Devon County Council has a statutory duty to support Her Majesty’s Coroner in circumstances in which there are unexplained deaths within the county. Under such circumstances, there is a requirement for the deceased to be removed from the location into the care of the Coroner at a mortuary or funeral home.
We renew the contract every 4 to 5 years, this is the third renewal/retender of this service. For each of the three renewals, the services required are split into three requirements as follows:
- Transfer of deceased from scene to mortuary or contractor establishment
- Transfer from mortuary to destination outside zonal areas (for example, Great Ormond Street Hospital for specialist investigation)
- Support to the councils in the case of mass fatalities
Last week we advertised a new contract to appoint removal contractors who we will work with for the duration of this next contract, which will run until 31 August 2026.
This is routine procurement of a sensitive service that we provide.
Funeral directors and ambulance services contracted by us to provide this service have demonstrated a quality and discreet service that meets our criteria.
The timing for this re-tendering is because the current contract is due to expire on 31 August 2021. It is not in response to any change in demand for the service.
If you are a provider and wish to tender for this contract, please see the contract details here.