Drone Training, Support & Maintenance

Forestry and Land Scotland (the Purchaser) look after the national forests and land to enhance biodiversity, support tourism, and increase access to the green spaces that will help improve Scotland’s physical and mental health and well-being. The Authority also continues to provide vital timber supplies to support a sustainable rural economy. Further information on who the Authority is and what it does can be found here: forestryandland.gov.scot ↗.

The Purchaser had a requirement to place a contract with an external Service Provider for the provision of Drone Training, Support & Maintenance services of their drone resource (Pilots & Drones).

The Purchaser currently have a number of General Visual Line of Sight Certification (GVC) and A2 Certificate of Competency (A2 CoC). We have an accountable manager and a third-party agency who provide support including managing our Operations Manual. However, going forward the Purchaser plan to carry out their future in-house drone operations in the Open Category. This is due to the majority of its drone operations posing no/low risk to people. As such, there is no CAA operational authorisation or Operations Manual required. FLS currently has a total of thirty-three (33) drones, and it is anticipated this will increase over the duration of the contract period.

The Purchaser is looking for a Service Provider to deliver the following aims:

• Training: provision of A2 CoC with an additional practical, flight skills element.
• Support which will take a number of forms:
• Be the first point of contact for the Purchasers pilots and prospective pilots with queries relating to drones;
• checking contractor documentation and certification;
• conducting flight skills tests where judged necessary;
• Production of Standard Operating Procedures and support materials;
• Attending bi-annual all-pilot meetings;
• Emergency support in event of accidents and incidents.
• Maintenance: carry out maintenance on the FLS drone fleet.

A breakdown of what the Purchaser seeks to achieve through the main aims outlined above is detailed within the tender documentation.

Please Note:

The principal Service Provider must be a Recognised Assessment Entity (RAE) to be eligible to submit a tender for this opportunity.

If your organisation currently holds any Contract, Framework Agreement, or any other Agreement with the Purchaser that involves drone operations (excluding the purchase of drones & hardware), you were not eligible to submit a tender for this opportunity. This includes any persons of significant control within your organisation who may be affiliated to any other organisations who hold any contractual agreements for the provision of drone operations with FLS.

Similarly, if you are awarded a contract through this tender process, you will not be eligible to submit tenders for any future opportunities related to drone operations whilst you hold that agreement.

The contract will be for a period of thirty-six (36) months (three (3) years) with the option to extend up to an additional twenty-four (24) months (two (2) year).