Find a TenderOpen for tender
Published 23 Sept 2026, 14:34 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Graphic Design of Guidebooks

Authority: Historic Environment Scotland

ServicesOpen procedure
Budget not disclosedValue not published
Submission deadline 23 Oct 202612:00 BST · 28d 19h left
Bids per lot · this authority 5division 79 · n=7 · competition analysis ↓

What is being bought

Published requirement description

The contract requirement is for the graphic design of Historic Environment Scotland's official souvenir Guidebooks and other retail publications.

  • Recurrence: If all extensions are used and there is still a need for the requirements, the contract will be up for renewal in 2030.

CPV: Graphic design services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published
Lot #1Lot 1Renewal
Please see Document 2 Specification for full contract requirements.
Delivery: Scotland
Extensions
The Contracting Authority reserves the right to request additional deliveries by the Successful Tenderer, either intended as partial replacement of supplies or installations or as extensions of exisiting supplies and installations. The Contracting Authority may at it's sole discretion exercise this option. · Once the initial 2 years are up, the contract may be extended by a further 2, 1 year periods.
Variant bids
not allowed
79822500 Graphic design services

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

What it takes to win
i

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 more
How bids are scored
Quality: 60%Price: 40%
Published award criteria (2)
  • Quality60%
  • price40%
Conditions of participation1
  • Economic & financial standing
    HES use Scotbis, an independent provider of business credit reports, to assess the financial standing of tenderers. The overall aim of this assessment is to ensure, as far as possible, that any potential Supplier will not have financial difficulties that more…endanger their ability to perform the Contract. If financial information cannot be gained from that source Historic Environment Scotland will request that you provide full audited accounts for the last full financial year. If Suppliers cannot provide any of the assurances as detailed above, and it is determined by HES that your financial strength is not adequate, then your company may not pass the financial evaluation. If you can provide the assurances as detailed above, HES may explore these options with you before determining whether your company can be taken forward in this procurement exercise. Bank details may also be sought to support the above.
    Minimum: Employers Liability Insurance - 5 million Public Liability Insurance - 10 million Professional Indemnity Insurance - 5 million

Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid

How Historic Environment Scotland buys Services related to printing (CPV 7982) — and who usually turns up

Historic Environment Scotland’s own published record, next to the Scotland market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Services related to printing (CPV 7982)

1

How the contest usually goes

Left: this authority. Right: the market where the work is delivered. Bids and award-vs-estimate pairs are per lot, from contested contracts only — direct awards (including PA 2023 transparency notices) report one bid by definition and are left out. On Procurement Act 2023 notices the count is the tenders assessed at the final stage, not every submission received; pairs compare like with like (VAT-exclusive, or VAT-inclusive on both sides). Empty means nothing was published, not filled in from elsewhere.

This authority

Historic Environment Scotland

contract notices in 36 months: 1 in CPV 7982 · 8 in division 79 · 63 in all categories (11 without competition · 2 route not published)

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in this industry (CPV 79), last 36 months: 7 lots. All 7 lots are from older notices, which count bids received.

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

5division 79 · 36m · n=7 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in this industry (CPV 79), last 36 months: 7 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

0%division 79 · 36m · n=7 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 3 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

34% belowall categories · 36m · n=3 pairs
Deadline → award date
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

Nothing published for this buyer in this sector: no award dates published.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

no award dates published
Notice updates
i

How often this buyer changes a notice after publishing it.

Middle number of amendments per notice. Deadline extensions and corrections both count.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 24 months: 48 notices.

Last 24 months.

2all categories · 24m · n=48 notices
Awarded without competition
i

How often this buyer awards without a competition.

Direct or limited awards as a share of its notices that say which procedure was used. These routes are legal in defined cases. This is just the record.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in this industry (CPV 79), last 36 months: 8 notices.

Last 36 months.

0%division 79 · 36m · n=8 notices
Bids per lot robust · n=7
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 7 lots on 7 contested notices · division 79, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 0%
  • 2–3 29%
  • 4–6 29%
  • 7+ 43%

Median 5 · 7 lots on 7 contested notices · division 79.

Winning award vs estimate moderate · n=3
i

How often winners come in below, near or above the estimate.

Each lot with both an estimate and an award is placed by how far the award sat from the estimate.

Based on 3 lot pairs · all categories, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 67%
  • Within ±2% 0%
  • Above estimate 33%

3 lot pairs · all categories.

The market · delivery region

Scotland · Services related to printing (CPV 7982)

contract notices delivered in Scotland in 36 months: 11 in CPV 7982 (7 competed, 2 route not published) · 554 in division 79 (412 competed, 63 route not published)

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7982), last 36 months: 7 lots. All 7 lots are from older notices, which count bids received.

