New College Durham student bus transport awards: Arriva and Go North East

Tender information last checkedLast checked 15 Oct 2026, 15:46.

Opportunity overview

The contracting authority has awarded a contract for the provision of local bus transport services to facilitate the travel of students from all surrounding areas to New College Durham sites within County Durham. The service must provide: • Frequent services to accommodate flexible college hours, recognising that students do not always travel within traditional core times. (covering all routes during college hours every 15 minutes) • Numerous pick-up and drop-off locations across the surrounding areas to ensure accessibility for all students. • Affordable transport solutions, taking into account the financial pressures on students and families. • Modern ticketing options, including the use of a mobile app or travel card, to allow easy access, booking, and monitoring of journeys. The service is required for a period of nine (9) months, commencing asap.

Awarded to

Amounts belong to published awards or contracts. Where several suppliers share one value, it is labelled as shared and is not a supplier-specific allocation.

ARRIVA DURHAM COUNTY LIMITED

Matched by number

Published award value: £650k
Awarded: 14 Oct 2026
Award ID: 1
Status: pending
Identifier: GB-COH 02404350
Location: Sunderland, UKC23, SR3 3XP, United Kingdom

Go North East Limited

Matched by number

Published award value: £711.8k
Awarded: 14 Oct 2026
Award ID: 2
Status: pending
Identifier: GB-COH 2057284
Location: Newcastle, UKC22, NE1 6EE, United Kingdom

Classification

No classification was supplied.

Lots

Lot 1Value not stated

Documents and notices

Contract award notice on Find a TenderOpen source ↗

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: NCD597 NCD598
Status: complete
Procurement Method: direct
Procurement Method Details: Direct award

Legal basis

Id: 2023/54
Scheme: UKPGA
Uri: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents ↗

Lots and requirements

Entry 1

Id: 1
Status: complete

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1

Name: New College Durham
Id: GB-CHC-XR6326

Identifier

Scheme: GB-CHC
Id: XR6326

Additional Identifiers

Entry 1

Scheme: GB-PPON
Id: PXXW-9561-YPNJ

Address

Street Address: Framwellgate Moor Campus
Locality: Durham
Postal Code: DH1 5ES
Country: GB
Country Name: United Kingdom
Region: UKC14

Contact

Email: purchasing@newdur.ac.uk

Roles

buyer

Details

Url: https://www.newcollegedurham.ac.uk/ ↗

Classifications

Entry 1

Scheme: UK_CA_TYPE
Id: publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment
Description: Public authority - sub-central government

Organisation 2

Name: ARRIVA DURHAM COUNTY LIMITED
Id: GB-COH-02404350

Identifier

Scheme: GB-COH
Id: 02404350

Additional Identifiers

Entry 1

Scheme: GB-PPON
Id: PMXD-1511-LHCN

Address

Street Address: 1 Admiral Way
Locality: Sunderland
Postal Code: SR3 3XP
Country: GB
Country Name: United Kingdom
Region: UKC23

Contact

Email: mcgowanr@arriva.co.uk

Roles

supplier

Details

Url: http://www.arrivabus.co.uk ↗
Scale: large
Vcse: No
Public Service Mission Organization: No
Sheltered Workshop: No

Organisation 3

Name: Go North East Limited
Id: GB-COH-2057284

Identifier

Scheme: GB-COH
Id: 2057284

Additional Identifiers

Entry 1

Scheme: GB-PPON
Id: PTBQ-4849-GVJP

Address

Street Address: 3rd Floor, 41-51 Grey Street
Locality: Newcastle
Postal Code: NE1 6EE
Country: GB
Country Name: United Kingdom
Region: UKC22

Contact

Email: gne.contracts@gonortheast.co.uk

Roles

supplier

Details

Url: http://www.gonortheast.co.uk ↗
Scale: large
Vcse: No
Public Service Mission Organization: No
Sheltered Workshop: No

Award information

Award 1

Id: 1
Title: Provision of Local Bus Transport for Students to New College Durham
Status: pending
Date: 15 Oct 2026, 00:00
Main Procurement Category: services
Above Threshold: Yes

Items

Item 1

Id: 1
Related Lot: 1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1

Scheme: CPV
Id: 60000000
Description: Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

