Funeral Services and Coroners Transportation for the Black Country

What the buyer is asking for

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC), through its Registration Services, acts as the lead authority[MH1.1][MH1.2] for the Black Country Coroners Service. The jurisdiction of the Black Country Coroners Service covers the local authority areas of Sandwell, Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton. To support the delivery of statutory responsibilities relating to Public Health Act Funerals, Affordable Funeral Services and Coroners Transportation Services, SMBC is seeking to appoint suitably qualified Contractor(s) to provide Funeral Services and Coroners Transportation Services across the Black Country area. The successful Contractor(s) will be required to provide a responsive service available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, maintain appropriate staffing, vehicles and storage facilities, and demonstrate the highest standards of care, security, confidentiality and professionalism in the handling and transportation of deceased persons. Tenderers should carefully review the Specification, Contract requirements and all associated procurement documents to ensure they can fully meet the requirements of the Lot(s) for which they intend to submit a tender. Tenderers must be able to demonstrate the necessary experience, resources, facilities, suitably qualified staff and operational capacity to deliver the services throughout the Contract term. This procurement presents an opportunity for suitably experienced organisations to support Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council and the Black Country Coroners Service in the delivery of essential Funeral Services and Coroners Transportation Services across the Black Country. The successful Contractor(s) will play a key role in ensuring that services are delivered with professionalism, dignity, compassion and respect, whilst supporting the Council's statutory obligations and the Coroner's service requirements. The Council will be using the In-tend e-Tendering System for this Procurement exercise, please visit https://in-tendhost.co.uk/sandwellmbc to access the Sandwell MBC In-tend Supplier Portal. From here you will be able to register your company, express an interest in the opportunity, and gain immediate access to the ITT and other related documents. In Order To View and Submit a Tender, you will be required to` Opt-In`. For a Step by Step user guide to the Sandwell MBC In-tend Supplier Portal please click on the `Guidance for Suppliers` section of the website. All procurement responses must be carried out via the Sandwell MBC In-tend Supplier Portal. If you require further assistance in respect of the system please contact the In-tend support team on 0844 272 8810. Closing date: Tuesday 10 November 2026 at 15:00hrs.

How this is scored

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

• 70%pricePrice
• 30%qualityQuality

5 lots

You can usually bid for one lot without bidding for all of them.

• Lot 1 – Sandwell Funeral Services, Including Public Health Act Funerals and the Council’s Affordable Funeral Service for Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council.£282k

  Provision of funeral services for Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, including Public Health Act funerals and the Council's Affordable Funeral Service, in accordance with the requirements set out in the Specification.

• Lot 2 - Coroners Transportation for geographic area covering Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council.£375k

  Provision of Coroners Transportation Services for Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, including the collection, transportation and transfer of deceased persons on behalf of the Coroner, in accordance with the requirements set out in the Specification.

• Lot 3 - Coroners Transportation for geographic area covering Services for Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council.£290k

  Provision of Coroners Transportation Services for Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, including the collection, transportation and transfer of deceased persons on behalf of the Coroner, in accordance with the requirements set out in the Specification.

• Lot 4 - Coroners Transportation for geographic area covering Services for Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council.£267k

  Provision of Coroners Transportation Services within the Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council area, including the collection, transportation and transfer of deceased persons on behalf of the Coroner, in accordance with the Specification.

• Lot 5 - Coroners Transportation for geographic area covering Services for City of Wolverhampton.£375k

  Provision of Coroners Transportation Services within the City of Wolverhampton area, including the collection, transportation and transfer of deceased persons on behalf of the Coroner, in accordance with the Specification.

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 published21 days ago

   16 Oct 2026, 15:30 BST
2. Clarification questions by3 days ago

   3 Nov 2026, 17:00 GMT
3. Submission deadlinein 4 days

   10 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
4. Award decision expected byin 40 days

   16 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT

Commercial outcome and contract awards

Nothing awarded yet

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender

1. Tender notice16 Oct 2026, 15:30 BST098087-2026

Documents

• Tender notice on Find a Tender