Your Invitation to Tender for the
Community Minibus Fund Round
Two Partnership
We’d like to offer you the chance to work with the Community Transport Association
(CTA) to help support the delivery of specialist minibuses to successful applicants
through the Community Minibus Fund Round Two.
The UK Government recognises that passenger transport is fundamental to the sustainability and
independence of communities, particularly in isolated areas. It provides people with access to
public services, employment, education and training. Inadequate transport provision can be a
barrier to the prosperity of all those living in such areas.
As such the Department for Transport (DfT) have invited a second round of bids for minibuses
funded under the Community Minibus Fund. The appraisal of bids will favour organisations who
support learning outside of a traditional classroom setting. The CTA have been charged with
administering the new round of funding.
The second round of the Community Minibus Fund will see £2 million made available for
community transport providers to receive a new minibus.
The purpose of the fund is to provide new minibuses to community transport providers across the
UK. The first round of funding saw vehicles awarded to over 300 organisations.
The CTA would like to commission a partnership in which we envisage the successful company will
work closely with us to design a set number of vehicle specifications which successful applicants
can pick from. The successful company will also arrange conversion and delivery of all the
minibuses within one year.
1. Who are the Community Transport Association?
The Community Transport Association is a registered charity and the national membership body for
anyone, across the United Kingdom, who provides accessible and inclusive transport for those in
their communities.
We are for and about accessible and inclusive transport. Our vision is of a world where people
can shape and create their own accessible and inclusive transport solutions, so that everything else
in life can be accessible and inclusive too.
At the Community Transport Association we are the leading authority on the practice and
performance of community transport. We work to empower individuals and communities to design
their own transport solutions from the ground up.
Our days are spent working with people who all want the very best for their communities and see
accessible and inclusive transport as part of the answer to the big questions of how we are to live,
learn, participate and belong. We believe our members have a vital role to play in connecting
communities, alleviating social isolation, empowering innovation and championing economic
wellbeing.
2. What are we looking for?
We’re looking for a partner. Someone with whom we can work to produce the most
appropriate vehicle specifications which meet the needs of the community transport sector
and can deliver a high number of specially converted minibuses.

We’re looking for a company that can create a number of vehicle specifications to meet the
needs of the community transport sector whilst delivering best value for money.
-
The successful company will create specialist vehicle specifications which the applicants of
the Community Minibus Fund Round Two will be able to pick from. The choices will include;
vehicle type, vehicle brand, seating capacity, configuration, specialist accessibility equipment
and colour.

We are looking for a company which can deliver approximately 40 minibuses (based on the
created vehicle specifications) within a year of the successful applicants being awarded funding.
-
As part of this relationship, and to ensure the fund is delivered on time and to budget we
are looking for a company that would be willing to meet in our Manchester office when
required.
First and foremost, we are tendering for a partnership to work extremely closely with CTA. We need
an applicant organisation with a proven capacity to produce minibuses and perform customisations
either directly or through subcontractors, to deliver 40 vehicles between April 2017 and April 2018.
The chosen applicant will also need to demonstrate the ability to realistically, robustly and reliably
forecast delivery based on previous experience, an understanding of supply chains and the capacity
of the sector and subcontractors. Managing the expectations of all customers will be necessary.
2.1 Timescales
The following timeline for the Community Minibus Fund Round Two has been agreed with
the Department for Transport:
Key Dates
Action
08 September 2016
Community Minibus Fund Round Two opens for applications
02 December 2016
Closing date for applications.
W/C 16 January 2017
Letters of award to successful applicants, with vehicle specification
selection sheet and how to promote their award.
W/C 20 February
Deadline for vehicle specification selection
2017
March 2018
All minibuses delivered to successful applicants
2.2 Funding Available
Funding has been made available under the Community Minibus Fund Round Two to provide
approximately 40 minibuses. Each of the successful applicants will receive a grant to purchase their
own vehicle based on the pre-set vehicle specifications which our partner will have developed. Prior
to CTA grant funding the successful applicants a full quote must be provided to the CTA and the
applicant based on the chosen vehicle specification.
3. What do we need from you?
We require a written statement which should clearly set out your experience in delivering a high
volume of specialist minibus orders to the community transport sector. In your written response
we require you to address each of the following points below:
1. You should explain your company’s experience in selecting and tailoring the most
appropriate minibuses for the community transport sector.
2. We will require a description of how your company has overcome obstacles and how you
have managed expectations when difficult and avoidable circumstances have occurred.
3. How your company will use marketing/ social media to highlight the positive impact of the
Community Minibus Fund?
4. How you will work with the CTA to produce a number of minibus specifications from which
successful applicants of the community minibus fund will be able to pick from?
5. You should explain how your experience best places you within the industry to deliver a
quality service which puts the customer first whilst allowing for best value.
6. Please also describe how you will engage and work with the CTA and community transport
sector to deliver to the outlined timescales and if delays occur how you will mitigate against
these.
7. Please provide a proposed timeline for delivery of the minibuses and evidence of how you
can meet this including records of receiving vehicles from suppliers to agreed timescales.
Evidence should also include an assessment of how much you currently subcontract and the
methods and contractual terms you have in place to ensure that you receive vehicles from
suppliers and subcontractors to agreed timescales.
8. We require you to submit an example vehicle specification and quote; you should state why
you chosen the vehicle type, brand, configuration and accessibility options. The specification
should suit the following type of organisation:
-
An organisation which transports children to an out of school club where at least three
of the passengers require wheelchair access.
9. Finally the statement should include a commitment to visit the CTA’s Manchester offices
once per month to discuss progress of the project, we will also require weekly updates
against delivery schedules,
3.1 Evaluation
The CTA will evaluate each of the criteria 1 – 8 by ranking all the responses received and awarding
scores accordingly. The scoring range will 0 to 5 where 0 is poor and 5 is excellent will be allocated.
A maximum score of 40 will be obtainable. The following matrix will be used to score each element
of the statement:
0
1
Failed to address the question/issue
An unfavourable response/answer/solution. There is limited or poor evidence of
skill/experience/solution sought; a high risk that relevant skills will not be available.
Less than acceptable. The response/answer/solution/information lacks convincing evidence of
2
skill/experience/solution sought; lack of real understanding of requirement or evidence of
ability to deliver; medium risk that relevant skills or requirement will not be available.
3
Acceptable response/answer/solution/information to the particular aspect of the requirement;
evidence has been given of skill/experience/solution sought.
Above acceptable – response/answer/solution/information demonstrates real understanding
4
of the requirement and evidence of ability to meet it (based on good experience of the specific
provision required or relevant experience of comparable service
Excellent – response/answer/solution provides real confidence based on experience of the
5
service or supply provision required. Response indicates that the supplier will add real value
to the project with excellent skills and a deep understanding of the service or supply
The CTA will select the company which meets the Specification Requirements (above) with the
highest overall score. In addition to the scoring system above CTA will undertake all necessary due
diligence on any applicant, particularly those who score very highly. This will be factored in to CTA’s
final decision on the successful bidder prior to award of the partnership.
3.2 Key Dates

Please get in touch with Victoria Shortland to confirm your intention to tender by 14
October.

We will take any questions you have on the tender process from 04 October - 14
October.

Bids should be submitted to [email protected] by 17:00 on Friday 04 November 2016.
Any tenders received after this date will be disregarded.
Victoria Shortland
Projects Manager
@CTAUK1
Community Transport Association UK
Aeroworks | 5 Adair Street | Manchester | M1 2NQ
0161 351 1475
[email protected]
ctauk.org |ctablog.org