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Home to School Replacement Bus Framework

the Education Authority · Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 1 Oct 2026, 23:35.

Opportunity overview

EA is currently preparing to initiate the procurement process to set up a 4 year framework for the replacement of Home to School Buses. Currently no funding for fleet replacement is in place. EA are currently preparing a business case for a school bus replacement programme to a maximum value of up to £49m over four years, which will be subject to various approvals. Funding values may vary per annum, or no funding award may available. There is no guarantee of the level of business during the period of the framework or to the exact value of any subsequent Purchase Orders. It is anticipated that the framework will be split into lots for each vehicle type. When EA receives funding to replace buses, it is intended that a secondary competition will be run from the framework for each vehicle type required. EA will reserve the right to prioritise which vehicle types are required in line with operational needs. A provisional indication of potential lots are as follows: Mainstream school buses: 22 passenger seat van conversion 33 passenger seat coach built bus 57 passenger seat coach built bus Special Educational Needs school buses 16 passenger seat / 2 wheelchair van conversion minibus 22 passenger seat / 6 wheelchair coach built bus 28 passenger seat / 8 wheelchair coach built bus All bus types and quantities are subject to funding. All EA school buses must be fully seated Class 3 category buses with no standing capacity and built to full EA specifications in every aspect. All buses in this particular framework must be diesel combustion engine vehicles. Zero emission buses are out of scope in this framework. Public/Service bus specifications are not suitable for EA home to school transport. EA are interested in feedback regarding development of vehicle designs to accommodate EA requirements.

Classification

  • CPV34100000 — Motor vehicles
  • CPV34120000 — Motor vehicles for the transport of 10 or more persons
  • CPV34121000 — Buses and coaches
  • CPV34121100 — Public-service buses
  • CPV34121200 — Articulated buses
  • CPV34121400 — Low-floor buses
  • CPV34121500 — Coaches
  • CPV34200000 — Vehicle bodies, trailers or semi-trailers
  • CPV34210000 — Vehicle bodies
  • CPV34211000 — Bus bodies, ambulance bodies and vehicle bodies for goods vehicles
  • CPV34211100 — Bus bodies

Lots

  • Lot 1Value not stated

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
TRN-26-008
Main Procurement Category
goods
Above Threshold
No
Status
planning

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Techniques

Has Framework Agreement
Yes

Communication

Future Notice Date
6 Jul 2026, 23:59

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
planning

Suitability

Sme
Yes

Contract period

Starts
1 Aug 2026, 00:00
Ends
31 Jul 2030, 23:59

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
34100000
Description
Motor vehicles
Entry 2
Scheme
CPV
Id
34120000
Description
Motor vehicles for the transport of 10 or more persons
Entry 3
Scheme
CPV
Id
34121000
Description
Buses and coaches
Entry 4
Scheme
CPV
Id
34121100
Description
Public-service buses
Entry 5
Scheme
CPV
Id
34121200
Description
Articulated buses
Entry 6
Scheme
CPV
Id
34121400
Description
Low-floor buses
Entry 7
Scheme
CPV
Id
34121500
Description
Coaches
Entry 8
Scheme
CPV
Id
34200000
Description
Vehicle bodies, trailers or semi-trailers
Entry 9
Scheme
CPV
Id
34210000
Description
Vehicle bodies
Entry 10
Scheme
CPV
Id
34211100
Description
Bus bodies
Entry 11
Scheme
CPV
Id
34211000
Description
Bus bodies, ambulance bodies and vehicle bodies for goods vehicles

Planning and budget

Milestones

Entry 1
Id
engagement
Type
engagement
Description
The Education Authority Northern Ireland (EANI) would like to invite participation in a Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) exercise to seek the views of the market for the supply of buses. The purpose of this PME exercise is for EANI to gain an understanding of the latest developments and innovative solutions available and will be used to assist EANI in gaining a better understanding of the feasibility of the requirements, the most appropriate procurement and operational approach, the capacity of the market to deliver the requirements and an opportunity for the market to highlight any possible risks or issues. For the avoidance of doubt, this is the scoping phase of the project and is not part of any formal procurement process and there is no commitment at this stage to carry out such a process. Any information gathered will not be considered in any future tender exercise. Please note that participation or non-participation in this PME exercise shall not prevent any supplier from participating in any future procurement process, nor is it intended that any information provided shall place any supplier at an advantage or disadvantage in any future procurement exercise. Further information including the questionnaire can be downloaded from the documents section of the CfT on eTendersNI. Suppliers who wish to participate in the PME exercise must return the completed questionnaire via the messaging function of the CfT on eTendersNI no later than 15:00 on 4 June 2026.
Due
4 Jun 2026, 23:59
Status
scheduled

Documents

Entry 1
Id
044628-2026
Document Type
marketEngagementNotice
Notice Type
UK2
Description
Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
Published
14 May 2026, 17:51
Format
text/html

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Name
the Education Authority
Id
GB-PPON-PPHJ-6982-JPXY

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PPHJ-6982-JPXY

Address

Street Address
40 Academy Street
Locality
Belfast
Postal Code
BT1 2NQ
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKN06

Contact

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment
Description
Public authority - sub-central government
Entry 2
Scheme
UK_CA_DEVOLVED_REGULATIONS
Id
GB-NIR
Description
Northern Irish devolved regulations apply

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Belfast · UKN06 · BT1 2NQ · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. 044628-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·