Delivery locations

Entry 1

Region: UKC
Country: GB
Country Name: United Kingdom

Value

Including VAT: 650,000
Amount: 650,000
Currency: GBP

Suppliers

Supplier 1

Id: GB-COH-02404350
Name: ARRIVA DURHAM COUNTY LIMITED

Standstill Period

Ends: 2 Nov 2026, 23:59

Contract period

Starts: 3 Nov 2026, 00:00
Ends: 2 Aug 2027, 23:59

Related lots

Documents

Entry 1

Id: 097509-2026
Document Type: awardNotice
Notice Type: UK6
Description: Contract award notice on Find a Tender
Url: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/097509-2026 ↗
Published: 15 Oct 2026, 14:08
Format: text/html

Milestones

Entry 1

Id: 1
Type: futureSignatureDate
Due: 3 Nov 2026, 23:59
Status: scheduled

Award 2

Id: 2
Title: Provision of Local Bus Transport for Students to New College Durham
Status: pending
Date: 15 Oct 2026, 00:00
Main Procurement Category: services
Above Threshold: Yes

Items

Item 1

Id: 1
Related Lot: 1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1

Scheme: CPV
Id: 60000000
Description: Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

Delivery locations

Entry 1

Region: UKC
Country: GB
Country Name: United Kingdom

Value

Including VAT: 711,845
Amount: 711,845
Currency: GBP

Suppliers

Supplier 1

Id: GB-COH-2057284
Name: Go North East Limited

Standstill Period

Ends: 2 Nov 2026, 23:59

Contract period

Starts: 3 Nov 2026, 00:00
Ends: 2 Aug 2027, 23:59

Related lots

Documents

Entry 1

Id: 097509-2026
Document Type: awardNotice
Notice Type: UK6
Description: Contract award notice on Find a Tender
Url: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/097509-2026 ↗
Published: 15 Oct 2026, 14:08
Format: text/html

Milestones

Entry 1

Id: 1
Type: futureSignatureDate
Due: 3 Nov 2026, 23:59
Status: scheduled

Recorded locations

Buyer location · Durham · UKC14 · DH1 5ES · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

2 published notice versions reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

2 VERSIONS

097458-2026Transparency notice on Find a Tender · 15 Oct 2026, 12:59
097509-2026Contract award notice on Find a Tender · 15 Oct 2026, 14:08

PROCURAAXIS AWARD ANALYSIS

Award outcome intelligence

Evidence-bound analysis of the published award appears below the official tender and award information.

ANALYSIS PREVIEW

Award intelligence at a glance

New College Durham has announced two pending direct awards for student local bus transport in County Durham: ARRIVA DURHAM COUNTY LIMITED (£650,000) and GO NORTH EAST LIMITED (£711,845). Both awards are linked to the same completed lot, with a scheduled signature date of 3 November 2026; the notice does not establish that contracts have been signed.

Published outcome signals

Notice statusContract award notice published; tender and lot shown as completeEvidence: Process display status is 'awarded'; source status is 'complete'; tender and lot 1 have status 'complete'.
Award statusPending for both awardsEvidence: Awards 1 and 2 each have status 'pending'.
Contract conclusionNot evidenced as signed or activeEvidence: Both awards include a scheduled futureSignatureDate of 3 November 2026; no signed-contract record is supplied.

94% approved-analysis confidence2 supplier records analysed5 source limitations

SOURCE AND FRESHNESS

Traceable procurement data

Source: Find a Tender
Notice reference: 097509-2026
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-07887f
First published: 15 Oct 2026
Last checked: 15 Oct 2026, 15:46
Notice versions reviewed: 2

View Find a Tender notice ↗

HOW THIS WAS PREPARED

Approved, evidence-bound analysis

ProcuraAxis structures information found in published procurement records, checks the result for consistency and publishes only approved analysis. Confidence describes the completeness and consistency of the available source information; it is not a guarantee of eligibility or contract award.

Analysis status: Approved for publication
Analysed: 15 Oct 2026

Read the analysis methodology →

AWARD OUTCOME

What happened

Published outcome

Two pending awards, totalling £1,361,845, were published following a direct award procedure.

Market significance

The awards cover student transport services for New College Durham and identify two large regional bus operators. The published values are award-level amounts, not separate allocations within a titled lot.

