Award

CivTech Challenge 10.3 - How can technology help improve the monitoring and protection of seabirds in various environments, focussing initially on the challenge of monitoring puffins above and below ground?

SCOTTISH NATURAL HERITAGE

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

02 Feb 2026 at 10:32

Tender

30 Jul 2024 at 09:21

Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process led by Scottish Natural Heritage, operating as a central purchasing body, centres on the CivTech Challenge 10.3 project. It aims to leverage technology to improve the monitoring and protection of seabirds, particularly puffins. With its classification under the "IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support" industry category, this service contract was conducted using an open procedure under the CELEX legal basis. The procurement, originally valued at £650,000, was completed with an active contract awarded to Arctech Innovation and EOLAS Insight Ltd, having commenced on 7th August 2025. The contract focuses on delivering innovative solutions through co-production and spans services intended primarily within the Edinburgh region. The procurement phase witnessed substantial interest, yielding nine bids, predominantly from SMEs.

This tender opens avenues for businesses adept in IT solutions, particularly those specialising in data equipment and conservation strategy planning. Companies possessing expertise in data transmission, recording systems, and wildlife preservation are particularly well-suited to contribute sustainable, innovative solutions. The CivTech Challenge offers both an opportunity to solve pressing public sector issues and a path to growth for small, medium, and large enterprises alike, due to its design to foster collaboration between public and private sectors. The focus on technology-driven problem-solving signifies not just a rewarding contract but also the potential for businesses to build products with global applicability.

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Notice Title

CivTech Challenge 10.3 - How can technology help improve the monitoring and protection of seabirds in various environments, focussing initially on the challenge of monitoring puffins above and below ground?

Notice Description

You would think that with a bird as iconic as the puffin, we would know how many of them we have in the UK and how successful a breeding colony is in any year. Yet, of all the seabirds we are internationally responsible for, the puffin is one of the hardest to count because they breed in burrows underground. Traditional methods are either extremely labour intensive, with specialised fieldworkers required for counts, or can only give us an indication of how many puffins there are on land or on sea. It is also hard to tell how successfully they are managing to breed.

Lot Information

Lot 1

CivTech's mission is to drive daring and innovation in the public sector by collaboratively solving Challenges that make people's lives better - and in doing so create generations of sustainable, high growth businesses. CivTech brings together public sector expertise and private sector innovation to solve real problems, develop new products, and deliver better, faster and easier services for everyone. Central to the approach is co-production with the citizen. Part of the Scottish Government's Digital Directorate, CivTech's approach is helping transform public sector engagement with tech and innovation, delivering significant benefits to public services, producing genuine uplifts for the Scottish economy - and along the way, making lives better. Across the country there are problems public sector organisations would like to solve and in the current environment the need for smart, efficient and effective products has never been greater. The Scottish Government is aware innovation is a good way to create them and is committed to ensuring a large part of its tech spend goes to smaller, innovative businesses. This is where CivTech comes in. The CivTech Innovation Flow is designed to create products as quickly and effectively as possible, and uses a true Accelerator model at the heart of its Innovation Flow model. For you - whether you're an individual, team or company - it's an opportunity to take on a Challenge, solve it, and win contracts with a blue-chip public sector organisation. You'll build a product, and a business to take it as far as possible. Because here's the kicker: the Challenges we issue aren't 'single organisation' problems - most exist worldwide. In short: Open Challenges are set. Any organisation, team or individual can respond. Applications are assessed, and shortlisted proposals go into an Exploration Stage where they're developed further [for which participating applicants are paid]. The best go through to the Accelerator - a period of intensive work to create the solution, and through CivTech's unique business workshop system, a business capable of taking the product to the world. Please visit our website for information on CivTech and how to get involved: https://www.civtech.scot/how-to-apply-civtech-10 https://www.civtech.scot/civtech-10-challenge-3-monitoring-and-protecting-seabirds-in-various-environments

Renewal: May require extensions to complete work

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0485d3
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/008818-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large, SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

30 - Office and computing machinery, equipment and supplies except furniture and software packages

32 - Radio, television, communication, telecommunication and related equipment

33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services

92 - Recreational, cultural and sporting services


CPV Codes

30236200 - Data-processing equipment

32260000 - Data-transmission equipment

32580000 - Data equipment

33120000 - Recording systems and exploration devices

72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

90712300 - Marine conservation strategy planning

92534000 - Wildlife preservation services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£650,000 £500K-£1M
Lots Value
£650,000 £500K-£1M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£1,021,057 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
2 Feb 20263 months ago
Submission Deadline
10 Sep 2024Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
6 Aug 20259 months ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Cancelled
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
SCOTTISH NATURAL HERITAGE
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
INVERNESS
Postcode
IV3 8NW
Post Town
Inverness
Country
Scotland

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLM Scotland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLM2 Highlands and Islands
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLM20 Highlands and Islands
Delivery Location
TLM Scotland

Local Authority
Highland
Electoral Ward
Inverness West
Westminster Constituency
Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
2
Supplier Names

ARCTECH INNOVATION

EOLAS INSIGHT

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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