School and Social Care Transport
Reading Borough Council · Local authority
In brief
Reading Borough Council is looking for suppliers for transport and care work (South East).
It is a framework worth up to £36,000,000 excluding VAT: the most the buyer expects to spend across all suppliers, not one contract.
The contract runs for 8 years, starting 5 January 2027.
It is split into 2 lots, so a supplier can bid for part of the work.
The buyer says it is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.
Bids close at 11:59pm, Wednesday 7 October 2026.
Built from the notice's own fields. Always check the official notice before you bid.
Can I win this?
Key dates
- Bids by
- 11:59pm, Wednesday 7 October 2026
How bids are scored
Quality 50% · Pricing 50%
A balance of quality and price.
Competition
Usually high: a median of 8 bids per contract for this buyer (from 23 awards in the last 12 months).
Framework
Winning puts you on a list of suppliers the buyer can call on; it does not guarantee work. The £36,000,000 is the most the buyer expects to spend across all suppliers over the framework's life, not one contract.
Tender documents
What the notice says
RBC are completing a Framework exercise for the provision of School and Social Care Transport - The tender is split into two lots: Lot 1 – school transport The Council has a statutory duty to provide free travel assistance to pupils who meet the qualifying criteria. Most of the pupils who qualify receive a bus pass. For children and young people with special educational needs and/or a disability may be eligible to bespoke travel arrangements, such as a taxi or minibus. There are currently 536 pre-16 and 90 post-16 learners receiving transport arranged by the local authority at a forecasted cost of £4.52m for the financial year 2025 – 2026. The current framework used to award contracts to…Read the full description
Should I bid?
Tick what applies to you. Nothing is saved.
How to bid
- Read the full notice on Find a Tender, including any tender documents it links to.
- Register your organisation on the Central Digital Platform (through Find a Tender) if you have not already. Suppliers need to be registered to take part in procurements under the Procurement Act 2023.
- Submit your bid through the buyer's e-tendering portal: in-tendhost.co.uk.
- Make sure your bid arrives before 11:59pm, Wednesday 7 October 2026. Late bids are usually rejected.
Lots
| Lot | Trade | Value |
|---|---|---|
| School Transport 5 January 2027 to 4 January 2035 What this lot coversThe Council has a statutory duty to provide free travel assistance to pupils who meet the qualifying criteria. Most of the pupils who qualify receive a bus pass. For children and young people with special educational needs and/or a disability may be eligible to bespoke travel arrangements, such as a taxi or minibus. There are currently 536 pre-16 and 90 post-16 learners receiving transport arranged by the local authority at a forecasted cost of £4.52m for the financial year 2025 – 2026. The current framework used to award contracts to deliver these bespoke arrangements is coming to an end and this is the Council’s opportunity to review how we procure the transport. Full details of the requirement can be found in the Specification at Annex 1. The tender documents contain proposals for the works. | Transport, Social and domiciliary care | — |
| Ad hoc transport for children and young people known to social care 5 January 2027 to 4 January 2035 What this lot coversFrom time to time the Council requires transport for children and young people to attend appointments and activities or for when moving placements. | Transport, Social and domiciliary care | — |
Timeline
- Pipeline notice · UK1, notice 021892-2026
- Tender notice · UK4, notice 083000-2026
Last time this was bought
- Won by
- Kcare Nursing Agency Ltd, People Matter Support Services Ltd, VJ Carers Limited, Absolute Care (UK) Limited and 8 more
- Awarded
- 25 February 2026
- Value
- £127,700,000
- Bids
- 37
Matched on Reading Borough Council, the type of work and the title; it may be a related contract rather than the same one. Check the notice to be sure.
About the buyer
Procurements
55Awards
27Similar open tenders
All open transport tenders- £838mframework ceiling
- £750mframework ceiling
- £100mframework ceiling
- £175mestimated
From notice 021892-2026 on Find a Tender, first published 11 March 2026, last updated 2 September 2026. We last checked for changes on 28 September 2026.