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Provision of Sheriff Officer Services - Highland

The Highland Council

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

31 Aug 2026 at 15:22

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Highland Council procured sheriff officer and debt collection services to support recovery of Council Tax, Non-Domestic Rates and sundry debts. The work involves pursuing and collecting debts in line with relevant legislation and the council’s instructions, policies and procedures. The stated aim is to maximise collections while maintaining proportionate and lawful practice. The procurement is for services in and around Inverness, under the council’s responsibility as the buying organisation. The requirement is therefore relevant to firms providing debt recovery, enforcement or sheriff officer services, particularly those able to manage public-sector debts and operate within Scottish legal and administrative requirements. The relevant classification is collection agency services (CPV 79940000).

The procurement has reached the awarded stage. It used a single-lot open procedure, evaluated on quality at 80% and price at 20%. The lot itself is recorded as cancelled, but an active award and contract are recorded for the requirement. Scott & Co (Scotland) LLP was selected as supplier. The contract value is £1,400,000. The contract was signed on 21 August 2026 and is recorded as active. Three bids were received, all identified as bids from small and medium-sized enterprises, and all were submitted electronically. The outcome indicates that quality was substantially more important than price in the evaluation. The award relates to the full debt collection requirement covering Council Tax, Non-Domestic Rates and sundry debts.

For a future requirement from Highland Council, a credible competitor would need a proven debt recovery or sheriff officer operation capable of handling multiple public-sector debt streams. Relevant capability includes recovering Council Tax, Non-Domestic Rates and sundry debts, maintaining accurate case administration, and following council instructions, policies and procedures consistently. Compliance with applicable legislation and a proportionate approach to enforcement would be central to a defensible service. The procurement also shows that suppliers need to demonstrate strong quality performance, because quality carried four times the weighting of price. The selected supplier was an SME and three SMEs submitted bids, indicating that the requirement can be contested by specialist firms rather than only the largest national providers. Electronic tender submission capability would also be necessary.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Provision of Sheriff Officer Services - Highland

Notice Description

The Highland Council are seeking the provision of Debt Collection Services to support the recovery of Council Tax, Non-Domestic Rates and Sundry Debts.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The Highland Council requires debt collection services to support the recovery of Council Tax, Non-Domestic Rates and Sundry Debts. All recovery activity must be undertaken in compliance with the relevant legislation and in accordance with the Council's instructions, policies, and procedures, with the aim of maximising collections while ensuring proportionality and lawful practice.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06b36a
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082413-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

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

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

CPV Codes

79940000 - Collection agency services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£1,400,000 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
31 Aug 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
21 Aug 20263 weeks ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
The Highland Council
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 5NX
Postcode Area
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
TLM6 Highlands and Islands
Local Authority
Highland
Electoral Ward
Inverness West
Westminster Constituency
Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Scott & Co (Scotland) LLP

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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