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Recruitment Services for Deliberative Engagement

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

TenderUpdate

30 Oct 2026 at 00:00

OJEU - F14 - Corrigendum
Tender

01 Oct 2026 at 01:00

OJEU - F2 - Contract Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body is buying recruitment services to select members of the public for deliberative engagement supporting the work of the Scottish Parliament. The contractor will recruit participants using a robust, transparent random-selection method designed to limit bias and encourage inclusion. The preferred approach is postal invitations to randomly selected residential addresses, with follow-up to improve response and accessibility; alternative methods must preserve random selection. Respondents will be stratified to broadly match a requested population, which could be Scotland’s adult population, a parliamentary region or an area around an event. The contractor must plan to encourage participation from residents in more deprived areas and meet demographic targets. Events are expected to involve around 20–30 participants, though requirements may vary. Delivery is in Scotland, with event locations potentially specified by the Parliament.

The buyer invited offers through an open procedure, with electronic submission. The amended submission deadline was 9 November 2026 at 12:00; the amendment extended it following an update to the pricing schedule. The contract period is 360 days, with an option for four further 12-month extensions at the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body’s discretion. This is a single-lot requirement. Evaluation lists quality and price, each with a stated value of 70; the notice does not explain how those figures are applied. A required financial-standing threshold is a Creditsafe Risk Score of at least 40, with specified alternatives for lower scores or firms not listed. Bidders must hold, or obtain before contract start, employers’ liability cover of £5 million, public liability cover of £1 million and professional indemnity cover of £500,000.

This opportunity suits recruitment providers with proven experience delivering participant recruitment for citizens’ assemblies, citizens’ panels, people’s panels, deliberative engagement or comparable public participation projects. Bidders must provide one completed example from the previous three years, showing their recruitment method, use of random selection or stratified sampling, how they achieved a representative sample, how they handled challenges and evidence of meeting demographic targets. A referee must be available to verify the example. Suppliers need capability in inclusive recruitment across diverse demographic groups, response-rate and accessibility measures, and contingency planning to fulfil participation targets, including among residents in lower SIMD areas. They must also meet the stated financial-standing and insurance requirements and complete a pass/fail Supplier Cyber Assurance Questionnaire. Cyber Essentials certification, or a suitable equivalent, is required. Fair work practices are expected, and community benefits should be considered.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Recruitment Services for Deliberative Engagement

Notice Description

The SPCB require a Contractor to provide recruitment services to randomly select and recruit members of the public to participate in deliberative engagement events delivered to support the work of the Scottish Parliament.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The SPCB require a Contractor to provide recruitment services to randomly select and recruit members of the public to participate in deliberative engagement events delivered to support the work of the Scottish Parliament. Recruitment shall be undertaken using a robust and transparent random selection methodology, designed to minimise selection bias and maximise inclusivity. The preferred approach is random selection via postal invitation to a randomly generated sample of residential addresses, with appropriate follow-up procedures to support response rates and accessibility. Where alternative or supplementary methods are proposed, Contractors must clearly demonstrate how these preserve the integrity of random selection. Potential participants will then be stratified from the pool of respondents to broadly reflect the specified demographic profile requested by the Scottish Parliament, such as the adult population of Scotland, a Parliamentary region, or within a specified radius of an event location. To ensure broad participation the contractor should consider how their methodology encourages participation from residents in lower SIMD and have contingency plans to support successful fulfilment of all demographic targets. The SPCB will typically require between 20-30 participants to be involved in deliberative engagement processes; however, this may vary depending on the needs of the Parliamentary Committee requesting deliberative input and available budget. The Contractor shall propose a methodology that is both cost-effective and consistent with the principles of random selection and stratified sampling, setting out how participants will be contacted, recruited, and selected from the respondent pool.

Renewal: option of four 12-month extensions at the sole discretion of the SPCB

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-r6ebe6-0000844441
Publication Source
Public Contracts Scotland
Latest Notice
https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=OCT567744
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
OJEU - F14 - Corrigendum
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

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

CPV Codes

79600000 - Recruitment services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
30 Oct 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
2 Nov 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Estimated timing for further notices to be published: 5 years

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body
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
EH99 1SP
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
TLM75 City of Edinburgh
Local Authority
City of Edinburgh
Electoral Ward
City Centre
Westminster Constituency
Edinburgh East and Musselburgh

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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