Official UK procurement notice
Shopmobility and Demand Responsive Transport Services
Authority: Plymouth City Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionPlymouth City Council ("The Authority") is seeking to appoint a suitably experienced and capable Supplier to deliver a range of accessible transport services within the city of Plymouth. These services include the provision of Shopmobility, Demand Responsive Transport (DRT), and a Community Car Scheme.
The successful Supplier will be expected to deliver the following core services:
- Shopmobility Services
Shopmobility enables residents and visitors with mobility impairments to access Plymouth city centre by providing the hire of manual wheelchairs and electric scooters. The service operates from a central base located on the ground floor of the Mayflower East Car Park, Mayflower Street, Plymouth, PL1 1QJ.
- Demand Responsive Transport (Dial-a-Ride)
This door-to-door transport service is designed for Plymouth residents who are eligible for a concessionary bus pass and who are unable to access conventional public transport due to mobility or accessibility challenges.
- Community Car Scheme
A not-for-profit car-sharing initiative that supports residents with mobility issues in accessing essential services and facilities across Plymouth. The scheme is operated by volunteer drivers using their own vehicles.
The Authority is committed to ensuring these services remain accessible, reliable, and responsive to the needs of Plymouth's residents and visitors. The appointed Supplier will be expected to demonstrate a strong understanding of inclusive transport, community engagement, and service innovation, while delivering high-quality, customer-focused services.
- Not divided into lots: The Authority has decided not to divide this procurement into lots for the following reasons: The services required, Shopmobility, Demand Responsive Transport (Dial-a-Ride), and the Community Car Scheme are interdependent and collectively form a single, integrated accessible transport offer for Plymouth residents and visitors. Delivering these services under one contract will ensure: Operational Integration and Service Continuity: A single supplier can provide a seamless customer experience and maintain consistent service standards across all elements of the requirement. Fragmentation into separate lots would risk inefficiencies and service gaps. Economies of Scale and Cost Efficiency: Combining the services under one contract enables resource sharing (e.g., staffing, vehicles, administration), reducing duplication and overall costs. Multiple contracts would increase management overhead for both the Authority and suppliers. Quality and Accountability: A unified approach simplifies performance monitoring and accountability, ensuring clear responsibility for service delivery and compliance with contractual obligations. Market Considerations: The specialist nature of these services and the limited local market mean that dividing the requirement into lots could reduce competition and discourage participation. A single lot maximises bidder flexibility to propose innovative, integrated solutions. Risk Management: A single contract reduces the risk of service disruption and coordination challenges that could arise from managing multiple providers. For these reasons, the Authority considers that a single-lot approach is the most effective and proportionate method to achieve its objectives.
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 1 Jul 2030, 23:59 BST.
CPV: Other community, social and personal services · Public road transport services · Special-purpose road passenger-transport services · Taxi services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£457,350
- Economic & financial standing
As detailed within the procurement documents
- Technical & professional ability
As detailed within the procurement documents
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)
- Method Statements: 60%
- Total Tender Sum: 30%
- Social Value: 10%
Published award criteria (3)
- Method Statements: The sub-weightings of individual method statement questions are set out within the Procurement Documents
- Total Tender Sum: Based on the Total Cost for All Years to provide the minimum services as set out within the specification (excluding VAT), and excluding TUPE costs.
- Social Value: Total Social Value Commitment (£) - 5% Social Value Method Statement - 5%
- Economic & financial standing
As detailed within the procurement documents
- Technical & professional ability
As detailed within the procurement documents
- Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 1 Jul 2030
- First published
- 19 Nov 2025, 14:48 GMT
- Last source update
- 24 Feb 2026, 12:19 GMT
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 2 Feb 2026
- Authority reference
26694- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-075290- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05e48aFind a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 15 Dec 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
All submissions must be submitted via the Supplying the South West Portal - www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk ↗
The procurement opportunity advert can be found at:
procontract.due-north.com/Advert ↗
This procurement will be managed electronically via the Authority`s chosen e-procurement portal - Supplying the South West.
To participate in this procurement, Suppliers interested in this opportunity must register on the Supplying the South West procurement portal (www.supplyingthesouthwest.org.uk ↗). Once registered and logged in, Suppliers should search for the opportunity by title or reference number (DN797169), register their interest, and download the procurement documentation.
Registration is free and enables access to all tender documents, the ability to raise clarification questions, and submission of responses through the portal.
The Authority would like to make Suppliers aware that the Supplying The South West portal is not administered by the Authority. If a Supplier requires assistance or further information to be able to use the online portal process they should log a support ticket on the PROACTIS Supplier Support Portal.
If a Supplier continues to experiences issues they are to contact [email protected] requesting guidance.
If you encounter any difficulties whilst using the system you can contact the In-tend support team by phoning +44 8442728810 or e-mailing [email protected].
Timeline
19 Nov 2025 → 1 Apr 2026 · 7 dates- Tender notice published339 days ago19 Nov 2025, 14:48 GMT
- Submission deadline313 days ago15 Dec 2025, 12:00 GMT
- Award decision expected by264 days ago2 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Assessment summaries sent243 days ago24 Feb 2026
- Latest notice published242 days ago24 Feb 2026, 12:19 GMT
- Standstill ends233 days ago5 Mar 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract starts207 days ago1 Apr 2026, 00:00 BST
Notice history
4 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 19 Nov 2025- Tender notice published19 Nov 2025, 14:48 GMTUK4
- Contract award notice published24 Feb 2026, 12:19 GMTUK6
- Status changed to complete24 Feb 2026, 12:19 GMT
- Contract signature expected9 Mar 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ACCESS PLYMOUTH LIMITEDVCSE1 Apr 2026 – 31 Mar 2029 · up to 31 Mar 2031Extensions: The Authority reserves the right to extend the contract for one additional period of up to 2 years beyond the initial 3-year term. This option may be exercised based on satisfactory supplier performance and continued budget availability. · Options: The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid. The Authority reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to exercise the following options during the contract term: Additional Purchases: supplementary hire equipment (e.g., wheelchairs, scooters, vehicles) or related transport services to meet increased demand or enhance service delivery under Shopmobility, DRT, and the Community Car Scheme. Service Expansion: scaled-up capacity or geographic extension for the core services to reflect evolving community needs or policy goals. Contract Extension: an extension of the contract beyond the initial term of 3 Years, up to a maximum of 5 Years. Exercising any option is subject to availability of budget, satisfactory performance by the Supplier, and demonstrable continued need for the additional services or resources. | £457,350 | 6 Feb 2026standstill to 5 Mar 2026 | Standstill |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1final-stage tenders | 0 | 1 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- ACCESS PLYMOUTH LIMITEDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specifications The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at https://procontract.due-north.com/Advert?advertId=636f894d-4bc5-f011-813a-005056b64545&p=696a9836-1895-e511-8105-000c29c9ba21
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender