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Provision of Election Night Flight Services

Argyll and Bute Council

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

12 Oct 2026 at 01:00

OJEU - F3 - Contract Award Notice
TenderUpdate

17 Jul 2026 at 01:00

OJEU - F14 - Corrigendum
Tender

08 Jun 2026 at 01:00

OJEU - F2 - Contract Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Argyll and Bute Council procured election-night helicopter flights to transport ballot boxes and election materials from designated island locations to Lochgilphead, so counting could begin as scheduled. The requirement covers safe, secure and timely air transport across Argyll and Bute. This is a specialist aviation service rather than a general logistics contract: the core work is moving election materials from island locations to the council’s counting destination. The council is the buyer, and the service supports the practical delivery of local elections. The procurement was structured as a single lot.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded to PDG Helicopters. The council used an open procedure. One bid was recorded. The award was evaluated on operational delivery and methodology (20%) and price (30%); the remaining evaluation basis is not set out in the available criteria. The contract was signed on 6 October 2026 and is active. Its stated value is £117,855, based on three election cycles, and the contract period runs from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2031. The council may extend the contract by up to two years, subject to satisfactory performance and discussion with the supplier. The service is reserved to a particular profession, with suitability criteria referenced in the invitation to tender.

For aviation operators, this award demonstrates demand for specialist island-to-mainland flights supporting election logistics in Argyll and Bute. A credible competitor would need the professional authorisation required to execute the service, alongside the aircraft, operational planning and capacity to move ballot boxes and election materials safely, securely and on time from designated island locations to Lochgilphead. The winning proposal was assessed partly on operational delivery and methodology, so a future contender would need to explain how it would organise the flights and reliably meet election-night timing requirements. The award went to an SME, showing that this requirement was delivered by a smaller supplier. This is a focused aviation opportunity for operators capable of serving the council’s island geography and election-specific transport needs.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Provision of Election Night Flight Services

Notice Description

The objective of this Service is to ensure the safe, secure and timely transportation of ballot boxes and election materials from designated island locations to Lochgilphead to enable the ballot counting process to commence as scheduled.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The objective of this Service is to ensure the safe, secure and timely transportation of ballot boxes and election materials from designated island locations to Lochgilphead to enable the ballot counting process to commence as scheduled.

Renewal: The Contract may be extended for up to 2 years at the option of Argyll and Bute Council, subject to satisfactory performance of the Contract and following discussions with the successful Tenderer.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-r6ebe6-0000833999
Publication Source
Public Contracts Scotland
Latest Notice
https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=OCT566523
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
OJEU - F3 - 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

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

CPV Codes

60424120 - Hire of helicopters with crew

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£117,855 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
12 Oct 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
17 Jul 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2031 Over 5 years
Recurrence
4 years, 6 months or 6 years, 6 months

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Argyll and Bute 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
LOCHGILPHEAD
Postcode
PA31 8RT
Postcode Area
Paisley
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
TLM63 Lochaber, Skye and Lochalsh, Arran and Cumbrae, and Argyll and Bute
Local Authority
Argyll and Bute
Electoral Ward
Mid Argyll
Westminster Constituency
Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

PDG Helicopters

Further Information

Notice Documents

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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