Patient Transport Services (PTS) procurements are rarely won on price alone. Buyers are balancing patient experience, clinical safety, safeguarding, reliability, and operational resilience—and they need confidence you can deliver day-in, day-out across a complex geography.
That’s why the PTS Patient Transport Framework planning notice from Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (YAS) is worth acting on now. YAS plans to establish a framework of “patient-focused transport suppliers” and has published a preliminary market engagement notice under the Procurement Act 2023.
Opportunity snapshot
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Estimated value: £35,000,000 (ex VAT)
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Lots: 8 (based on vehicle type and patient mobility)
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Coverage areas: North Yorkshire, East Yorkshire, North Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire (with occasional travel outside these regions)
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Engagement deadline: 31 March 2026
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Estimated tender notice publication: 6 April 2026
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Estimated contract term: 1 Oct 2026 to 30 Sept 2030 (4 years)
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Portal reminders: suppliers must register on the Central Digital Platform and on Atamis
What the engagement is really telling you
YAS is inviting interested suppliers to Teams drop-in sessions covering the procurement process, framework overview, governance, mini-tender process, and quality/performance review meetings.
In plain terms: they’re signalling that this won’t be a “set and forget” framework. Expect ongoing performance management, structured governance, and a call-off approach that may include mini-competitions.
Three things evaluators usually want to see
Instead of guessing what the ITT will ask, it’s useful to build your evidence around the topics that nearly always drive scoring on PTS frameworks:
1) Safety, safeguarding and suitability
Generic policy statements don’t land well in transport tenders. Strong submissions usually show:
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how you assess suitability at dispatch (patient mobility, escort needs, risks)
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how you manage vulnerable passengers and safeguarding concerns
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incident escalation that’s clear and practiced, not theoretical
2) Reliability and resilience
Disruption is normal in PTS: late discharges, appointment changes, traffic, staff sickness, vehicle downtime. Buyers want confidence you can recover service without creating patient harm or system pressure. Make sure you can evidence:
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capacity management and contingency planning
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staff rostering, training, and supervision arrangements
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maintenance, fleet availability and rapid substitution
3) Governance that makes performance measurable
YAS calls out quality and performance review meetings in the engagement sessions.
If you want to stand out, be ready to show how you:
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track KPIs (on-time performance, complaints themes, incident trends)
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use patient feedback to drive improvements
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report in a way that supports commissioners and operational teams
A practical prep checklist
Portal readiness
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Confirm your Central Digital Platform registration is in place.
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Make sure you can access Atamis with the right organisational permissions and backup users.
Evidence readiness
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Pull 3–5 case studies that match PTS use cases mentioned by YAS (discharges, transfers, admissions, outpatient appointments, low acuity transport).
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For each, capture: volumes, geography, service hours, mobilisation time, KPIs, and lessons learned.
Delivery readiness
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Document your mobilisation plan for a new area (fleet, staff, training, local knowledge, governance).
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Pressure-test your subcontractor model (if used): controls, auditability, safeguarding and performance management.
How Thornton & Lowe helps on frameworks like this
PTS tenders can be deceptively demanding: the service description feels familiar, but scoring is driven by how well you evidence governance, safe delivery, mobilisation, and continuous improvement.
Thornton & Lowe helps suppliers translate operational capability into a structured, evaluator-friendly submission. We support you by strengthening win themes, tightening compliance, and improving the quality of supporting evidence through our bid writing services. And if you’re building a wider pipeline, understanding how framework agreements typically create (or fail to create) revenue can help you prioritise where to invest your bid effort.
What to do now
If you’re considering this opportunity, start by reviewing the published details in the PTS Patient Transport Framework notice and preparing questions for the engagement sessions. If you’d like support shaping your lot strategy, strengthening your evidence pack, or quality-assuring your response before submission, Thornton & Lowe can help you bid with more confidence and reduce last-minute risk. Get in touch and we’ll talk through the most effective next steps for your organisation.
