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Association of Leading Visitor Attractions Benchmarking Survey

Historic Environment Scotland

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

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21 Oct 2026 at 01:00

OJEU - F15 - Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Historic Environment Scotland commissioned a visitor-attraction benchmarking survey through its membership of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA). The survey benchmarks three of HES’s leading attractions—Edinburgh Castle, Stirling Castle and Urquhart Castle—against leading attractions across the UK. This is market research and visitor-attraction performance benchmarking, rather than a survey of a single site or general tourism research. The buying organisation is Historic Environment Scotland, based in Edinburgh. Delivery relates to the three named castles. The work provides comparative evidence on how these major visitor attractions perform against peers, supporting HES’s understanding of its attractions within the UK visitor landscape.

The procurement is complete and awarded to Ipsos (market research) Ltd; the contract is active. HES used a limited procedure without a prior call for competition, citing the absence of another supplier able to provide the ALVA benchmarking survey for technical reasons. The contract was signed on 21 October 2026, with a stated value of £40,000. The award record associates the contract with the single survey requirement covering all three attractions. The stated route was a direct award rationale under Scotland’s public procurement regulations, on the basis that no other economic operator provides the ALVA survey. No contract duration or separate evaluation criteria are recorded in the procurement details.

For suppliers considering comparable future work for Historic Environment Scotland, this award indicates demand for robust visitor-attraction benchmarking that can compare several major Scottish heritage sites with leading UK attractions. Credibility would depend on the ability to provide the relevant ALVA benchmarking survey, or an equivalent defensible comparison across the same peer group, with market-research capability suited to attraction performance data. The buyer’s stated rationale was that no other economic operator provided the ALVA survey, so a competitor would need to demonstrate a genuinely suitable alternative methodology and comparable coverage if the requirement were reconsidered. The work is a focused research service for three high-profile castles, not a general tourism promotion or visitor operations contract.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Association of Leading Visitor Attractions Benchmarking Survey

Notice Description

ALVA (Association of Leading Visitor Attractions) Benchmarking Survey

Lot Information

Lot 1

HES are members of ALVA (the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions). ALVA is a national framework representing tourism bodies across the country. ALVA benchamrking survey which benchmarks our 3 top attractions against the leading attractions within the UK.

Procurement Information

HES intends to award to the Supplier on the basis that competition is absent for technical reasons as per Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 33.1.b (ii) No other economic operator provides the ALVA benchmarking survey

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-r6ebe6-0000846204
Publication Source
Public Contracts Scotland
Latest Notice
https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=OCT567047
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
OJEU - F15 - Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency 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

79310000 - Market research services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£40,000 Under £100K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
21 Oct 20261 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
Historic Environment 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
EH9 1SH
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
TLM Scotland
Local Authority
City of Edinburgh
Electoral Ward
Southside/Newington
Westminster Constituency
Edinburgh South

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Ipsos MORI

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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