Decision details

Children and Families Committee on 14 November 2022 delegated to the Executive Director for Children and Families, in consultation with the Executive Director of Place as follows: “to embark on a comprehensive exercise around the operational delivery and re-procurement of school transport to improve the effectiveness of routes, encourage and support new suppliers to Cheshire East, improve value-for-money and the experiences for families”.

The decision is to proceed with procurement of home-to-school transport contracts using e[1]auctions via the council’s Dynamic Purchasing System, commencing in Summer 2024. The decision to establish the dynamic purchasing system has already been agreed through an ODR2 decision form that was completed on 20 June 2023. This decision relates specifically to the operation of the e-auction approach.

The approach to be adopted will use a shortened (1 Stage) procedure to engage the council’s supply chain in the process of submitting bids for home-to[1]school travel contracts. Each eligible supplier will previously have pre-qualified to participate in the council’s Dynamic Purchasing System for home-to[1]school travel. In so doing they will have satisfied the council’s requirements for service quality, professional capacity and corporate health. The shortened procedures minimise the burden of procurement on both the suppliers and the council, thereby maximising the likelihood of wide participation in auctions to drive keener, cost competitive tender prices for the council. Noting the pressures of home-to-school travel budgets, alongside the council’s overall financial position, the recommended approach is considered to be a timely response to capturing cost-savings in this service area. This approach will apply to commissioning of services in Summer 2024. Afterwards, the impact of the approach will be reviewed and opportunities to align with the forthcoming changes to the Public Contract Regulations 2024 will be identified.