Official UK procurement notice
Expert Help for Business · UK public procurement notice
Authority: Aberdeenshire Council (Local council)
What is being bought9 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionThe council is looking to procure consultancy support for a variety of different topics for business support within Aberdeen City & Aberdeenshire.
CPV: Business and management consultancy and related services
How this framework works
From the published notice- Places
- up to 18 suppliers · 9 bids on the busiest of 8 lots (0.5 per place) · 11 appointed
Lots and requirements (9)Procurement structure
9 lots · all with a published value · win at most 2 of them · same evaluation weights on every lotEvery one of these 2 lots carries the same published figure, £55,000: it is the framework's maximum for the whole notice, not each lot's own budget, and no share per lot is published. The cards below say ceiling above rather than repeat it.
Lot #1Financial ManagementCancelledRenewalPublished value£46,000
This procurement is to provide the council with expert help and advisory services for businesses within Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire, which are assessed through the Business Gateway Service and Economic Development. This expert help support is provided through Business Gateway, which is funded by Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils.
Lot #2Strategy & Business DevelopmentCancelledRenewalPublished value£64,000
This procurement is to provide the council with expert help and advisory services for businesses within Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire, which are assessed through the Business Gateway Service and Economic Development. This expert help support is provided through Business Gateway, which is funded by Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils.
Lot #3Human Resources, Leadership and SkillsCancelledRenewalceiling above
This procurement is to provide the council with expert help and advisory services for businesses within Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire, which are assessed through the Business Gateway Service and Economic Development. This expert help support is provided through Business Gateway, which is funded by Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils.
Lot #4Marketing StrategyCancelledRenewalPublished value£36,000
This procurement is to provide the council with expert help and advisory services for businesses within Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire, which are assessed through the Business Gateway Service and Economic Development. This expert help support is provided through Business Gateway, which is funded by Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils.
Lot #5Digital Marketing StrategyCancelledRenewalPublished value£68,000
This procurement is to provide the council with expert help and advisory services for businesses within Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire, which are assessed through the Business Gateway Service and Economic Development. This expert help support is provided through Business Gateway, which is funded by Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils.
Lot #6BrandingCancelledRenewalPublished value£59,000
This procurement is to provide the council with expert help and advisory services for businesses within Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire, which are assessed through the Business Gateway Service and Economic Development. This expert help support is provided through Business Gateway, which is funded by Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils.
Lot #7Information technology, digital technology, websites and online platforms (excluding social media)CancelledRenewalceiling above
This procurement is to provide the council with expert help and advisory services for businesses within Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire, which are assessed through the Business Gateway Service and Economic Development. This expert help support is provided through Business Gateway, which is funded by Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils.
Lot #8Procurement & Supply ChainCancelledRenewalPublished value£46,000
This procurement is to provide the council with expert help and advisory services for businesses within Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire, which are assessed through the Business Gateway Service and Economic Development. This expert help support is provided through Business Gateway, which is funded by Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils.
Lot #9LegalCancelledRenewalPublished value£27,000
This procurement is to provide the council with expert help and advisory services for businesses within Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire, which are assessed through the Business Gateway Service and Economic Development. This expert help support is provided through Business Gateway, which is funded by Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils.
