Find a TenderOpen admission
Published 14 Oct 2026, 11:37 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Highland Hydrogen · UK public procurement notice

Authority: Highland Council (Local council)

Framework agreementGoodsOpen procedure
Framework ceiling (notional)£30,000,000framework ceiling, not attributable revenue
Admission open until 18 Nov 202612:00 GMT · period end, not a bid countdown
Places on the framework 1

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Green Hydrogen produced to specification ISO 14687:25 and supplied for use in different applications with associated equipment throughout the Highland Council region.

CPV: Hydrogen

How this framework works

From the published notice
Places
up to 1 suppliers

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Procurement PurposePublished value£30,000,000

Procurement Purpose

Highland Council (the "Council") is seeking to procure an experienced, dynamic and innovative strategic partner to deliver a long-term framework contract with the Council, to develop and secure a substantial low carbon journey capability in support of the Councils Hydrogen and Net Zero Vision. As part of its role in this journey, the strategic partner will be expected to provide not only green hydrogen but also equipment and competent resources including consultation in the move from fossil fuels, support and technical expertise. This journey will be in phases and covering different end applications themselves designed and delivered with robust solutions that will be dependent upon commercially attractive pricing for hydrogen. Pilot volumes will commence the development of cost-effective supply of green hydrogen moving on to a steady state based also upon a commercial basis to support both existing and proposed transport projects. Moving on from small intermittent volumes first this will if successful lead to envisaging supply to larger volume utilisation through transitioned e.g. hydrogen vehicles, new solutions for district heating etc

The supply partner will enter into a Hydrogen Supply Framework Agreement with the Council for a period of 5 years. This agreement will set out the basic terms upon which related projects move through development commencing with the supply of hydrogen to the Council during pilot development and develop proposals for delivery of hydrogen to the Council during later stages in conjunction with suitable support and equipment included. The Framework Agreement will also set out the terms upon which the Highland Council will be permitted to call-off hydrogen supplies under the framework agreement.

The Council proposes to undertake a competitive tender to appoint a hydrogen provider to establish a viable supply of green hydrogen for potential use in heating and fleet operations across Highland. The appointment will develop a phased supply proposition, identifying suitable applications, potential demand, supply capacity, pricing, delivery arrangements and the storage and refuelling infrastructure required to support deployment. Additional information: The provider will be required to demonstrate the hydrogen’s renewable origin and lifecycle emissions, security of supply, scalability and arrangements for safe distribution and use. Deployment will be informed by the suitability of individual applications and comparison with other available decarbonisation options.

Delivery: Scotland · Highland council region wide
Variant bids: not allowed

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
Conditions of participation1
  • Suitability

    the relevant selection criteria will be included in the SPD module.

Staff
Names and qualifications of delivery staff must be submitted
What this means for your bid
  • “Highland Hydrogen” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 1 suppliers, not a single contract.

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

Competition for Industrial gases (CPV 2411), and who usually turns up

Highland Council has too little published record in this market to describe on its own. Published market evidence for the same work stands beside whatever it has. This notice is a framework or DPS, so only frameworks and DPS are compared. Whole-market view: Industrial gases (CPV 2411) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.

Question for the bid
The marketIndustrial gases (CPV 2411) · UK-wide
What to do with it
How often do SMEs win?
i

How often small and medium firms win.

Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.

The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.

Last 36 months.

Market: CPV 2411 · UK-wide, n=22
32%

Across this market, small firms won 32% of awards with a known supplier size.

How often do local suppliers win?
i

How often local firms win similar work.

Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.

Here, local means the winner is registered in the region where that contract was delivered.

A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.

Last 36 months.

Market: CPV 2411 · UK-wide, n=6
17%

Across this market, 17% of winners were registered in the delivery region.

How long to a decision?
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.

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

Last 36 months.

Market: division 24 · UK-wide, n=9
100 days

Half of these awards were announced within 100 days of the bid deadline.

How often single-bid or direct?
i

How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.

Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.

The market share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.

Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.

Last 36 months.

Market: CPV 2411 · UK-wide, n=8
75%

Across this market, at least 75% of awarded procurements had no recorded rival.

How many bids did past lots attract?

i

How many bids past lots received.

Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.

Past bids do not predict this tender.

Last 36 months.

The market8 lots with bid counts · CPV 2411 · UK-wide
0% had one bid
Market · select a colour for counts
1 bid0%
Market: 0 of 8 lots with published bid counts.
2–3100%
Market: 8 of 8 lots with published bid counts.
4–60%
Market: 0 of 8 lots with published bid counts.
7+0%
Market: 0 of 8 lots with published bid counts.

How did awards compare with estimates?

i

Where winning prices landed against estimates.

Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.

On a framework or DPS, prices are agreed when work is called off.

Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.

Last 36 months.

Not comparable on a framework or DPS. The notice sets up a supplier panel and a ceiling value; what the work actually costs is agreed later, on each call-off or mini-competition, and those publish as contract notices of their own. The award-vs-estimate record of this market therefore sits on the call-offs; this page shows it on the contracts, not on the panel that frames them.

2

Assess each lot
i

What past awards tell you about each lot.

See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.

No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.

Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list

Lot #1Procurement PurposeCPV 241159 monthsPublished estimate£30m
Expected competition
i

How many bids this lot may attract.

The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.

Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.

A forecast, not a list of bidders.

2expected bids13% single-bid risk
forecast from 1 past contest
Forecast chances for this lot
1 bid13%
Chance this lot gets 1 bid: 13%. This is a forecast.
2–385%
Chance this lot gets 2–3: 85%. This is a forecast.
4–61%
Chance this lot gets 4–6: 1%. This is a forecast.
7+1%
Chance this lot gets 7+: 1%. This is a forecast.
Commercial price forecast
i

Where the award price may land.

The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.

No comparable awards for this lot yet.

A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.

—Priced at call-off
On a framework or DPS the price is agreed on each call-off, so there is no award price to forecast here: the published figure is a ceiling.

Who has supplied this buyer on similar work?
i

Who has done similar work for this buyer.

Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.

A past supplier may not bid again.

No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.

Who could compete for this lot?
i

Who could compete for this lot?

Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.

None is confirmed as a bidder.

SupplierWon in this categoryLive contractsAward vs estimate
BOC LtdLarge
2 wins in Scotland18 panel places
£21m55 awards in 36m · last this month13 live · £130k
i

Public contracts this supplier still holds.

Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book.

Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity.

6% below n=3
1 panel places
£93k5 awards in 36m · last 6 months ago5 live · £12m
i

Public contracts this supplier still holds.

Its awards whose published end date is still in the future, with their values. Many contracts publish no end date, so this is a floor, not the whole book.

Unexpired says nothing about spare capacity.

no comparable pairs
£22k2 awards in 36m · last this monthNone on fileno comparable pairs
1 win in Scotland3 panel places
£25m3 awards in 36m · last 24 months agoNone on file5% above n=1
1 panel places
£907k3 awards in 36m · last 20 months agoNone on fileno comparable pairs
About this data
  • Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
  • Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
  • Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the match score are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
  • Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.

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
Goods
Notice status
Open admission
Procurement threshold
Unspecified in notice
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Framework agreement
Who may use the vehicle
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
14 Oct 2026, 11:37 BST
Last source update
14 Oct 2026, 11:37 BST
Award evaluation window
18 Nov 2026 – …
Authority reference
HC/FFMA/HYD/27
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-096915
Classification (CPV)
Hydrogen
Delivery area
Scotland (UKM6)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-078757 Find a Tender
Contract terms
Performance terms

the relevant selection criteria will be included procurement documents.

Publisher note: This notice is being placed on behalf of The Highland Council. All dates, timescales and values set out in this notice and the procurement documents are estimates only and therefore subject to change during the tender process, if required. NOTE: To register your interest in this notice and obtain any additional information please visit the Public Contracts Scotland Web Site https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/Search/Search_Switch.aspx?1D=649932.A summary of the expected community benefits will be provided in the tender documents. 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=657968. 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. 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=845680. 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. A sub-contract clause has been included in this contract. For more information see: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2363 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: Community Benefits are required and details and evaluation etc will be included in the relevant selection in the procurement documents. (SC Ref:845680) Download the ESPD document here: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/ESPD/ESPD_Download.aspx?id=845680

How to participate & submission route

Official notice Apply 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
Requests to participate (first stage)
—
Appointment period ends
18 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
Clarification deadline
—
Submission channel
{"electronicSubmission"}
Accepted languages
en
Bids opened
18 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Timeline

14 Oct 2026 → 1 Apr 2027 · 4 dates
  1. Notice published1 day ago
    14 Oct 2026, 11:37 BST
  2. Today
    15 Oct 2026
  3. Admission / appointment period endsin 34 days · period end, not a bid countdown
    18 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
  4. Bids openedin 34 days
    18 Nov 2026, 12:00 GMT
  5. Bids must remain valid untilin 169 days
    1 Apr 2027, 23:59 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

Highland Council

Contracting authorityLocal CouncilRegional or local authorityGeneral public services Glenurquhart Road, Inverness, Scotland, IV3 5NXContact name, email, phone Published organisation website ↗

Dispute resolution & review bodies

  • Inverness Sherrif CourtReview body Inverness

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

  • Economic and financial selection criteriatenderEconomic and financial selection criteria
  • Technical selection criteriatenderTechnical selection criteria