Official UK procurement notice
Provision of Maeshowe Shuttle Bus Service
Authority: Historic Environment Scotland
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionProvision of Maeshowe Shuttle Bus Service
- Recurrence: 24 months from contract award date.
CPV: Hire of buses and coaches with driver
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1HES requires the provision of a shuttle bus service from Stenness Visitor Centre,…AwardedRenewalPublished value£300,000
HES requires the provision of a shuttle bus service from Stenness Visitor Centre, Orkney to Tormiston Mill, Stenness, Orkney and back on a daily basis, with the exceptions of 25 - 26th December 2026 and 1-2 January 2027. The appointed supplier must provide a bus and qualified licensed driver from 09.45hrs - 17.30hrs 7 days a week. However, during the months of June, July and August the bus will also run daily until 21:00.
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)
- Quality/Technical: 10%
- price: 90%
Published award criteria (2)
- Quality/Technical: 10
- Price: 90
- 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 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 two 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 GBP Public Liability Insurance – 10 million GBP Motor Vehicle, Third Party Property Damage - 5 million GBP Medical Intervention (if required) – 2 million GBP
- Staff
- Names and qualifications of delivery staff must be submitted
- Price carries 90 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 9 points. This one is won on the number: sharpen the price before polishing the prose.
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
- Awarded
- 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 · 24 months from contract award date.
- First published
- 27 Feb 2026, 13:31 GMT
- Last source update
- 22 Jun 2026, 11:45 BST
- Award evaluation window
- 30 Mar 2026 – …
- Authority reference
HES/C/4345- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-058428- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-065e52Find a Tender
- Electronic trading
- e-invoicing allowed · electronic ordering · electronic payment
Publisher note: (SC Ref:835232)
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 30 Mar 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- {"electronicSubmission"}
- Accepted languages
- en
- Bid validity
- 150 days from the deadline
- Bids opened
- 30 Mar 2026, 12:00 BST
Timeline
30 Mar 2026 → 22 Jun 2026 · 3 dates- Submission deadline206 days ago30 Mar 2026, 12:00 BST
- Bids opened206 days ago30 Mar 2026, 12:00 BST
- Notice published122 days ago22 Jun 2026, 11:45 BST
Notice history
1 event · 2 releases on Find a Tender- Status changed to complete22 Jun 2026, 11:45 BST
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acacia Coaches LTD | £180,000 † | — | Awarded |
Contracts
Contract 058428-2026-HES/C/4345-1 · Acacia Coaches LTD
- Signed
- 8 Jun 2026
- Value
- £180,000
- Status
- active
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3bids · 3 electronic · 3 from abroad | 3 | — | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- Edinburgh Sheriff CourtReview body
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Acacia Coaches LTDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice.