Official UK procurement notice
DED - Commercial Advisor Framework 2
Authority: Scottish Government (Central government)
What is being bought2 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionSCOPE OF REQUIREMENTS
The scope of work will comprise of standard due diligence and financial governance. This is what will be termed ‘core’ work representing ongoing business activities of advice, guidance, reporting, engagement with the business, meetings and costing on a planned, regular programme. The second part relates to cases where we consider that more complex analysis will be required and that appropriate time and rates are proportionate for this activity.
Core Scope
Provision of advisory services as may be required to provide expert strategic, financial and commercial advice in respect of core services:
Advice & guidance
Analysis
Reporting
Work across all sectors of industry
Meetings and costing on a planned regular programme.
Additional Scope
The Scottish Government require the Service Provider to be able to provide all services outlined below across a range of possible intervention, investment or funding structures, including debt, guarantees, grants and equity:
Financial/Commercial due diligence.
Analysis and reports on potential mergers or acquisitions and disposal of assets, Insolvency, restructuring and turnaround advice
Specialist economic and market technical expertise relevant to government
Market analysis of relevant sectors, including those strategic to Scotland
Options Appraisal in line with the principles of HMT Green Book
Evaluation exercises in line with the principles of HMT Magenta Book
Strategic and commercial advice in respect of exit strategies for Scottish Government interventions
Financial Accounting assessments
Company valuations
Counterparty due diligence, addressing financial, commercial and reputational risks
Economic impact assessments
Commercial market operator assessment in support of a wider subsidy control assessment, working with appointed legal advisors and Scottish Government’s Legal Directorate and Subsidy Control Division. This will include appropriate pricing of any financial instruments to be applied to the transaction.
Undertaking a sale and marketing process for existing investments, including marketing the business for sale, engaging with prospective purchasers and negotiating commercial heads of terms
Forensic accounting assessments.
The Scottish Government require the Service Provider to provide all services outlined above for all noted transaction and intervention types. Should the Service Provider require the use of sub-contractor to fulfil the requirements this should be noted in the Tenderer’s Single Procurement Documents (SPD) and Technical response. Further details of the required services are detailed in Annex
CPV: Business analysis consultancy services · Financial consultancy services · Financial management consultancy services
How this framework works
From the published notice- Places
- up to 6 suppliers · 8 bids received (1.3 per place) · 6 appointed (full)
Lots and requirements (2)Procurement structure
2 lots · no lot values publishedLot #1Commercial Advisor Framework 2CancelledRenewal
The aim of the Framework Agreement is to establish a timely, efficient and effective mechanism to conduct a range of due diligence on commercial entities and companies in difficulty to inform decision making.
Due diligence assignments will encompass a wide range of activities including financial analysis, market information and risk assessment to inform the viability of companies facing challenges and assess the likelihood of a successful outcome.
It is envisaged that the appointed Service Providers will be multi-disciplinary agencies or consortia offering a range of integrated professional services including but not limited to: accountancy/financial management, and tax advice, commercial advisory services, restructuring and turnaround specialisms, specialist technical expertise such as economic and market analysis and other considerations including impacts of Subsidy Control (formerly State Aid). Additional information: A maximum of 6 Service Providers will be appointed to the Framework Agreement.
Lot #2Commercial Advisor Framework 2Planned
The purpose of this Prior Information Notice is to give advance notice of our intentions to the market. The Scottish Government is currently conducting internal engagement with policy areas and key stakeholders to determine the lotting structure of the Framework agreement. Please record your interest in this notice and you will automatically receive updates as we progress.
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published sub-criteria (8)
- Methodology: 20
- Management and Delivery Team: 25
- Value for Money: 20
- Tailored Approaches: 20
- Community Benefits: 5
- Fair Work First: 5
- Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery: 5
- price: 40
Published award criteria (8)
- Methodology: 20
- Management and Delivery Team: 25
- Value for Money: 20
- Tailored Approaches: 20
- Community Benefits: 5
- Fair Work First: 5
- Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery: 5
- Price: 40
- Economic & financial standing
SPD 4B.4 -
Bidders must demonstrate a Current Ratio of no less than 1 in the financial years specified in the SPD. Current Ratio will be calculated as follows:
Total current assets divided by Total current liabilities.
There must be no qualification or contra-indication from any evidence provided in support of the bidders economic and financial standing.
