Demand Responsive Bus Service - NEL

What the buyer is asking for

North East Lincolnshire Council are seeking to appoint a new delivery partner for a transformational Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) service within North East Lincolnshire. The DRT service is also known as Phone n Ride. The aim is to provide an effective DRT service across the North East Lincolnshire area. Whilst the conventional bus network provides extensive coverage throughout the main urban areas of Grimsby and Cleethorpes, there are some journeys which cannot be made, either due to the location of the origin/destination points or at the time at which the individual wishes to travel. The aim of the DRT service is primarily to support accessibility for local residents who for whatever reason do not have appropriate access to conventional bus services.

How this is scored

Published by the buyer. A winning response is written to these weightings, not to the question.

• 8%qualityCriterion 1 - Service Implementation PlanTenderers must score a minimum raw score of 3. Failure to do so will deem your tender non-compliant.
• 7%qualityCriterion 2 Part A - Vehicle Requirements
• 5%qualityCriterion 2 Part B - Driver Requirements
• 4%qualityCriterion 3 - Business Continuity and Service ResilienceTenderers must score a minimum raw score of 3. Failure to do so will deem your tender non-compliant.
• 3.5%qualityCriterion 4 - Customer Service
• 2.5%qualityCriterion 5 - Out of Office Cover
• 10%qualityCriterion 6 - Social Value and Carbon Reduction
• 60%priceCost

What you must already have

Conditions of participation. These are pass or fail, so check them before writing anything.

• economic

  Economic and Financial Standing Information - tenderers to ensure that they have up-to-date economic and financial standing information available on the Find a Tender Service. Insurance - Employer's (Compulsory) Liability Insurance = £10m Public Liability Insurance = £5m, relevant motor vehicle insurance. General Data Protection Regulations - tenderers demonstrate that they have implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to ensure and demonstrate that the processing of personal data and sensitive personal data is performed in accordance with the GDPR. Further details about the conditions of participation and the award criteria can be found in the associated tender documents - it put it on tenderers to check the tender documentation any other requirements that form part of the Conditions of Participation.

• technical

  PSV "O" license for vehicles with up to eight service user's seats to enable vehicles to be used for bus services. PSV "O" license for vehicles with a capacity between 9-16 seats. Further details about the conditions of participation and the award criteria can be found in the associated tender documents - it put it on tenderers to check the tender documentation any other requirements that form part of the Conditions of Participation.

How contested is this?

Buyers publish how many bids they received. Across 42 comparable procurements we can tell you the typical field size, how often one of these goes uncontested, and whether the buyer awards on price or on quality.

Timeline

4 published dates · Europe/London

1. Tender notice published3 days ago

   3 Nov 2026, 17:40 GMT
2. Clarification questions byin 21 days

   27 Nov 2026, 16:00 GMT
3. Submission deadlinein 27 days

   3 Dec 2026, 13:00 GMT
4. Award decision expected byin 73 days

   18 Jan 2027, 23:59 GMT

Commercial outcome and contract awards

Nothing awarded yet

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender

1. Tender notice3 Nov 2026, 17:40 GMT104436-2026

Documents

• The technical specification is available via YORtender
• The technical specification is available via YORtender
• Tender notice on Find a Tender