AWARDED SUPPLIERS AND LOTS

2 supplier records analysed

ARRIVA DURHAM COUNTY LIMITED

99% confidence

Award 1 · Lots 1 · 650000 GBP · Pending award

View supporting evidence

Award 1 names ARRIVA DURHAM COUNTY LIMITED, links it to lot 1, has status pending and states a GBP 650,000 value. Supplier identity is verified by company number 02404350.

GO NORTH EAST LIMITED

99% confidence

Award 2 · Lots 1 · 711845 GBP · Pending award

View supporting evidence

Award 2 names GO NORTH EAST LIMITED, links it to lot 1, has status pending and states a GBP 711,845 value. Supplier identity is verified by company number 02057284.

LIFECYCLE

Award or contract stage

Notice status

95% confidence

Contract award notice published; tender and lot shown as complete

View supporting evidence

Process display status is 'awarded'; source status is 'complete'; tender and lot 1 have status 'complete'.

Award status

99% confidence

Pending for both awards

View supporting evidence

Awards 1 and 2 each have status 'pending'.

Contract conclusion

98% confidence

Not evidenced as signed or active

View supporting evidence

Both awards include a scheduled futureSignatureDate of 3 November 2026; no signed-contract record is supplied.

VALUES

Published values explained

Award 1 value

99% confidence

£650,000 GBP

View supporting evidence

Award 1 value is recorded as amount/amountGross 650000 GBP.

Award 2 value

99% confidence

£711,845 GBP

View supporting evidence

Award 2 value is recorded as amount/amountGross 711845 GBP.

Combined pending award value

99% confidence

£1,361,845 GBP

View supporting evidence

Sum of the two separately published pending award values: £650,000 plus £711,845.

Lot value

98% confidence

Not published

View supporting evidence

Lot 1 has no value amount or currency in the supplied data.

TIMELINE

Procurement timeline

Award date

99% confidence

15 October 2026

View supporting evidence

Both awards are dated 2026-10-15.

Award notice publication

99% confidence

15 October 2026

View supporting evidence

The contract award notice document was published at 2026-10-15T14:08:32+01:00.

Standstill end

98% confidence

2 November 2026

View supporting evidence

Both awards state a standstill end date of 2026-11-02T23:59:59Z.

Scheduled signature date

98% confidence

3 November 2026

View supporting evidence

Both awards contain a futureSignatureDate milestone due 2026-11-03T23:59:59Z, with status scheduled.

Planned contract period

98% confidence

3 November 2026 to 2 August 2027

View supporting evidence

Both pending awards state contractPeriod start 2026-11-03 and end 2027-08-02.

SCOPE

What was awarded

Service

98% confidence

Local bus transport for students travelling to New College Durham sites within County Durham

View supporting evidence

The notice description states that the service facilitates student travel from surrounding areas to New College Durham sites within County Durham.

Service features

96% confidence

Frequent college-hours routes, multiple pick-up/drop-off points, affordable provision and mobile-app or travel-card ticketing

View supporting evidence

These requirements are listed in the tender description.

Classification

99% confidence

CPV 60000000 — Transport services (excluding waste transport)

View supporting evidence

Each award item lists CPV 60000000.

Delivery area

92% confidence

UKC region

View supporting evidence

Each award item gives a delivery address region of UKC.

PROCEDURE

Procedure and competition

Procurement method

99% confidence

Direct award

View supporting evidence

The process states procurement method 'direct' and procurement method details 'Direct award'.

Above-threshold status

99% confidence

Yes

View supporting evidence

Both awards are marked aboveThreshold: true.

Competition information

99% confidence

Not published

View supporting evidence

No bid, bidder, evaluation, scoring or selection information is supplied.

CONTRACT TERMS

Published contract terms

Published period

98% confidence

3 November 2026 to 2 August 2027

View supporting evidence

The same contractPeriod is stated for each pending award.

Description reference to duration

95% confidence

Nine months, commencing ASAP

View supporting evidence

The tender description says the service is required for nine months, commencing ASAP.

Extension or renewal terms

99% confidence

Not published

View supporting evidence

No extension, option or renewal terms are supplied.

Signature status

99% confidence

Scheduled, not evidenced as completed

View supporting evidence

Future signature milestones are scheduled for 3 November 2026; the awards remain pending.

COMMERCIAL VIEW

Commercial observations

Award structure

98% confidence

Two separately valued pending awards are both linked to lot 1

View supporting evidence

Awards 1 and 2 each cite related lot 1, but identify different suppliers and values.