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

2CPV 7982 · 36m · n=7 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7982), last 36 months: 7 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

14%CPV 7982 · 36m · n=7 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 79), last 36 months: 143 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

at estimatedivision 79 · 36m · n=143 pairs
Deadline → award date
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 79), last 36 months: 7 notices.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

90ddivision 79 · 36m · n=7 notices
SME bidders
i

How much of this market goes to small and medium firms.

SME bidders where buyers published the split, otherwise SME winners.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7982), last 36 months: 7 lots.

Last 36 months.

36%CPV 7982 · 36m · n=7 lots
Winners based in the region
i

How much work like this goes to companies based in the delivery region.

Awards in this category delivered here where the winner’s registered address is in the region.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7982), last 36 months: 6 awards.

Registered address, so a national firm with a local branch counts as outside.

Last 36 months.

83%CPV 7982 · 36m · n=6 awards
Bids per lot robust · n=7
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 7 lots on 4 contested notices · CPV 7982, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 14%
  • 2–3 86%
  • 4–6 0%
  • 7+ 0%

Median 2 · 7 lots on 4 contested notices · CPV 7982.

Winning award vs estimate robust · n=143
i

How often winners come in below, near or above the estimate.

Each lot with both an estimate and an award is placed by how far the award sat from the estimate.

Based on 143 lot pairs · division 79, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 42%
  • Within ±2% 46%
  • Above estimate 12%

143 lot pairs · division 79.

moderate · n=3
i

Where this tender’s estimate would land if the usual pattern repeats.

We apply the buyer’s usual movement between estimate and award (or the region’s) to the estimate on this notice.

Based on 3 lots, so only the direction is shown, not a pound figure.

A benchmark, not a price to bid.

Awards in Historic Environment Scotland (all categories, n=3 pairs) land a median 34% below. Too few pairs to turn into a pound figure with any confidence — read the percentage as a rough direction, not this notice’s estimate converted.
Coverage and what to read with care
  • Each tile explains itself. The on a figure says what it is, how it is counted and which scope this notice’s own record came from (class, division, all categories, or the authority’s 24-month row). The two columns are never blended and nothing is filled from a UK-wide figure; an empty tile means the source published nothing usable. Long form: Methodology.
  • Coverage. Roughly 40 % of notices publish a bid count; about half publish an ITL1 delivery location, so the market column reads the authority’s registered region when the notice has none (labelled). About 30 % of award-vs-estimate pairs are exact matches — the buyer published the award at the estimate. n is on every figure; a thin sample is muted, never hidden.
  • “Match” and “relevance” are model scores from the nightly matcher, not published facts. Find a Tender does not publish who is bidding. Never shown: contact details, payment behaviour, or a recommended price.

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
Open for tender
Procurement threshold
Unspecified in notice
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Yes (GPA)
Recurring procurement
Yes · If all extensions are used and there is still a need for the requirements, the contract will be up for renewal in 2030.
First published
23 Sept 2026, 14:34 BST
Last source update
23 Sept 2026, 14:34 BST
Award evaluation window
23 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST — …
Authority reference
HES/C/4379
Classification (CPV)
Graphic design services
Delivery area
Scotland (UKM)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0778b8
Contract terms
Electronic trading
e-invoicing allowed · electronic ordering · electronic payment

Publisher note: HES cannot sign up to suppliers Terms and Conditions. HES will not negotataite at point of award or post contract award. NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Public Contracts Scotland Web Site at https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?ID=843765. The buyer has indicated that it will accept electronic responses to this notice via the Postbox facility. A user guide is available at https://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. Community benefits are included in this requirement. For more information see: https://www.gov.scot/policies/public-sector-procurement/community-benefits-in-procurement/ A summary of the expected community benefits has been provided as follows: Suppliers are asked to consider what community benefits they could bring to this contract. (SC Ref:843765) Download the ESPD document here: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/ESPD/ESPD_Download.aspx?id=843765

How to participate & submission route

Submit via Public Contracts Scotland
Submission portal named on this notice: Public Contracts Scotland · Who buys & how to bid on PCS
Supplier login requiredLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free single registration for Scotland; PCS-Tender (Jaggaer) for full bidding
Expression of interest (EOI)
Tender submission deadline
23 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
Clarification deadline
Submission channel
{"electronicSubmission"}
Accepted languages
en
Bids opened
23 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Timeline

3 published dates · Europe/London
  1. Notice published1 day ago
    23 Sept 2026, 14:34 BST
  2. Submission deadlinein 29 days
    23 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
  3. Bids openedin 29 days
    23 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Nothing awarded yet
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Historic Environment Scotland

Contracting authorityNational or federal agency/officeConservation, Heritage, Tourism, Built Environment Longmore House, Salisbury Place, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH9 1SH [email protected] +44 1316688866 Published organisation website ↗

Dispute resolution & review bodies

  • Edinburgh Sheriff Court and Justice of the Peace CourtReview body Edinburgh

Official documents & specifications

Official links; attachments are not copied

No document links were published on the notice; the tender pack is on the portal.