Home to School DPS
Framework Description
Rutland County Council's Home to School DPS is a Dynamic Purchasing System for passenger transport, mainly home-to-school travel for children and young people, including those with special educational needs (SEN) and children in care. It also covers transport for adults accessing day services. It is a single-lot DPS running until 23 February 2029, with an estimated annual value of up to £2,580,000 and no guaranteed volume.
Context & Use Case
The Council uses it to buy routes in Rutland and surrounding areas, getting children to school safely and on time and taking Adult Social Care users to day services and appointments. Each route is shaped around the passengers' needs, and as requirements change during the year the Council competes new work among operators admitted to the DPS.
Scope of Services
Home-to-school transport for children and young people Transport for pupils with SEN Transport for children in care Adult Social Care transport to day services and appointments
Lots
Single lot
Who Can Apply
Open to taxi, private hire, minibus and coach operators, including small local firms, with experience of school, SEN or social care transport. As a live DPS, it accepts applications now, so operators can join at any point before 23 February 2029.
Buyer Benefits
A DPS lets the Council add operators as demand grows and compete each route, which keeps prices keen in a market where costs move. It can place SEN and looked-after children's transport with operators that have shown they meet its standards, and buying on demand means no commitment to volumes it may not need.
Next Steps
Read the Find a Tender notice and apply to join the DPS. Have licences, insurance, DBS checks for drivers and passenger assistants, safeguarding training and vehicle records ready. Once admitted, respond quickly to route competitions, as school transport needs often change at the start of term and when pupils move.
How Athena Can Help
Getting onto the DPS is the first step, and Athena's DPS application help covers the selection questions, safeguarding policies and a compliance check before you submit. After that, every route is competed. Athena's route pricing and bid writing helps you price each run to win and still cover fuel and staff costs, and our bid/no-bid route assessment helps you decide which routes are worth chasing and which to leave to others.
