revised Stroke pathway from September 2026 which requires a dedicated transport provider to ensure the flow of patients from the Hyper Acute Stroke Units in Musgrove Park Hospital and Dorset County Hospital to the Acute Stroke Unit in Yeovil District Hospital. If a provider were not appointed patient safety would be compromised due to the risk of delays in arranging the spot purchase of transport which would result in beds being blocked in the Hyper Acute Stroke Units for new patients having a Stroke. This temporary contract is strictly time limited to allow time for a Competitive Process to be run to award a longer term contract for this service. The Competitive Process is planned to commence in September 2026. The decision-maker was the Operational Service Manager (Transport). There were no declared conflicts or potential conflicts of interest.

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics — not a forecast
Awards 1
Awarded value £150,0001 contract exc. VAT
Bids received 1
Contracts signed 1latest 8 Sept 2026
Awarded toValueDateStatus
Western Medical Services LimitedSME——Awarded

Contracts

Bid statistics published by the authority

BidsSMEVCSEValid bid range
1bids———

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

SOMERSET NHS FOUNDATION TRUST

Contracting authorityCentral GovernmentBody governed by public lawHealth GB-NHS: RH5 Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, South West, TA15DA Nicky Keeble [email protected]

Dispute resolution & review bodies

  • NHSE Independent Patient Choice and Procurement PanelReview body London

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice

Official documents & specifications

Official links; attachments are not copied

No document links were published on the notice.