Completion of Commissioned Archaeological Projects

Official notice

Authority: Historic Environment Scotland

ServicesAward procedure without prior publication of a call for competition

Sectors: Architecture & Engineering (71) Delivery: Scotland (UKM65)

Awarded value£97,220published contract · exc. VAT

Awarded 20 Oct 2026no call for competition

Awarded to EASE Archaeology

What is being bought

Published requirement description

This Voluntary Ex-Ante (VEAT) Notice relates to the intended procurement for the completion of already commissioned archaeological projects. The contract duration is for a maximum of 24 months.

CPV: Archaeological services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published

Lot #1Historic Environment Scotland (HES) intends to award this contract under the…

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) intends to award this contract under the conditions of regulation 33.4.b(ii) of the Public Contracts (Scotland) regulations.

Completion of outstanding previously commissioned archaeological projects and ongoing works at the Property in Care of Links of Noltland [PIC304], Westray, Orkney.

The original commissioned project was in response to coastal erosion, the final work required is to bring this project to completion, (final reporting and publication if appropriate and archive submission). The contractor lead on post-excavation and currently store the entire archaeological assemblage.

Delivery: Scotland · Orkney Islands

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record · publisher note attached

Procedure method: Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Legal basis: CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
Procurement category: Services
Notice status: Awarded without competition
Procurement threshold: Unspecified in notice
Regulatory regime: Standard
Commercial structure: Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type: Direct award (no call for competition)
GPA / WTO covered: Yes (GPA)
Recurring procurement: Unspecified in notice
First published: 21 Oct 2026, 08:53 BST
Last source update: 21 Oct 2026, 08:53 BST
Authority reference: HES/C/4386
FTS notice number: 2026/S 000-099245
Classification (CPV): Archaeological services
Delivery area: Scotland (UKM65)
Official registry OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078c62 Find a Tender

Why no open competition: The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the directive
Published justification: HES intends to award to the Supplier on the basis that competition is absent for technical reasons. The original commission projects were provided by the contractror who still store and curate the assemblage. Given the nature of the services described in II.2.4 of this notice, the contractor is the original excavators of these sites, their knowledge of what has been found is unparalleled, and as they are not published, the information which another contractor would require to store and manage the collection is not in the public domain at present.

Publisher note: (SC Ref:846203)

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast

Awards 1

Awarded value £97,2201 contract exc. VAT

Contracts signed 1latest 20 Oct 2026

Awarded to	Value	Date	Status
EASE Archaeology	£97,220 †	—	Awarded

Contracts

Contract 099245-2026-HES/C/4386-1 · EASE Archaeology
Signed
20 Oct 2026
Value
£97,220
Status
active

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Historic Environment Scotland

Contracting authorityNational or federal agency/officeHeritage, Tourism, Built Environment, Conservation Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH9 1SHContact email, phone

Dispute resolution & review bodies

Edinburgh Sheriff CourtReview body Edinburgh

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice

EASE ArchaeologyAwarded supplier Midbea Schoolhouse, Westray, Scotland, KW17 2DPContact phone

Official documents & specifications

Official links; attachments are not copied

No document links were published on the notice.