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 (7)
- Provision of Services: 30
- Contract Resources: 35
- Contract Management: 20
- Fair Work Practices: 5
- price: 30
- Sustainability & Community Benefits: 5
- Environmental Wellbeing (Climate Change Duties): 5
Published award criteria (7)
- Provision of Services: 30
- Contract Resources: 35
- Contract Management: 20
- Sustainability & Community Benefits: 5
- Fair Work Practices: 5
- Environmental Wellbeing (Climate Change Duties): 5
- Price: 30
- Suitability
The relevant selection criteria will be included in the SPD Scotland Module and ITT
- Economic & financial standing
The relevant selection criteria will be included in the SPD Scotland Module and ITT
- Technical & professional ability
The relevant selection criteria will be included in the SPD Scotland Module and ITT
- Staff
- Names and qualifications of delivery staff must be submitted
- Price carries 30 of 130 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- “Expert Help for Business” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 18 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
- Cancelled
- 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
- 17 Dec 2025, 16:40 GMT
- Last source update
- 9 Apr 2026, 12:29 BST
- Award evaluation window
- 26 Jan 2026 – …
- Authority reference
CRN00041810- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-032355- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05f853Find a Tender
- Electronic trading
- e-invoicing allowed · electronic ordering · electronic payment
- Performance terms
As detailed within the tender documents
Publisher note: NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Public Contracts Scotland Web Site at http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=755902. The buyer has indicated that it will accept electronic responses to this notice via the Postbox facility. A user guide is available at http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/sitehelp/help_guides.aspx. Suppliers are advised to allow adequate time for uploading documents and to dispatch the electronic response well in advance of the closing time to avoid any last minute problems. (SC Ref:755902) Download the copy of the online SPD document here (to be completed online through postbox submission): https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/ESPD/ESPD_Download.aspx?id=755902 (SC Ref:829005)
How it was run
Official noticeTender documents are also served through a separate tool: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk ↗
- Appointment period ends
- 2 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission"}
- Accepted languages
- en
- Bid validity
- 120 days from the deadline
- Bids opened
- 26 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
Timeline
26 Jan 2026 → 9 Apr 2026 · 3 dates- Bids opened272 days ago26 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Admission / appointment period ends265 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown2 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Notice published199 days ago9 Apr 2026, 12:29 BST
Notice history
3 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 14 Jan 2026- Deadline moved to 2 Feb 2026, 12:00 GMT14 Jan 2026, 16:21 GMT+7 days · was 26 Jan 2026, 12:00 GMT
- Status changed to complete9 Apr 2026, 12:29 BST
- Status changed to unsuccessful9 Apr 2026, 12:29 BST
Published amendments (1 · 1 deadline change)
| When | What | Before | After | Shift |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | DeadlineTime limit · IV.2.2 | 26 Jan 2026 | 2 Feb 2026 | +7 d |
| — | Bid openingConditions for opening of tenders · IV.2.7 | 26 Jan 2026 | 2 Feb 2026 | +7 d |
Additional week provided to allow time for tenderers to review the Information Security Measures which have just been uploaded. The deadline for submitting questions has also been extended by a week until 26th January.
Routine re-releases (4)
- 2025-12: 1 release · 17 Dec 2025
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast8 suppliers are admitted to this framework without individual award values or dates, see the supplier list below.
Contracts
All 2 of these contracts carry the same published figure, £55,000, the framework's maximum for the whole notice, not each contract's own value. They are not eleven separate sums.
Financial Management
- Signed
- 2 Apr 2026
- Value
- £46,000
- Status
- active
Strategy & Business Development
- Signed
- 2 Apr 2026
- Value
- £64,000
- Status
- active
Human Resources, Leadership and Skills
- Signed
- 2 Apr 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Status
- active
Marketing Strategy
- Signed
- 2 Apr 2026
- Value
- £36,000
- Status
- active
Digital Marketing Strategy
- Signed
- 2 Apr 2026
- Value
- £68,000
- Status
- active
Branding
- Signed
- 2 Apr 2026
- Value
- £59,000
- Status
- active
Information technology, digital technology, websites and online platforms (excluding social media)
- Signed
- 2 Apr 2026
- Value
- ceiling above
- Status
- active
Procurement & Supply Chain
- Signed
- 2 Apr 2026
- Value
- £46,000
- Status
- active
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Financial Management | 1bids · 1 electronic · 1 from abroad | 1 | — | — |
| 2 · Strategy & Business Development | 5bids · 5 electronic · 5 from abroad | 5 | — | — |
| 3 · Human Resources, Leadership and Skills | 6bids · 6 electronic · 6 from abroad | 6 | — | — |
| 4 · Marketing Strategy | 8bids · 8 electronic · 8 from abroad | 8 | — | — |
| 5 · Digital Marketing Strategy | 9bids · 9 electronic · 9 from abroad | 9 | — | — |
| 6 · Branding | 7bids · 7 electronic · 7 from abroad | 7 | — | — |
| 7 · Information technology, digital technology, websites and online platforms (excluding social media) | 6bids · 6 electronic · 6 from abroad | 6 | — | — |
| 8 · Procurement & Supply Chain | 3bids · 3 electronic · 3 from abroad | 3 | — | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- Aberdeen Sheriff CourtReview body
Framework contractors & participating bidders
11 commercial parties on the notice- Barkers Commercial ConsultancyFramework contractor
- Defankle Innovation LimitedFramework contractor
- Delfinity LtdFramework contractor
- Dorothy McKinney Ltd (McKinney HR)Framework contractor
- Electrify Marketing & CommunicationsFramework contractor
- Inspire IT Services LtdFramework contractor
- Kampakis and coFramework contractor
- Korero PR LtdFramework contractor
- Passion 4 Social CICFramework contractor
- Tinto ProcurementFramework contractor
- Tuminds LtdFramework contractor
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice.