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Charter for Passive Acoustic Moorings Servicing

Scottish Government

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

17 Aug 2026 at 01:00

PCS Notice - Website Contract Award Notice
Tender

18 May 2026 at 01:00

PCS Notice - Website Contract Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Scottish Government, through its Marine Directorate, procured vessel charter services for scientific work in Scottish waters. The requirement is to provide a work boat for the deployment and retrieval of underwater passive acoustic monitoring equipment, which may include broadband sound recorders and cetacean echolocation detectors. The work supports the Marine Directorate’s science, evidence, digital and data activities and takes place off Scotland’s north and east coasts. This is a specialist marine support service rather than the supply of monitoring equipment itself. The procurement is classified as scientific research and development services (CPV 73112000), with the item classification also covering research services (CPV 73110000). The Scottish Government is the buying organisation and central purchasing body.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded following an open procedure. One lot covered a single servicing trip, with an optional three-day allowance for weather disruption. Tenders closed at 12:00 on 1 June 2026, with bids opened in Aberdeen at the same time; bids had to remain valid for 120 days. The estimated procurement value was £120,000. Moray Marine Solutions LTD was awarded the contract, which was signed on 17 August 2026 for £58,709.40. The contract period runs from 7 September 2026 to 21 September 2026. Electronic submission, ordering and payment were used, and bids had to be in English. Staff names and qualifications were required, variants were not allowed, and the recorded economic and technical selection criteria were marked not applicable.

This award demonstrates demand from the Scottish Government for small-vessel marine operations supporting scientific equipment in exposed Scottish waters. A credible future supplier would need a suitable work boat, competent crew and the practical capability to plan and carry out offshore deployment and recovery trips safely, including work with underwater passive acoustic monitoring equipment such as broadband sound recorders and cetacean detectors. The requirement is suited to marine operators that can provide reliable vessel charter and specialist handling rather than organisations focused only on laboratory research or equipment manufacture. The result also shows that an SME can win this type of work, although competition was substantial: five electronic bids were received, all from SMEs. Experience delivering precise, weather-sensitive marine operations would strengthen a competing supplier’s position.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Charter for Passive Acoustic Moorings Servicing

Notice Description

The Scottish Ministers invite tenders to provide vessel charter services for the deployment and retrieval of scientific equipment in Scottish waters.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The Scottish Ministers invite tenders to provide vessel charter services for the deployment and retrieval of scientific equipment in Scottish waters. The Marine Directorate - Science, Evidence, Digital and Data (MD-SEDD) portfolio are seeking tenders from work boats to undertake the deployment and retrieval of scientific equipment. The tender will be for one servicing trip between 07th September 2026 and 21st September 2026 plus 3 additional days in case of bad weather. The work will involve deploying and retrieving underwater passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) equipment, which may include broadband sound recorders and cetacean echolocation detectors. This work will be carried out on behalf of the Marine Directorate of Scottish Government.

Renewal: An optional 3 days has been set aside for weather issues.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-r6ebe6-0000832141
Publication Source
Public Contracts Scotland
Latest Notice
https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=AUG562459
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

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

73110000 - Research services

73112000 - Marine research services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£120,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£58,709 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Aug 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
1 Jun 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
7 Sep 2026 - 21 Sep 2026 30 days
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Scottish Government
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
EH6 6QQ
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
TLM5 North Eastern Scotland
Local Authority
City of Edinburgh
Electoral Ward
Leith
Westminster Constituency
Edinburgh North and Leith

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Moray Marine Solutions LTD

Further Information

Notice Documents

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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