Award

Polling Services - Scottish Opinion Monitor (SCOOP)

UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Summary of the contracting process

The University of Edinburgh is conducting a procurement process to appoint a qualified provider for Polling Services under the Scottish Opinion Monitor (SCOOP) project. Located in Edinburgh, this procurement falls within the education sector and involves fieldwork for surveys supporting the ESRC-funded Scottish Election Study (SES). The procurement follows an open procedure and is currently in the award stage, having concluded an active tender phase previously. The contract involves delivering surveys from February 2026 to October 2030, with key deadlines including data collection and dissemination aligned on a monthly schedule. YouGov Plc has been awarded the contract, valued at £157,500, with the signing date on 4th March 2026.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in large-scale social research and survey services. Companies with expertise in data collection, maintenance of data comparability, and adherence to strict timelines are well-suited to benefit from this contract. As the successful supplier will be tasked with conducting cross-sectional surveys of Scottish voters, the opportunity aligns with businesses having a track record in comprehensive social studies and public opinion polling. Additionally, this tender emphasises community benefits, encouraging suppliers to engage in broader societal contributions, potentially enhancing business reputation and local community ties.

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How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

Polling Services - Scottish Opinion Monitor (SCOOP)

Notice Description

The University of Edinburgh intends to conduct an open tender exercise to appoint a suitably competent and qualified provider to carry out fieldwork for a survey as part of the Scottish Opinion Monitor (SCOOP).

Lot Information

Lot 1

The University of Edinburgh intends to conduct an open tender exercise to appoint a suitably competent and qualified provider to carry out fieldwork for a survey as part of the Scottish Opinion Monitor (SCOOP). The University of Edinburgh intends to conduct an open tender exercise to appoint a suitably competent and qualified provider to carry out fieldwork for a survey as part of the Scottish Opinion Monitor (SCOOP). This is a continuation of recently expired contract 'Scottish Election Study 2021-2025 (EC0945)' which was originally awarded to YouGov following a tender exercise; this iteration will largely follow the same scope and intended outcomes The Scottish Opinion (SCOOP) Monitor represents a multi-year requirement for the provision of survey fieldwork services to support the ESRC-funded Scottish Election Study (SES). The SES, headquartered at the University of Edinburgh, has been awarded 1.5 Million GBP by the ESRC to conduct the 2026-2030 SES. It has been based at UoE since 2016. The project includes two main elements of data collection: - A 15-wave SCOOP survey, which will be procured through a competitive open tender, and - Pre- and post-election surveys conducted around the 2026 Scottish Parliament election and the next UK General Election. Delivered by the University of Edinburgh on behalf of a UK-wide research consortium, this procurement seeks to appoint a supplier capable of conducting high-quality, repeat cross-sectional surveys of Scottish voters. The successful supplier will be required to deliver three surveys per year (in February, June, and October) over a 4-year period: February 2026 to October 2030. Each wave will involve a 15-minute questionnaire administered to 1,500 respondents aged 16 and over, representing individuals eligible to vote in Scottish elections. Respondents will be selected to reflect Scotland's demographic and geographic profile, with measures in place to avoid repeated participation within a single year to protect against panel conditioning. For any month in which fieldwork takes place, a full dataset and cross tab file is expected to be delivered within that month and should align with the following schedule: Week 1: Survey coding, testing, and approval. Week 2: Fieldwork and data collection. Week 3: Data cleaning, tabulation, and delivery. Week 4: Analysis and dissemination by the SES team. Over the survey cycle (Feb, June and October), there are two key deliverables expected: 1.Tracker data that will enable the monitoring of voter trends in opinion between elections. 2.Rapid Reaction and Themed questions designed to provide useful data on external events, or topics suggested by the SES team of the wider academic community. It is crucial then that the procurement aims to secure a supplier with proven expertise in large-scale social research, capable of maintaining continuity, data comparability, and adherence to agreed timescales across the full duration of the contract.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-r6ebe6-0000817604
Publication Source
Public Contracts Scotland
Latest Notice
https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAR552451
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
PCS Notice - Website Contract 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

79300000 - Market and economic research; polling and statistics

79320000 - Public-opinion polling services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£161,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£157,500 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
25 Mar 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
12 Jan 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
4 Mar 20261 months ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
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
EH1 1HT
Post Town
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
TLM75 City of Edinburgh

Local Authority
City of Edinburgh
Electoral Ward
City Centre
Westminster Constituency
Edinburgh East and Musselburgh

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

YOUGOV

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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