Decision Maker:

Outcome:

Is Key Decision?: No

Is Callable In?: Yes

Date of Decision: February 9, 2026

Purpose:

Content: Salford City Council – Record of Decision   I Paul Dennett, City Mayor, accept the recommendation of the Procurement Board and in exercise of the powers contained within the Council Constitution do hereby approve:   ·     an exception to allow the extension of the Dynamic Purchasing System for SEND home to school transport, as detailed in the table below:   Detail required Answers     Title/Description of Contracted Service/Supply/Project Home to School (SEN) Transport Provision Procurement Reference Number (DN and CR, supplied by Procurement) DPS Transport Sept 2016 – Aug 2026 Name of Successful Contractor Various - AA Buses ABA Travel Ltd ABC Coaches Ltd Alpha Luxury Minibuses Ltd Auto Travel Bestway Minibuses Ltd Britannia Minibuses Ltd Chesters Coaches Ltd Class Act Travel D & H Enterprises Excel Minibus Travel Executive Travell Ltd Fab Travel Ltd G Wakefield Taxis Greenmount Travel Ltd Gurdev Singh H to S Travels Ltd T/A Central Cars and Buses Haroon Shamim HATS Group Ltd (LSR Management Ltd) ID Travel Imperial Transport Jason Scott Jones Executive Coaches Ltd KVN Travel Ltd Liddle Executive Hire LTD Lindley Travel M Shamim Mainline8’s Marmion Taxis Martin Armson T/A Martin's School Runs MC Travel Mcr Blackcab Ltd MDS Minibuses (Manchester) Ltd MDT T/A Lynch Mikes Merc Mohammed Saleem Saghir National Airport Travel No 1 Private Hire Executive Travel Northwest Minibuses Ltd Pal Cars Ltd Paul Mackin Paul Tyler R Hughes Travel R&G Taxis RS Tyrer Ltd Safdar Ali Saltax Ltd Solomon Travel Solutions t/a Schools Direct Scotts Cars Shafqat Nawaz Swinton Travel Ltd Taxis Transfers Ltd Tpt2School Ltd t/a School Transport Solutions Travel By Myles Valley Luxury Minibuses Ltd Vonnies Wheels Wasim Tahzeem WP Taxis Supplier Registration Number (to be supplied by Procurement) Proclass Classification No. (to be completed by procurement)   Type of organisation (to be supplied by Procurement) Choose an item. Status of Organisation (to be supplied by  Procurement) Choose an item. Contract Value (£) N/A Total Contract Value including extensions (£) N/A Contract Duration 10 years Contract Start Date 01/09/2016 Contract End Date 31/08/2026 Optional Extension Period 1 12 months (01/09/2026 – 31/08/2027) Optional Extension Period 2 N/A Who will approve each Extension Period? Procurement Board (extension > £150k) Contact Officer (Name & number) Cathy Starbuck Lead Service Group Children's Services Reason for CSO Exception: The goods / services / works are only obtainable from one provider and there is no other provider available to allow genuine competition Tick if it applies ? Reason for CSO Exception: The execution of works or the supply of goods or services is controlled by a statutory body Tick if it applies ? Reason for CSO Exception: Delivers Best Value to the Council Tick if it applies ? Reason for CSO Exception: Special education, health or social care contracts, if it is considered in the Council’s best interests and to meet the Council’s obligations under relevant legislation Tick if it applies ? Reason for CSO Exception: The execution of works or the supply of goods and services is required so urgently as not to permit compliance with the requirements of competition Tick if it applies ? Reason for CSO Exception: Security works where the publication of documents or details in the tendering process could prejudice the security of SCC and Salford residents Tick if it applies ?     The reasons are: ·     The DPS is due to expire in August 2026 and does not contain an option to extend. ·     The current DPS performs very efficiently allowing for timely contract tendering and award due to pre-qualification on the framework of providers. Route tenders are sent out throughout the year to all providers on the framework and providers submit bids for consideration and award. It is open to new suppliers at any time, fostering competition and encouraging the market. ·     SEN transport is part of the Innovate work programme in the Council and transformation work is underway. A review of transport is underway to ensure effective use of resources, considering centralised pick-up, route optimisation and review of the Post 16 Transport. ·     The LA is currently exploring alternative ways to support parents and service users to attend school in line with statutory duty. The review of transport and proposed changes will require a number of areas of consultation with affected parties and the terms and conditions of contract for providers may be reviewed and revised in light of the outcome of this transformation work. ·     An extension is seen to provide the best value option to the Council as it extends a DPS which has worked well for the previous nine and a half years and has enabled the Council to meet its statutory duties whilst providing competition for the procurement of services.   Options considered and rejected were: ·     To allow the current DPS to come to an end in August 202 with no replacement. This option was rejected as there would be a risk that the Local Authority would not be able to deliver its statutory duties   Assessment of risk: If the Dynamic Purchasing System was not in place the Local Authority would be at risk of being able to deliver its statutory duties in terms of providing home to school transport for children and young people with SEND.   The source of funding is: The Budget that will meet the cost of the scheme.   Legal advice obtained from Shared Legal Service: The DPS was procured under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (“PCR 2015”). Whilst the PCR 2015 have been replaced by the Procurement Act 2023 for new procurement exercises, they continue to apply to existing contracts save that any DPS must be extended by 23 February 2026 and that a DPS must expire (if it has not done so already) by 23 February 2029 at the latest.   Regulation 34 of the PCR 2015 permits the Council to extend the term of a DPS.  If it chooses to do so then it should publish a notice of the kind used initially for the call for competition for the dynamic purchasing system (regulation 34(28)).   The DPS has recently been opened up to the market and current participants will continue to be afforded an opportunity to bid for routes which come available.  There is unlikely to be new entrants into the marketplace affected by a decision to extend the DPS and therefore the risk of extending the DPS is minimal.   Under the Councils Contractual Standing Orders, where there is no provision to extend within the original contract, all approvals for extensions, shall be referred to the Lead Member and Procurement Board. In any such instance officers should treat the matter as an exception.   Financial advice obtained by: Natalie Mannion Finance Manager: The proposed one?year extension to the SEND Transport Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) has no direct additional financial cost attached to the extension itself.   The DPS functions as an enabling framework rather than a fixed?value contract, meaning: ·     There is no upfront or contractual extension fee. ·     Costs only arise when individual transport routes are tendered and awarded (“first past the post” mini?competitions). ·     Suppliers will continue to bid on a route?by?route basis during the extension period, so expenditure will continue in line with the agreed route costings set through each mini?tender. Because the service is going through significant transformation and the market is open for new suppliers throughout the extension period, the financial impact is essentially: ·     Business?as?usual operational spend on transport routes, drawn from the existing revenue budget. ·     No increase in financial commitment resulting purely from extending the DPS. ·     Avoided procurement costs in the short term, as re?tendering is paused until the wider service redesign and regional benchmarking work have concluded. ·     Maintains flexibility to secure best?value pricing via mini?tenders rather than locking into long?term fixed?price arrangements during a period of change.   Overall, the extension does not in itself create a new financial pressure; costs will continue to fluctuate depending on demand, route requirements and market pricing, as they do currently. The extension simply preserves the mechanism used to procure routes while transport transformation work is completed.   Procurement advice obtained by Michelle White – Category Manager: The Home to School (SEN) Transport Provision was procured using Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015) for a 10-year period with no option to extend. It is permissible under Regulation 34 of the PCR 2015 to extend the DPS for 12 months, however the Procurement Act 2023 (PA23) stipulates that a DPS under PCR 2015 must be extended by 23rd February 2026.   Procurement to publish a F14 – Notice for changes or additional information on Find a Tender Service to formally announce the extension.   HR advice obtained: N/A.   Climate change implications obtained: N/A.   The following documents have been used to assist the decision process: ·     SEND Strategy ·     Home to School Transport Policy ·     Post 16 Transport policy   Contact details Contact Officer: Cathy Starbuck, Director Education and Inclusion Telephone number:0161 778 0183   ·     This matter is also subject to consider by the Lead Member for Children’s Services ·     The Lead Member has been consulted and is supportive of the proposed contract. ·     The appropriate Scrutiny Committee to call-in the decision is the Children’s Scrutiny Committee   Signed:    Paul Dennett      Dated:   9 February 2026.                  City Mayor   FOR DEMOCRATIC SERVICES USE ONLY   This decision was published on 9 February 2026. This decision will come in force at 4pm on 16 February 2026 unless it is called-in in accordance with the Decision Making Process Rules.