Market engagement implication

97% confidence

The publication identifies two operators for the same student-transport requirement, but does not explain route allocation, award rationale or operational split

View supporting evidence

The notice provides two award records against lot 1 but no route schedules, allocation detail, evaluation information or award rationale.

ANALYSIS QUALITY

94%overall confidence

Confidence reflects the completeness and consistency of the published award data.

Reference: ocds-h6vhtk-07887f
Analysed: 15 Oct 2026

APPROVED AWARD ANALYSIS

BUYER CONTEXT

Buyer context

Buyer

99% confidence

New College Durham

View supporting evidence

The process identifies New College Durham as buyer.

Buyer type

99% confidence

Public authority — sub-central government

View supporting evidence

Buyer party classification is publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment.

Buyer location

99% confidence

Durham, United Kingdom

View supporting evidence

Buyer address is Framwellgate Moor Campus, Durham, DH1 5ES.

SUPPLIER CONTEXT

Supplier context

ARRIVA DURHAM COUNTY LIMITED

99% confidence

Verified active company; company number 02404350; supplier is recorded as large

View supporting evidence

Supplier verification identifies company number 02404350, legal name ARRIVA DURHAM COUNTY LIMITED and status Active; source party details state scale large.

GO NORTH EAST LIMITED

99% confidence

Verified active company; company number 02057284; supplier is recorded as large

View supporting evidence

Supplier verification identifies company number 02057284, legal name GO NORTH EAST LIMITED and status Active; source party details state scale large.

RENEWAL OUTLOOK

Renewal outlook

Estimated re-procurement timing

75% confidence

Around August 2027, if the published end date remains applicable and no extension is used

View supporting evidence

Both pending awards specify an end date of 2 August 2027. No extension terms are published.

DATA QUALITY

Gaps and source limitations

Award maturity

99% confidence

Pending awards; contracts are not evidenced as signed

View supporting evidence

Both awards are pending and future signature milestones are scheduled.

Lot allocation clarity

98% confidence

Ambiguous

View supporting evidence

Both suppliers are associated with the single published lot, which has no title, description or value; no route or service split is supplied.

Duration wording

90% confidence

Potentially inconsistent presentation

View supporting evidence

The description says nine months commencing ASAP, while award records specify 3 November 2026 to 2 August 2027.

Information not supplied in the published notice

99% confidence

No bid counts, scoring, award rationale, route allocation, pricing breakdown, lot value or extension terms

View supporting evidence

These fields are absent from the supplied record.

SOURCE DATA LIMITATIONS

Information not supplied in the published notice

Both awards remain pending; the record does not evidence signed or active contracts.
Both awards are linked to one lot, but the published data does not explain how routes, services or value are allocated between suppliers.
Lot 1 has no published title, description or value.
The description's nine-month ASAP wording is not fully aligned with the dated planned period, and no clarification is supplied.
Information not supplied in the published notice: bid counts, evaluation method, scores, award rationale, route schedules, pricing breakdown and extension or renewal terms.

MARKET THEMES

Relevant award themes

COMMON QUESTIONS

About this award

Who received the New College Durham bus transport awards?

The pending awards name ARRIVA DURHAM COUNTY LIMITED (£650,000) and GO NORTH EAST LIMITED (£711,845).

Have the contracts been signed?

No signed contracts are evidenced in the supplied notice. Both awards are pending and show a scheduled signature date of 3 November 2026.

What is the published total value?

The two separately published pending award values total £1,361,845.

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.

Provision of Local Bus Transport for Students to New College Durham

Opportunity overview

Awarded to

ARRIVA DURHAM COUNTY LIMITED

Go North East Limited

Classification

Lots

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Scope, procedure and submissions

Legal basis

Lots and requirements

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Identifier

Additional Identifiers

Address

Contact

Roles

Details

Classifications

Identifier

Additional Identifiers

Address

Contact

Roles

Details

Identifier

Additional Identifiers

Address

Contact

Roles

Details

Award information

Items

Additional Classifications

Delivery locations

Value

Suppliers

Standstill Period

Contract period

Related lots

Documents

Milestones

Items

Additional Classifications

Delivery locations

Value

Suppliers

Standstill Period

Contract period

Related lots

Documents

Milestones

Recorded locations

Notice and amendment history

Award intelligence at a glance

Published outcome signals

Traceable procurement data

Approved, evidence-bound analysis

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