---
title: "Completion of Commissioned Archaeological Projects"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-078c62"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078c62"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078c62.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078c62.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Historic Environment Scotland"
published: "2026-10-21"
---

# Completion of Commissioned Archaeological Projects

Buyer: Historic Environment Scotland  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078c62

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## Summary

Historic Environment Scotland commissioned archaeological services to complete outstanding work at the Links of Noltland, a protected historic site on Westray in Orkney. The work concerns an archaeological project originally commissioned in response to coastal erosion, including ongoing work at the site and completion of the project through post-excavation work, final reporting, publication where appropriate, and submission of the archaeological archive. The contractor also stores and curates the archaeological assemblage from the excavation. This is a specialist heritage and archaeological services requirement, focused on bringing an existing excavation project and its records to completion rather than starting a new investigation.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded to EASE Archaeology. Historic Environment Scotland used a limited procedure without a prior competition, relying on the supplier’s technical knowledge as the original excavator and its existing custody of the archaeological assemblage. The contract was signed on 20 October 2026 and is valued at £97,220. Its stated maximum duration is 24 months. The requirement was treated as a single lot covering the Links of Noltland project. The procurement rationale was that the original contractor’s knowledge of the finds is unparalleled and that information another supplier would need to manage and store the collection is not currently in the public domain. No award date is recorded.

For suppliers preparing for comparable archaeological commissions from Historic Environment Scotland, this award shows the importance of continuity with previously commissioned excavation work. EASE Archaeology was selected as the original excavator, with established knowledge of the finds and responsibility for storing and curating the assemblage. Credibility for this specific type of follow-on work therefore depends on being able to carry out post-excavation analysis, complete final reporting, prepare publication where appropriate, and submit the archive, while maintaining appropriate custody and understanding of the archaeological material. The requirement is a focused completion project at a coastal-erosion site, not a new excavation commission. The award demonstrates that specialist familiarity with the site and collection can be decisive where the necessary information is not publicly available.

## Notice

This Voluntary Ex-Ante (VEAT) Notice relates to the intended procurement for the completion of already commissioned archaeological projects. The contract duration is for a maximum of 24 months.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) intends to award this contract under the conditions of regulation 33.4.b(ii) of the Public Contracts (Scotland) regulations. Completion of outstanding previously commissioned archaeological projects and ongoing works at the Property in Care of Links of Noltland [PIC304], Westray, Orkney. The original commissioned project was in response to coastal erosion, the final work required is to bring this project to completion, (final reporting and publication if appropriate and archive submission). The contractor lead on post-excavation and currently store the entire archaeological assemblage.

### Procurement Information

HES intends to award to the Supplier on the basis that competition is absent for technical reasons. The original commission projects were provided by the contractror who still store and curate the assemblage. Given the nature of the services described in II.2.4 of this notice, the contractor is the original excavators of these sites, their knowledge of what has been found is unparalleled, and as they are not published, the information which another contractor would require to store and manage the collection is not in the public domain at present.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099245-2026 |
| Notice type | 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 | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 21 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £97,220 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Historic Environment Scotland |
| Locality | EDINBURGH |
| Postcode area | Edinburgh |
| Postcode | EH9 1SH |
| Country | Scotland |
| ITL 1 | TLM Scotland |
| ITL 2 | TLM1 East Central Scotland |
| ITL 3 | TLM13 City of Edinburgh |
| Local authority | City of Edinburgh |
| Electoral ward | Southside/Newington |
| Westminster constituency | Edinburgh South |
| Delivery location | TLM65 Orkney Islands |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | EASE Archaeology |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

### Codes

- 71351914 - Archaeological services

## Release History

- 21 Oct 2026 at 08:53 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099245-2026

## Notice URLs

- http://historicenvironment.scot
- https://api.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/v1/Notice?id=ocds-r6ebe6-0000846203
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA00164

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078c62. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078c62.json.