Official UK procurement notice
Transport Service for Manchester Schools Swimming Programme.
Authority: Manchester City Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionWe are seeking a contractor to be a key part of the delivery of the Manchester School
Swimming Programme. You will be responsible for the safe transport of pupils from
across the city to one of Manchester's leisure centres to attend their national curriculum
swimming lessons. You will be part of a hugely successful swimming programme that is
recognised nationally as a good model of practice. The programme produces national
curriculum attainment that is considerably higher than the national average, which we are
very proud of. We look forward to working with the successful contractor to continue
building on this success.
The contract will be awarded to 1 company.
The framework period will be for 3 years with the option to extend for an additional 1
years. It is intended for the framework to commence 01 September 2026. (Term time only,approx. 36-39 weeks per year).
The transport and service provided by the contractor must be safe, sensitive and reliable.
The Council is using the e-business portal known as the Chest. Applicants will need to
register their details at the following link www.the-chest.org.uk ↗.
Once registered, applicants will be emailed a log-in and password which will allow them to
gain access to the documentation relating to this opportunity .
CPV: Road transport services
How this framework works
From the published notice- Type
- Closed framework
- Call-offs
- call-offs are awarded directly to appointed suppliers, without further competition
- Places
- up to 1 suppliers · 7 bids received (7.0 per place) · 1 appointed (full)
- Framework period
- 3 yrs · up to 4 yrs from 1 Sept 2026
Published description of the framework
Please see tender documentation.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£1,465,608
- Economic & financial standing
Please see tender documentation
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 (4)
- Quality: 40%
- Price: 30%
- Social Value: 20%
- Zero Carbon and Environment: 10%
Published award criteria (4)
- Quality
- Social Value
- Zero Carbon and Environment
- Price
- Economic & financial standing
Please see tender documentation
- Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- “Transport Service for Manchester Schools Swimming Programme.” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 1 suppliers, not a single contract, and call-offs are awarded directly: getting appointed is the whole game.
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
- 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
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 26 Mar 2026, 16:31 GMT
- Last source update
- 17 Jun 2026, 15:37 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 30 Jun 2026
- Authority reference
P-1195- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-028147- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0675abFind a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 23 Apr 2026, 11:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 13 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
The Council is using the e-business portal known as the Chest. Applicants will need to register their details at the following link www.the-chest.org.uk ↗ . Once registered, applicants will be emailed a log-in and password which will allow them to gain access to the documentation relating to this opportunity. Applicants will need to electronically submit their completed tender documents, including procurement specific questionnaire, via the on-line portal by 11am on 23rd April 2026 as referred to in the tender documentation. Any clarification queries must also be submitted via the Chest website by the date referred to in the tender documentation.
Timeline
26 Mar 2026 → 1 Sept 2026 · 7 dates- Tender notice published212 days ago26 Mar 2026, 16:31 GMT
- Clarification questions by194 days ago13 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
- Admission / appointment period ends184 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown23 Apr 2026, 11:00 BST
- Assessment summaries sent130 days ago17 Jun 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published129 days ago17 Jun 2026, 15:37 BST
- Award decision expected by116 days ago30 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
- Contract starts54 days ago1 Sept 2026, 00:00 BST
Notice history
4 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 26 Mar 2026- Tender notice published26 Mar 2026, 16:31 GMTUK4
- Contract award notice published17 Jun 2026, 15:37 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete17 Jun 2026, 15:37 BST
- Contract signature expected3 Aug 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swans Travel LimitedSME1 Sept 2026 – 31 Aug 2029 · up to 31 Aug 2030Extensions: The framework period will be for a duration of 3 years with an option to extend for an additional 1 year | £1,465,608 | 17 Jun 2026 | Awarded |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7final-stage tenders | 7 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Framework contractors & participating bidders
1 commercial party on the notice- SWANS TRAVEL LIMITEDFramework contractor
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specificationsThe Council is using the e-business portal known as the Chest. Applicants will need to register their details at the following link www.the-chest.org.uk . Once registered, applicants will be emailed a log-in and password which will allow them to gain access to the documentation r…
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender