See answers to previous information requests

We understand that your council is responsible for managing transport vehicle contracts within your jurisdiction, and we would greatly appreciate further information regarding these contracts. Specifically, we are interested in gaining insights into the types of transport vehicle contracts your council deals with, as well as the procurement process involved. To assist us in our research, we kindly request the following information:

1. A comprehensive list of all transport vehicle contracts managed by your council, including contracts for private hire, public hire, minibuses (including vehicles with more than 8 seats), and coaches.
These can be found on the national the contracts register: https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder
a) The number of companies that tendered for each of the contracts: We don’t collect this information and it can not be easily extracted from the precontract system. To provide this information for all current contracts would exceed the 18hr limit for FOI as it will be a manual task for someone to review all contracts.
b) The name(s) of the transport vehicle company(s) that successfully won each contract. This information is available on the contracts register. https://procontract.due-north.com/ContractsRegister/Index?v=2
c) The value of each contract, including the amount awarded and any relevant terms. This information is available on the contracts register. The terms of all contracts are detailed in the DPS documentation which can be downloaded from Pro-contract. https://procontract.due-north.com/ContractsRegister/Index?v=2
d) The start and end dates of each contract. This information is available on the contracts register. https://procontract.due-north.com/ContractsRegister/Index?v=2
e) Information on when tenders for the next round of contracts will commence, including any scheduled dates or timelines. Tenders happen all year round depending on the needs of the service. The busiest time for tenders is between April and July when contracts are tendered / retendered for the following September. Tenders are generally for up to1 year with the potential to extend for two x one year periods. Tenders for local bus services range between 3 years and 7 years depending on the route and availability of funding.
f) Details regarding the platform or method used for the submission of tenders, such as an online portal or physical submission process. All transport contracts are tendered using a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for Transport Services. The DPS can be applied for through the Council’s procurement system Pro-contract (on-line portal). Once a supplier is accepted onto the DPS they will be able to see any call-off contract opportunities which are tendered. No transport contracts are tendered with physical submissions. Further information can be found on the Council’s website here: https://www.wokingham.gov.uk/business-and-licensing/business-and-growth/school-transport-supplier-contracts