SPD 4B.5 -
The bidder confirms they already have or can commit to obtain, prior to the commencement of the contract, the levels of insurance cover indicated below:
Professional Risk Indemnity: in the sum of not less than 5 Million GBP.
Employer's (Compulsory) Liability: in accordance with any legal obligation for the time being in force but in any event in the sum of not less than Five million pounds 5 Million GBP.
Public Liability- including Abuse Liability: in the sum of not less than 5 Million GBP.
Such insurance must be maintained for the duration of the Contract and for a minimum of 5 years following the expiry or termination of the
Contract.
- Technical & professional ability
SPD 4C.4 -
Bidders must provide a statement of the relevant supply chain management and/or tracking systems used.
SPD 4C.7 -
Bidders will be required to provide evidence that their organisation has taken steps to build their awareness of the climate change emergency and how they will respond.
SPD 4C.10 -
Bidders are required to confirm whether they intend to subcontract and, if so, for what proportion of the Framework Agreement Contract and what service the sub-contractor will provide.
- Staff
- Names and qualifications of delivery staff must be submitted
- Price carries 40 of 140 points: a 10% discount moves about 4 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- “DED - Commercial Advisor Framework 2” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 6 suppliers, not a single contract.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record · publisher note attached- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- No (one-off requirement)
- First published
- 12 Feb 2025, 10:27 GMT
- Last source update
- 19 Nov 2025, 13:02 GMT
- Award evaluation window
- 25 Jul 2025 – …
- Authority reference
758186- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-075213- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-04de02Find a Tender
- Electronic trading
- e-invoicing allowed · electronic ordering · electronic payment
Publisher note: The buyer used PCS-Tender to conduct this Invitation to Tender (ITT) exercise. The Project code was 29380. For more information see: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2343 The Question Scoring Methodology for Award Criteria was included in the invitation to tender as follows: 0 — Unacceptable. Nil or inadequate response. Fails to demonstrate an ability to meet the requirement. 1 — Poor. Response is partially relevant but generally poor. The response addresses some elements of the requirement but contains insufficient/limited detail or explanation to demonstrate how the requirement will be fulfilled. 2 — Acceptable. Response is relevant and acceptable. The response addresses a broad understanding of the requirement but may lack details on how the requirement will be fulfilled in certain areas. 3 — Good. Response is relevant and good. The response is sufficiently detailed to demonstrate a good understanding and provides details on how the requirements will be fulfilled. 4 — Excellent. Response is completely relevant and excellent overall. The Framework value is an estimate which may increase or decrease over the Framework Term. Commitment to spend will only be agreed at each call off opportunity. The estimated value of the Framework Agreement in 10 million GPB with the option to extend this value to 15 million GPB. These values are estimates established during the development of the Framework Agreement. (SC Ref:816269)
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 25 Jul 2025, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission"}
- Accepted languages
- en
- Bid validity
- 180 days from the deadline
- Bids opened
- 25 Jul 2025, 12:00 BST
Timeline
17 Mar 2025 → 19 Nov 2025 · 4 dates- Next notice expected17 Mar 2025
- Admission / appointment period endsperiod end, not a bid countdown25 Jul 2025, 12:00 BST
- Bids opened25 Jul 2025, 12:00 BST
- Notice published338 days ago19 Nov 2025, 13:02 GMT
Notice history
4 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 30 May 2025- Status changed to active30 May 2025, 10:59 BST
- Procurement method changed30 May 2025, 10:59 BST
- Deadline published: 25 Jul 2025, 12:00 BST30 May 2025, 10:59 BST
- Status changed to complete19 Nov 2025, 13:02 GMT
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast1 suppliers are admitted to this framework without individual award values or dates, see the supplier list below.
Contracts
Contract 075213-2025-758186-1
- Signed
- 31 Oct 2025
- Value
- £15,000,000
- Status
- active
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Commercial Advisor Framework 2 | 8bids · 8 electronic · 8 from abroad | 0 | — | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- Edinburgh Sheriff Court and Justice of the Peace CourtReview body
Framework contractors & participating bidders
6 commercial parties on the notice- Deloitte LLPFramework contractor
- FRP AdvisoryFramework contractor
- Grant Thornton UK LLPFramework contractor
- Interpath LtdFramework contractor
- PricewaterhouseCoopers LLPFramework contractor
- Teneo Restructuring LimitedFramework contractor
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice.