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Print and postal services

Disclosure Scotland

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

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02 Sep 2026 at 01:00

OJEU - F3 - Contract Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Disclosure Scotland bought certificate printing and postal services from Royal Mail. The requirement covers the secure printing, fulfilment and dispatch of disclosure certificates and associated correspondence, including production and distribution of documents containing security-design elements. Delivery and service activity are centred on Disclosure Scotland at Pacific Quay in Glasgow. This is a public-sector service requirement for a supplier able to combine secure document production with postal distribution, rather than a standard print-only commission. The work sits within Disclosure Scotland’s statutory public order and safety functions. The requirement was treated as a single package covering both certificate printing and the related fulfilment and dispatch service, so relevant businesses would need capability across the complete operational chain.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded to Royal Mail. Disclosure Scotland used a limited direct-award procedure without prior publication of a competition, relying on Regulation 33 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015. The stated rationale was that technical and security requirements meant competition was absent and an alternative could not be approved and implemented in time to maintain service continuity. One bid was recorded, submitted electronically by a non-SME supplier. The contract value is £550,000. It was signed on 1 April 2026 and is active. The arrangement may be extended for a maximum additional period of 24 months. The evaluation basis recorded for the requirement was technical quality at 60% and price at 40%.

For a future requirement of this type, a credible supplier would need proven secure printing of official certificates and correspondence, together with dependable fulfilment and postal dispatch. The buyer’s rationale indicates that security-design controls, testing, assurance processes and external approvals are central requirements, so suppliers would need to demonstrate compliance before production begins. Strong technical integration capability would also be important, including the ability to connect systems, complete testing and support an established end-to-end operation. Evidence of information-security controls, operational resilience and experience delivering statutory public services would help establish credibility. The scale indicates a substantial, integrated document-production and distribution service rather than occasional printing, and a supplier would need sufficient capacity to maintain continuity while handling sensitive documents.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Print and postal services

Notice Description

Certificate printing and postal services

Lot Information

Lot 1

Certificate printing and postal services

Options: May be subject to extension up to a maximum period of 24 months.

Procurement Information

Disclosure Scotland has awarded this contract directly to Royal Mail under Regulation 33 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015. The contract relates to the secure printing, fulfilment and dispatch of disclosure certificates and associated correspondence. The disclosure certificate incorporates security-design elements that require specific controls, testing, assurance processes and external approvals before production can commence. Royal Mail currently provides an established and fully integrated service for the production and distribution of these documents. Transitioning the service to an alternative supplier would require the completion of security approval processes, technical testing, system integration activities and assurance procedures to demonstrate compliance with the required security standards. These activities cannot be completed within the timescale required to maintain continuity of service. In addition, the Scottish Government's decision not to proceed with and award the anticipated framework arrangement resulted in insufficient time to undertake a competitive procurement and implement a replacement service before the expiry of the existing arrangements. Disclosure Scotland therefore concluded that, for technical and security reasons, competition is absent and no reasonable alternative supplier could be implemented within the required timescale without creating significant risks to service continuity, information security and delivery of a statutory public service. This direct award is a temporary arrangement intended to maintain continuity of service while Disclosure Scotland develops and implements its longer-term procurement strategy.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-r6ebe6-0000841913
Publication Source
Public Contracts Scotland
Latest Notice
https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=SEP563663
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
OJEU - F3 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

CPV Codes

79800000 - Printing and related services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£550,000 £500K-£1M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
2 Sep 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
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
Disclosure 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
GLASGOW
Postcode
G51 1DZ
Postcode Area
Glasgow
Country
Scotland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLM Scotland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLM3 West Central Scotland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLM32 Glasgow City
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Glasgow City
Electoral Ward
Govan
Westminster Constituency
Glasgow South West

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Royal Mail

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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