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Published 14 Sept 2026, 14:28 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Operation of Spaceport 1 · UK public procurement notice

Authority: Comhairle nan Eilean Siar

Two-stageServicesCompetitive dialogue
Published estimate£2,550,000exc. VAT
Submission deadline 30 Oct 202612:00 GMT · 2 days left
Candidates invited to tender up to 3published shortlist size

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Operation of Spaceport 1, Scopaig Farm, isle of North Uist

  • Two-stage procedure: up to 3 candidates will be invited to tender around 30 Oct 2026.

CPV: Space transport services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published
Lot #1Operation of Spaceport 1, Scolpaig Farm, Isle of North Uist, HS6 5DH
Delivery: Scotland · Scolpaig Farm, isle of North Uist, HS6 5DHTurnover guideline: ~£5,100,000/yr≈ 2× annual value
Second stage: up to 3 candidates invited to tenderVariant 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
How bids are scored
Quality: 60%Price: 40%
Published award criteria (2)
  • Quality: 60
  • Price: 40
Conditions of participation1
  • Suitability

    See PCS-T

What this means for your bid
  • Price carries 40 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
  • Turnover usually expected at this size: about £5,100,000 (twice the annual value).

Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula. Turnover is an indicative market norm (≈2× annual value), not a published condition.

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

How Comhairle nan Eilean Siar buys Space transport services (CPV 6050), and who usually turns up

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar’s published record next to the market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are left out: they draw different bid counts. Whole-market view: Space transport services (CPV 6050) →

1

How the contest usually goes

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

Question for the bid
This buyerComhairle nan Eilean Siar · all categories
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.

Buyer: 12 of 17 known-size awards · market: division 60 · Scotland, n=69
71%71%

Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.

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.

Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered. The market figure counts awards delivered in Scotland.

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

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 19 of 20 known-location awards · market: division 60 · Scotland, n=69
95%96%

Most of this buyer’s recorded winners were registered in the region where that award was delivered.

How long to a decision?
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.

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

Last 36 months.

Buyer: no decision dates published · market: division 60 · UK-wide, n=135
—35 days

Half of these awards have an award date within 35 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.

Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.

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

Last 36 months.

Buyer: at least 2 of 8 procurements with awards had no recorded rival · market: division 60 · Scotland, n=63
25%57%

Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.

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.

This buyer12 lots with bid counts · all categories
17% had one bid
The market50 lots with bid counts · division 60 · Scotland
46% had one bid
Buyer / market · select a colour for counts
1 bid17% / 46%
Buyer: 2 of 12 lots with published bid counts. Market: 23 of 50 lots with published bid counts.
2–383% / 32%
Buyer: 10 of 12 lots with published bid counts. Market: 16 of 50 lots with published bid counts.
4–60% / 8%
Buyer: 0 of 12 lots with published bid counts. Market: 4 of 50 lots with published bid counts.
7+0% / 14%
Buyer: 0 of 12 lots with published bid counts. Market: 7 of 50 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.

Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.

Last 36 months.

This buyerToo few to chart: 1 lot with estimate and award, 5 needed · broad CPV 60
The market11 lots with estimate and award · division 60 · Scotland
36% below estimate
Market · select a colour for counts
Below estimate36%
Market: 4 of 11 lots with an estimate and award.
Within ±2%18%
Market: 2 of 11 lots with an estimate and award.
Above estimate45%
Market: 5 of 11 lots with an estimate and award.
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 #1Operation of Spaceport 1, Scolpaig Farm, Isle of North Uist, HS6 5DHCPV 6050355 monthsPublished estimate£2.5m
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.

3expected bids48% chance of a single bid
similar past contests in this category: 175
Forecast chances for this lot
1 bid48%
Chance this lot gets 1 bid: 48%. This is a forecast.
2–334%
Chance this lot gets 2–3: 34%. This is a forecast.
4–616%
Chance this lot gets 4–6: 16%. This is a forecast.
7+2%
Chance this lot gets 7+: 2%. This is a forecast.
Check who supplied similar work and whether the route limits bidders.
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.

Based on 27 comparable awards. Each lot reflects its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative.

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

£2.5mMatches estimate (23% chance)
27 comparable awards
Forecast compared with the buyer’s estimate
Middle 50%£2.5m
The middle half of likely prices meets at £2,550,000.
Estimate£2.5m
The buyer published an estimate of £2,550,000 for this lot.

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.

Restricted route (Stage 2 ITT / Shortlist): Bidding is restricted to invited candidates who qualified at Stage 1. Uninvited suppliers cannot participate in this round.
SupplierWon in this categoryLive contractsAward vs estimate
£556k40 awards in 36m · last 2 months ago32 live · £533k
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
£428k20 awards in 36m · last 2 months ago13 live · £425k
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
£170k10 awards in 36m · last 2 months ago8 live · £168k
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
£393k6 awards in 36m · last 5 months ago3 live · £265k
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.

18% below n=1
£227k2 awards in 36m · last 7 months ago2 live · £262k
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.

at estimate n=1
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 earlier-work matches 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
Competitive dialogue
Legal basis
CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Requests to participate open
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
No (one-off requirement)
First published
14 Sept 2026, 14:28 BST
Last source update
14 Sept 2026, 14:28 BST
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-086923
Classification (CPV)
Space transport services
Delivery area
Scotland (UKM64)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06f945 Find a Tender

Publisher note: The buyer is using PCS-Tender to conduct this ITT exercise. The Project code is 32732. For more information see: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2343 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: As per the ITT (SC Ref:842829)

How to participate & submission route

Official notice 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
Requests to participate (first stage)
—
Tender submission deadline
30 Oct 2026, 12:00 GMT
Clarification deadline
—
Submission channel
{"electronicSubmission"}
Accepted languages
en
Bid validity
90 days from the deadline
Shortlist
up to 3 candidates invited to tender
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Timeline

14 Sept 2026 → 30 Oct 2026 · 3 dates
  1. Notice published43 days ago
    14 Sept 2026, 14:28 BST
  2. Today
    28 Oct 2026
  3. Invitations to tender expectedin 43h
    30 Oct 2026
  4. Submission deadlinein 2 days
    30 Oct 2026, 12:00 GMT

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

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar

Contracting authorityRegional or local authorityGeneral public services Council Offices, Sandwick Road, Stornoway, Scotland, HS1 2BWContact name, email, phone Published organisation website ↗

Dispute resolution & review bodies

  • Stornoway Sherriff CourtReview body StornowayContact phone

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

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