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TimberLINK Services

Scottish Forestry

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

25 Aug 2026 at 12:26

Planning Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Scottish Forestry intends to procure TimberLINK Services, a public service contract for transporting timber by road from various forest locations to ports in Argyll, shipping it by sea, and moving it onwards to markets in Ayrshire. The service, established in 2000, is expected to handle around 75,000 tonnes of timber each year. The requirement is categorised as transport services, covering the integrated movement of timber between forests, ports and markets. Delivery and service activity will take place in Argyll and Ayrshire. A subsidy will be available to resource the service. The procurement is relevant to businesses able to coordinate or provide large-scale timber haulage, port logistics, sea freight and onward distribution as an integrated service.

This procurement is at the planning stage: Scottish Forestry has announced its intention to tender, but is not inviting tender responses at this stage. A tender notice is expected in October 2026, with an indicative publication date of 29 October 2026. The planned contract will run for five years, from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2032 inclusive. Its total capped value is £4.725 million, with expenditure capped at £945,000 per year. The procurement is structured as one lot and is a public service contract for timber transport and shipping. The contract is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement. Detailed tender requirements, submission arrangements and evaluation criteria will apply when the procurement reaches the tender stage.

The future requirement should suit established transport and logistics businesses with the operational capacity to move about 75,000 tonnes of timber annually and coordinate several stages of the supply chain. Relevant capability includes collecting timber from dispersed forest locations, arranging or operating heavy goods haulage to Argyll ports, managing sea shipment, and organising onward delivery to markets in Ayrshire. Suppliers with experience in timber logistics, port operations, shipping, freight coordination or combined road-and-sea distribution are likely to be well placed. The service requires dependable planning across forest, port, maritime and market interfaces, together with the capacity to deliver consistently over a five-year public service contract. Businesses should prepare evidence of relevant transport and logistics experience for the future tender.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

TimberLINK Services

Notice Description

The TimberLINK Public Service Contract (PSC) is a timber transport and shipping service established in 2000 to transport around 75,000 tonnes of timber per annum from various forest locations to ports in Argyll, then via sea, and onwards to a range of markets in Ayrshire. A subsidy is available to resource this service. The five-year contract, which totals 4.725GBP million capped at 0.945GBP million per annum, will run from 01 April 2027 until 31 March 2032 inclusive.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The TimberLINK Public Service Contract (PSC) is a timber transport and shipping service established in 2000 to transport around 75,000 tonnes of timber per annum from various forest locations to ports in Argyll, then via sea, and onwards to a range of markets in Ayrshire. A subsidy is available to resource this service. The five-year contract, which totals 4.725GBP million capped at 0.945GBP million per annum, will run from 01 April 2027 until 31 March 2032 inclusive.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06eb83
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080816-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Planning Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

CPV Codes

60000000 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£4,725,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
25 Aug 2026Yesterday
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
29 Oct 20263 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Scottish Forestry
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
EDINBURGH
Postcode
EH11 3XD
Postcode Area
Edinburgh
Country
Scotland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLM Scotland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLM1 East Central Scotland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLM13 City of Edinburgh
Delivery Location
TLM Scotland
Local Authority
City of Edinburgh
Electoral Ward
Sighthill/Gorgie
Westminster Constituency
Edinburgh South West

Further Information

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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