Tender

Operators Panel Manager for the Scottish Wave & Tidal Operators Agreement

CROWN ESTATE SCOTLAND

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Tender

30 Mar 2026 at 00:00

Planning

27 Feb 2026 at 00:00

Summary of the contracting process

Crown Estate Scotland, operating from Edinburgh, is in the tender stage of a procurement process to appoint an independent Operators Panel Manager (OPM) for the Scottish Wave and Tidal Operators Agreement. This opportunity, valued at £276,000, falls under the environmental protection industry category and involves remote delivery with in-person meetings in Scotland’s Central Belt. Interested businesses must submit electronic tenders by 29th April 2026, with award decisions commencing the same day. The procurement method is an open procedure primarily executed via electronic submission.

This tender offers substantial growth prospects for businesses specialising in environmental services, consultancy, or those with expertise in marine energy sectors. Companies with capabilities in technical coordination, governance facilitation, and communication management will be well-suited to this opportunity. The successful bidder will oversee technical work programmes, facilitate operator coordination, and ensure compliance with governance frameworks, making it an appealing contract for enterprises positioned for strategic expansion in Scotland’s renewable energy development sector.

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Notice Title

Operators Panel Manager for the Scottish Wave & Tidal Operators Agreement

Notice Description

Crown Estate Scotland (CES) intends to appoint an independent Operators Panel Manager (OPM) to support the governance, coordination and operation of the Operators Panel associated with the Scottish Wave and Tidal Power Operators Agreement. The OPM will act as a neutral chair, coordinate communications between Operators, and support business as usual obligations contained within the Agreement. Activities will include the facilitation of technical workstreams and management of working groups, with workload varying over the term as sector needs evolve. The objective is to secure a supplier who will: - Provide independent, neutral facilitation and chairing of the Operators Panel, maintaining an agreed governance process and accurate records. - Coordinate Operators, technical experts and CES to progress the Agreement's obligations and technical work programme. - Manage and continue to develop CES' tidal and wave technical work programmes and associated technical working groups, ensuring outputs meet the needs of the Panel. - Monitor specified external projects which directly contribute to the delivery of the technical work programmes and provide concise progress reporting and recommendations to CES. - Review Operator Adverse Impact Assessments when required by CES

Lot Information

Lot 1

Crown Estate Scotland (CES) manages land, coastline, seabed and property on behalf of the Scottish people, with a remit to generate long-term economic, social and environmental value. CES intends to establish a contract for an independent Operators Panel Manager (OPM) to support the governance, coordination and operation of the Scottish Wave and Tidal Operators Agreement. The Operators Agreement provides a governance framework that protects early developers' resource rights and defines how potential impacts of new developments on existing projects are managed. It unifies the previous Scottish Territorial Waters and Pentland Firth & Orkney Waters Operator Agreements into a single agreement, overseen by the Operators Panel and supported by an independent panel chair appointed under the OPM contract. The OPM will act as a neutral chair, coordinate communications between Operators, and support business as usual obligations contained within the Agreement. Activities will include the facilitation of technical workstreams and management of working groups, with workload varying over the term as sector needs evolve.

Renewal: The initial contract term will be two years, with the option to extend for a further three years on an incremental basis (a 24-month extension followed by a 12-month extension), exercised at the sole discretion of Crown Estate Scotland and subject to ongoing performance and continued business need. The maximum contract term will be 5 years (including extensions).

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-r6ebe6-0000825034
Publication Source
Public Contracts Scotland
Latest Notice
https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAR552744
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
OJEU - F2 - Contract Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

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

90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services


CPV Codes

71356300 - Technical support services

71621000 - Technical analysis or consultancy services

73220000 - Development consultancy services

79421000 - Project-management services other than for construction work

90700000 - Environmental services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£276,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£276,000 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
30 Mar 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
29 Apr 20264 days to go
Future Notice Date
16 Mar 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
CROWN ESTATE SCOTLAND
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
EH3 9GL
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
TLM Scotland

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

Further Information

Notice Documents

  • https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=FEB550591
    Operators Panel Manager for the Scottish Wave & Tidal Operators Agreement - Crown Estate Scotland intends to appoint an independent consultant to act as the Operators Panel Manager (OPM) for the Scottish Wave and Tidal Operators Agreement. The OPM will chair and manage the Operators Panel, coordinate Operators, and oversee business-as-usual functions of the unified Agreement (in place since October 2024). Key tasks include reinstating and chairing the Panel(s), managing technical work programmes, supporting the ongoing review and consolidation of the Agreements, coordinating technical workstreams (TWG/WWG), monitoring progress of model-development projects such as UPSTREAM and TEAMER, and reviewing Operator Adverse Impact Assessments.
  • https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAR552744
    Operators Panel Manager for the Scottish Wave & Tidal Operators Agreement - Crown Estate Scotland (CES) intends to appoint an independent Operators Panel Manager (OPM) to support the governance, coordination and operation of the Operators Panel associated with the Scottish Wave and Tidal Power Operators Agreement. The OPM will act as a neutral chair, coordinate communications between Operators, and support business as usual obligations contained within the Agreement. Activities will include the facilitation of technical workstreams and management of working groups, with workload varying over the term as sector needs evolve. The objective is to secure a supplier who will: - Provide independent, neutral facilitation and chairing of the Operators Panel, maintaining an agreed governance process and accurate records. - Coordinate Operators, technical experts and CES to progress the Agreement's obligations and technical work programme. - Manage and continue to develop CES' tidal and wave technical work programmes and associated technical working groups, ensuring outputs meet the needs of the Panel. - Monitor specified external projects which directly contribute to the delivery of the technical work programmes and provide concise progress reporting and recommendations to CES. - Review Operator Adverse Impact Assessments when required by CES

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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