Official UK procurement notice
Transportation of Bodies on Behalf of the Coroner for Cornwall & The Isles of Scilly
Authority: Cornwall Council (Local council)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe Coroner for Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly is required to arrange the removal of bodies from the place of death to a designated mortuary or body holding facility in order to allow the investigation into any sudden, unexpected or unnatural deaths reported to them under The Coroner's & Justice Act 2009. Cornwall's Senior Coroner manages the strategy for body transportation. The Police Control Centre or (occasionally) a Coroner's Officer will instruct a service provider for collections from scene to a mortuary. Cornwall Council, the responsible body, uses a competitive tender process to appoint these service providers, ensuring efficient transport of bodies within the county, to Devon, or even nationally, as needed. The Council commissions this statutory service and the current contract is due to expire on 31/03/26. A new tender process needs to be completed.
**Suppliers were invited to submit tenders as part of a competitive tendering procedure in respect of the contract (Lots 1 - 8). No suitable tenders or requests in response to Lot 6 were received and therefore the Council is switching to Direct Award for Lot 6.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedProcedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Direct award
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- 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
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 25 Mar 2026, 16:58 GMT
- Last source update
- 25 Mar 2026, 16:58 GMT
- Authority reference
DN792431- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-027549- Latest notice
- Transparency notice (UK5)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06744bFind a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Switching Direct Award
- Published justification
Suppliers were invited to submit tenders as part of a competitive tendering procedure in respect of the contract (Lots 1 - 8). No suitable tenders or requests in response to Lot 6 were received and therefore the Council is switching to Direct Award for Lot 6.
Notice history
2 events · 1 release on Find a Tender · since 25 Mar 2026- Transparency notice published25 Mar 2026, 16:58 GMTUK5
- Contract signature expected3 Apr 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cornwall Funeral Services LtdSMELot 6 Cornwall Council's Historical Community Network Areas 15, 18 and 19.3 Apr 2026 – 31 Mar 2028 · up to 31 Mar 2034Extensions: The contract is anticipated to commence on 1st April 2026 and will continue for a period of two year(s) unless terminated or extended in accordance with the Contract terms. The initial term of the Contract is two years. This term is subject to any termination rights contained within the Contract. The contract terms include the potential for contract extension. The contract duration is two years, plus three optional two-year extensions. · Options: The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid. The contract includes extension options | £1,216,000 | — | Standstill |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- CORNWALL FUNERAL SERVICES LTDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender