School And Social Care Transport Framework
Framework Description
Reading Borough Council is setting up a School and Social Care Transport Framework to meet its statutory duty to arrange free travel for eligible pupils, including children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The Council's July 2024 report put the need at around 536 pre-16 and 90 post-16 learners, with a forecast annual cost of £4.52 million.
Context & Use Case
The Council will use it to arrange transport to schools and care settings, with each arrangement built around the passenger: suitable vehicles and trained, licensed personnel. Alongside contracted vehicles, some eligible pupils receive bus passes, so the framework sits within a wider mix of travel options the Council manages for children and young people.
Scope of Services
Transport for pupils to schools and care settings Bespoke arrangements for pupils with SEND or disabilities Trained and licensed drivers and personnel Suitable, well-maintained vehicles Compliance with Council safeguarding policies
Lots
See framework link
Who Can Apply
Suits taxi, private hire, minibus and accessible transport operators with experience carrying children with SEND, properly licensed and able to meet the Council's safeguarding policies. As a new procurement at pre-tender stage, it should be open to qualifying operators when it is advertised.
Buyer Benefits
The Council needs transport it can trust with vulnerable young people, delivered on time every school day. A framework of pre-qualified operators gives it consistent safety and safeguarding standards, a quicker way to place new routes as pupils' needs change, and better control over a budget measured in millions each year.
Next Steps
Watch Reading Borough Council's tender notices for the framework to be advertised, and read the July 2024 committee report for the background and scale. Prepare now: DBS checks and safeguarding training for drivers, vehicle compliance records, SEND transport case studies and route pricing, so you can respond quickly when the tender opens.
How Athena Can Help
SEND transport tenders test both safeguarding quality and price. Athena's bid writing team writes the safeguarding, vehicle and driver training answers to the evaluation criteria, while our help pricing public contracts keeps your rates competitive and profitable.
If you want more transport work alongside Reading, Athena's framework and DPS search finds other council transport frameworks and DPSs open now and handles the applications for you, from selection questions to the final compliance check.
