The Government Commercial Agency (GCA) has launched the live tender for RM6381 Vehicle Hire Solutions, a four-year framework worth an estimated £800 million excluding VAT / £960 million including VAT. It covers short, medium and long-term vehicle hire across passenger vehicles, light commercial vehicles, specialist vehicles and HGVs, with provision for car-share solutions and some international hire.
The natural bidder audience is vehicle rental and fleet-hire businesses, including suppliers with specialist commercial, healthcare, emergency-response or HGV fleets. The lot structure means suppliers do not need to cover every type of vehicle to have a potential route into the framework.
If you are considering a tender for RM6381, speak to Thornton & Lowe for an objective bid/no-bid review and practical support with the next steps.
The Three Lots
- Lot 1 - Hire of vehicles up to 4.25T, including car share and international hire: passenger cars, LCVs, minibuses, 4x4s and other modified light vehicles. Estimated at £696m excluding VAT.
- Lot 2 - Commercial and specialist vehicles up to 7.5T: including LCVs and specialist vehicles such as response vehicles, ambulances, patient transport, mobile clinical units and research vehicles. Estimated at £64m excluding VAT.
- Lot 3 - HGVs and specialist vehicles from 7.5T and above: including municipal and waste vehicles, tractor units, trailers, tippers, winter-maintenance and specialist healthcare vehicles. Estimated at £40m excluding VAT.
Framework lot values may be shared, so these figures should be read as estimates rather than guaranteed spend by lot.
Why the Supplier Model Is Worth Noting
The framework states an unlimited maximum number of suppliers. It also allows awards with or without competition and applies a maximum supplier fee of 1%. This is a more open supplier structure than many large national frameworks, although bidders still need to meet the conditions of participation and score strongly in the tender.
The published evaluation weighting is 70% quality and 30% price. That makes the written quality submission especially important. Our bid writing guide covers the core principles for building clear, evidence-led tender responses.
What Vehicle Hire Suppliers Should Focus On
- Fleet availability and coverage: Demonstrate how you will fulfil different vehicle types, locations and hire durations.
- Specialist fleet evidence: If targeting Lots 2 or 3, show direct experience with the relevant commercial or specialist vehicles.
- Booking and account management: Explain systems, reporting, billing, issue resolution and customer support clearly.
- Resilience: Set out contingency arrangements for demand spikes, vehicle downtime and difficult-to-source requirements.
- Quality evidence: With 70% of the evaluation on quality, use measurable examples rather than generic statements about service.
Quick Facts
- Buyer: Government Commercial Agency
- Framework: RM6381 Vehicle Hire Solutions
- Estimated value: £800m excluding VAT / £960m including VAT
- Term: Four years, from 18 February 2027
- Lots: Three
- Maximum suppliers: Unlimited
- Supplier fee: Maximum 1%
- Evaluation: 70% quality / 30% price
- Enquiry deadline: 14 September 2026 at 3:00pm
- Tender deadline: 2 October 2026 at 3:00pm
- View the official Find a Tender notice
Give the Quality Submission Enough Attention
The framework's scale is attractive, but its supplier model means being admitted is only part of the commercial challenge. Bidders also need a practical plan for converting framework access into call-off work and maintaining service performance across public-sector customers.
Thornton & Lowe can help with the live tender, from response planning and drafting to independent review. Contact our bid team to discuss the support you need before the October deadline.
