008942 - Provision of Coroner Transport Services

Description

HM Senior Coroner for Newcastle and Acting Senior Coroner for North Tyneside has an obligation to investigate sudden deaths.  Based on the figures for the past twelve months approximately 500 cases for Newcastle City Council and 500 cases for North Tyneside Council were required to be removed and transported to a mortuary for further investigation.  Such removals are carried out in an unmarked vehicle.
In some cases, this involved the deceased to be returned from the mortuary to a designated address.  The return of the deceased to a designated address will be the responsibility of the family or representative of the deceased.  The service provider is at liberty to negotiate with such parties as to whether a charge is made for this service dependant on the appointed service provider.
However, this contract is not an opportunity to gain provision of funeral services.  The Service provider will not, under any circumstances, actively canvas relatives or friends of the deceased with a view to carrying out the funeral arrangements.
The successful suppliers will manage the contract on a rotational basis. The nature of the Framework Agreement is such that Contractors on the Framework List will be contacted in order, and where a Contractor is unable to deliver the Service when requested, the Authority will make the request of the next Contractor on the Framework List.
The service Framework is split into two Lots.  Lot 1 will cover the Newcastle City Council area (Appendix A1) and Lot 2 will cover North Tyneside area (Appendix A2).  Providers can tender for one or both areas.
The approximate annual value is £480,000 per year for 4 years (£1,920,000).  With a 2 x 12-month extension (subject to funding and need). There is no guarantee of the number of requests received each year during the contract period over the 2 lots.