Official UK procurement notice
Multi-Supplier Framework Agreement for Ground Investigation Works
Authority: Transport Scotland
What is being bought2 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionTransport Scotland, on behalf of the Scottish Ministers, has identified the need for specialist Ground Investigation (GI) works to support the delivery of infrastructure projects.
The procurement comprised the establishment of a Multi-supplier Framework Agreement (MSFA) with a number of ground investigation contractors to carry out and report on GI works of varying scope, complexity and value in connection with trunk road and other transport infrastructure schemes promoted by the Scottish Ministers through Transport Scotland. Individual GI contracts can be called off by mini-competition or other procedures in accordance with the Agreement.
The MSFA is divided into 2 Lots by estimated value of the individual GI call-off contracts.
CPV: Ground investigation services · Ground investigation work · Test boring work · Test drilling and boring work · Test drilling work
How this framework works
From the published notice- Places
- up to 10 suppliers · 8 bids received (0.8 per place) · 5 appointed
Lots and requirements (2)Procurement structure
2 lots · all with a published value · same evaluation weights on every lotLot #1Multi-Supplier Framework Agreement for Ground Investigation Works - Lot 1 - less than GBP 500,000Published value£5,000,000
Transport Scotland is an agency of the Scottish Government and contracts in the name of and on behalf of the Scottish Ministers. Transport Scotland has identified the requirement to appoint a suitably experienced Framework Contractors to carry out GI works to support the development and delivery of trunk road and other transport infrastructure schemes throughout Scotland.
The Framework Contractors will be procured through a Restricted procedure, in accordance with the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015. Transport Scotland will manage the proposed procurement process for the Multi-Supplier Framework Agreement for Ground Investigation Works on behalf of the Scottish Ministers. In the event of a Framework Agreement being concluded, the Framework Agreement will be entered into between the Scottish Ministers and the successful tenderers.
This is a two stage procedure, comprising a prequalification stage and a tender stage. Section II.2.9 of this Contract Notice describes the criteria for choosing the limited number of candidates. Detailed information regarding the award process and award criteria for the tender phase will be supplied to Economic Operators who are invited to tender.
The intended Conditions of Contract are likely to be Infrastructure Conditions of Contract (ICC).
To be considered for the prequalification stage, Economic Operators are required to complete and submit a Single Procurement Document (SPD) in accordance with this Contract Notice and the Supplementary Information Document which can be accessed via the Additional Documents located within the Additional Notice Options, this can be downloaded via the Public Contracts Scotland portal (www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk ↗).
Economic Operators shall be evaluated in accordance with the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, on the basis of the information they have provided within the SPD.
It is intended that the Framework Agreement will last four years. Additional information: Economic Operators who initially meet but then subsequently fail to meet the criteria, prior to contract award, shall be excluded.
Economic Operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.
Lot #2Multi-supplier Framework Agreement for Ground Investigation Works - Lot 2 - greater than GBP 500,000CancelledPublished value£40,000,000
Transport Scotland is an agency of the Scottish Government and contracts in the name of and on behalf of the Scottish Ministers. Transport Scotland has identified the requirement to appoint a suitably experienced Framework Contractors to carry out GI works to support the development and delivery of trunk road and other transport infrastructure schemes throughout Scotland.
The Framework Contractors was procured through a Restricted procedure, in accordance with the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015. Transport Scotland managed procurement process for the Multi-Supplier Framework Agreement for Ground Investigation Works on behalf of the Scottish Ministers.
This was a two stage procedure, comprising a prequalification stage and a tender stage. Section II.2.9 of this Contract Notice describes the criteria used for selected the five successful tenderers. Detailed information regarding the award process and award criteria for the tender phase was supplied to Economic Operators who were invited to tender.
The Conditions of Contract were the Infrastructure Conditions of Contract (ICC).
To be considered for the prequalification stage, Economic Operators were required to complete and submit a Single Procurement Document (SPD) in accordance with this Contract Notice and the Supplementary Information Document which can be accessed via the Additional Documents located within the Additional Notice Options, this can be downloaded via the Public Contracts Scotland portal (www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk ↗).
Economic Operators were evaluated in accordance with the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, on the basis of the information they have provided within the SPD.
It is intended that the Framework Agreement will last four years.
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 (2)
- Key Personnel; Resourcing; Managing Individual Call-Off Contracts; Provision of Information and Deliverables; Community Benefits; Fair Work First: 60%
- Cost: 40%
Published award criteria (2)
- Key Personnel; Resourcing; Managing Individual Call-Off Contracts; Provision of Information and Deliverables; Community Benefits; Fair Work First: 60
- Cost: 40
- Suitability
The relevant selection criteria will be included in the SPD Scotland module.
- Economic & financial standing
The relevant selection criteria will be included in the SPD Scotland module
- Technical & professional ability
The relevant selection criteria will be included in the SPD Scotland module
- Price carries 40 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- “Multi-Supplier Framework Agreement for Ground Investigation Works” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 10 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
- Restricted procedure
- Legal basis
- CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
- Procurement category
- Works
- 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
- 13 Mar 2024, 16:26 GMT
- Last source update
- 22 Dec 2025, 12:44 GMT
- Authority reference
TS/MP/WKS/2024/04- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-085380- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-044844Find a Tender
- Performance terms
It is the Employer’s policy to measure the performance of the Framework Contractors on a regular basis.
In the event that the Framework Contractors performance falls below a satisfactory level, the Framework Contractors will be invited to determine a means of rectifying the situation. Repeated or continual service failures may result in suspension or termination of the contract.
Publisher note: Each Economic Operator were invited to submit a Tender on the same contract terms. To be considered for this procurement competition, Economic Operators were required to complete an SPD through the Public Contract Scotland portal and submit the completed SPD. As set out in accordance with section II.2.9 above, an Economic Operator who no longer had the requisite objective criteria as required under the Contract Notice and SPD were excluded from this procurement competition. There were minimum requirements concerning Cyber Security for this contract. Tenderers were asked to confirm that they will pay staff based in the UK that are involved in the delivery of this Framework Agreement at least the real Living Wage. (SC Ref:818576)
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 18 Apr 2024, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission"}
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
18 Apr 2024 → 22 Dec 2025 · 3 dates- Admission / appointment period endsperiod end, not a bid countdown18 Apr 2024, 12:00 BST
- Invitations to tender expected27 May 2024, 00:00 BST
- Notice published304 days ago22 Dec 2025, 12:44 GMT
Notice history
1 event · 2 releases on Find a Tender- Status changed to complete22 Dec 2025, 12:44 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
Multi-supplier Framework Agreement for Ground Investigation Works - Lot 2 - greater than GBP 500,000
- Signed
- 9 Dec 2025
- Value
- £40,000,000
- Status
- active
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 · Multi-supplier Framework Agreement for Ground Investigation Works - Lot 2 - greater than GBP 500,000 | 8bids · 8 electronic · 8 from abroad | 6 | — | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- Sheriff Clerk's OfficeReview body
Framework contractors & participating bidders
5 commercial parties on the notice- Causeway Geotech LtdFramework contractor
- Geotechnical Engineering LimitedFramework contractor
- RSK Environment LimitedFramework contractor
- Raeburn Drilling & Geotechnical Ltd t/a IgneFramework contractor
- Soil Engineering Geoservices LimitedFramework contractor
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice.