AWARD OUTCOME
What happened
Suffolk County Council Passenger Transport awarded a local bus service contract for Service 14 between Ipswich Tower Ramparts and Gippeswyk Park. The award is to CENTRAL CONNECT TRANSPORT LIMITED.
Published outcomeAn active award of £324,222.08 was recorded on 13 October 2026 and published on 19 October 2026. The published contract period runs from 4 January 2027 to 6 January 2029.
Market significanceThis is a defined local passenger-transport award made through a mini-competition under a passenger transport dynamic purchasing system.
AWARDED SUPPLIERS AND LOTS
1 supplier record analysed
CENTRAL CONNECT TRANSPORT LIMITED
99% confidenceAward ocds-b5fd17-84abce39-5f66-4f47-9df3-73aaae9f5731-1 · 324222.08 GBP · Awarded supplier
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The award names Central Connect Transport Limited as supplier; verified_company_name is CENTRAL CONNECT TRANSPORT LIMITED (company number 09964786) through an exact-name match. The single award value is £324,222.08.
LIFECYCLE
Award or contract stage
Notice status
98% confidenceAwarded; source status complete; award status active
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Process display_status is 'awarded', source_status is 'complete', and the award status is 'active'.
Award decision date
98% confidence13 October 2026
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Award record date: 2026-10-13T00:00:00+01:00.
Award notice publication date
98% confidence19 October 2026
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Award notice datePublished: 2026-10-19T11:29:49+01:00.
Contract signature status
98% confidenceUnknown
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The supplied award notice records an active award and contract period but does not explicitly state that a contract was signed.
Contract start
98% confidence4 January 2027
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Award and tender contractPeriod startDate: 2027-01-04T00:00:00Z.
VALUES
Published values explained
Award value
99% confidence£324,222.08
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Award value amount: 324222.08; currency: GBP.
Value allocation
94% confidenceSingle award value; no lot-level allocation published
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One award is supplied and no lots are supplied.
TIMELINE
Procurement timeline
Clarification deadline
88% confidence16 September 2026, 12:00
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Tender description states the deadline for clarification questions was Wednesday 16 September 2026 at 1200.
Submission deadline
99% confidence25 September 2026, 12:00
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TenderPeriod endDate: 2026-09-25T12:00:00+01:00.
Award date
98% confidence13 October 2026
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Award date: 2026-10-13T00:00:00+01:00.
Notice published
98% confidence19 October 2026
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Award notice datePublished: 2026-10-19T11:29:49+01:00.
Published contract period
98% confidence4 January 2027 to 6 January 2029
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Award contractPeriod: 2027-01-04T00:00:00Z to 2029-01-06T23:59:59Z.
SCOPE
What was awarded
Service
97% confidenceLocal Bus Service 14: Ipswich Tower Ramparts to Gippeswyk Park
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Tender title and description identify Local Bus Service 14 between Ipswich Tower Ramparts and Gippeswyk Park.
Vehicle requirement
97% confidence16-seat wheelchair-accessible vehicle
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Tender title and description specify a 16-seat wheelchair-accessible vehicle.
Category
99% confidenceTransport services, excluding waste transport (CPV 60000000)
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Tender classification: CPV 60000000, 'Transport services (excl. Waste transport)'.
Delivery geography
90% confidenceIpswich route context; delivery location data also includes broad and apparently non-specific territories
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The service description names Ipswich locations. Supplied delivery addresses additionally list IP1 2BX, United Kingdom, Europe, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Rest of the World and British Oversea Territories.
PROCEDURE
Procedure and competition
Route to market
95% confidenceMini competition under a Dynamic Purchasing System for passenger transport services
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Tender description states that Suffolk County Council sought a mini competition against 'The supply of Passenger Transport Services' DPS, OJEU Notice Id 2018/S 031-067685.
Procurement method
99% confidenceNot specified in the published structured data
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procurement_method is null and procurementMethodDetails is 'Not specified'.
Competition metrics
99% confidenceUnknown
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Information on invited suppliers, tenders received, evaluation scores and award criteria is not supplied.
CONTRACT TERMS
Published contract terms
Published base period
98% confidence4 January 2027 to 6 January 2029
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Award contractPeriod runs from 2027-01-04 to 2029-01-06.
Extension statement
93% confidenceThe council reserves the right to extend the contract until 4 January 2031
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Tender description states that the council reserves the right to extend this contract up until 4 January 2031.
Extension mechanism and value
98% confidenceUnknown
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The source does not publish the extension duration structure, conditions, or any separate extension value.
SME and VCSE suitability flags
96% confidenceNot marked suitable for SME or VCSE
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Tender suitability fields are sme: false and vcse: false.
COMMERCIAL VIEW
Commercial observations
Award structure
98% confidenceOne supplier and one published aggregate award value
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The source contains one active award, naming one supplier, with a value of £324,222.08.
Addressable service requirement
96% confidenceA specified accessible local bus operation using a 16-seat wheelchair-accessible vehicle
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Tender description specifies the route and vehicle accessibility/capacity requirement.
Award rationale
99% confidenceNot published
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No award rationale, scoring, pricing detail or evaluation outcome is supplied.
DATA QUALITY
Gaps and source limitations
Award versus contract conclusion
99% confidenceThe record supports an active award and a future published contract period, but does not explicitly evidence signature or contract conclusion.
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The award status is active; no explicit signature or signed-contract field is supplied.
Location data quality
97% confidenceDelivery-location entries are internally broad and include territories beyond the Ipswich route described in the tender.
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The service description is Ipswich-specific, while delivery addresses list Europe, Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Rest of the World and British Oversea Territories, among others.
Unpublished commercial detail
99% confidenceInformation not supplied in the published notice: bid count, evaluation criteria and scores, pricing breakdown, detailed extension terms, and lot-level detail.
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No such fields or documents are included in the supplied data.
SOURCE DATA LIMITATIONS
Information not supplied in the published notice
- The supplied source does not explicitly confirm that a contract was signed; the analysis therefore reports an award rather than a concluded signed contract.
- Information not supplied in the published notice includes bid numbers, evaluation methodology and scores, detailed pricing, award rationale, lot detail, and extension conditions or values.
- Delivery-location metadata is broader than the Ipswich service scope and should not be interpreted as the actual service geography beyond the route description.
- No renewal or reprocurement timetable is published; the stated extension right is not evidence that an extension will be exercised.
MARKET THEMES
Relevant award themes
CENTRAL CONNECT TRANSPORT LIMITEDSuffolk County Council Passenger TransportIpswich bus serviceService 14passenger transport DPSlocal bus contractContracts Finder
COMMON QUESTIONS
About this award
Who won the Suffolk Service 14 bus contract?
CENTRAL CONNECT TRANSPORT LIMITED was named as the awarded supplier.
What is the published award value?
The published single-award value is £324,222.08.
When does the published contract period start?
The published contract period starts on 4 January 2027 and ends on 6 January 2029.
Was the contract confirmed as signed?
No explicit contract signature confirmation is included in the supplied award notice data.
ProcuraAxis award analysis supplements, but does not replace, the official award notice, contract data or procurement documents. “Awarded” does not by itself prove that a contract has been signed.