Decision details

Through its Registration Service, the Council provides a suite of bereavement related services for the residents of the borough and those organisations and families who chose to use its excellent services and facilities.

In addition, it also provides services relating to the transportation of bodies for the Coroner, the arrangement of funerals for those where no arrangements are being made, the Public Health funeral, and the Councils now established “low cost” Funeral Services.

A tender opportunity was originally advertised in February 2022. Unfortunately, no compliant bids were received.

A further tender opportunity was then advertised in September 2022 on In-tend, Think Sandwell and Contracts Finder in accordance with the Council’s Procurement & Contract Procedure Rules. There were eleven expressions of interest received and a total of three tenders returned.

The tender submissions were evaluated using the published award criteria which were based on 70% price and 30% quality/social value.

Boss Funeral Services Ltd trading as Trinity Funeral Services Ltd submitted the lowest compliant tender price total and were therefore awarded the maximum score of 70% for this criterion. They were also the highest scoring tenderer on the quality/social value criterion with a score of 26%.

Therefore, following the analysis of returned Tenders and in accordance with the published criteria, it is recommended that Boss Funeral Services Ltd trading as Trinity Funeral Services Ltd be awarded the contract.

The level of spend through the contract will be determined by the number of coroner’s removals, public health funerals and those families that choose the Council’s “low cost” funeral service.

That the Director of Law and Governance, Monitoring Officer in
consultation with Finance - Section 151 Officer award a contract for the
provision of Sandwell Funeral Services and Coroners Transportation to
Boss Funeral Services Ltd trading as Trinity Funeral Services Ltd 13
Portland Road, Birmingham, B16 9HN. The period of the award will be 4
years commencing on 01 January 2023.

The Council’s current contract agreement for the provision of Funeral
Services expires on 31 December 2022. In line with the Council’s
Contract Procedures Rules, a tendering exercise has been conducted to
establish a four-year contract from 1 January 2023 to 31 December
2026.

The service requirements for this tendering process included elements of
the Councils now well established “low cost” Funeral Service and the
provision of Coroners Transportation in Sandwell MBC, Dudley MBC and
Walsall MBC with the City of Wolverhampton making their own
arrangements.

Tenders were invited using public advertisement to cover the
requirements outlined in 1.2 above and eleven companies expressed an
interest and a total of three tenders were returned by the tender closing
date.

Following analysis of returned tenders it is recommended that Boss
Funeral Services Ltd trading as Trinity Funeral Services Ltd,13 Portland
Road, Birmingham, B16 9HN be awarded the contract. The expenditure
for Sandwell over the 4-year contract period is estimated to be in the
region of £458,000.