---
title: "Research Appraisal Evaluation and Delivery Framework - Lot 3 Research"
ocid: "ocds-r6ebe6-0000687398"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-r6ebe6-0000687398"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000687398.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000687398.json"
source: "Public Contracts Scotland"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS ENTERPRISE"
published: "2022-10-05"
---

# Research Appraisal Evaluation and Delivery Framework - Lot 3 Research

Buyer: HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS ENTERPRISE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-r6ebe6-0000687398

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-r6ebe6-0000687398)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000687398.json)

## Summary

The Highlands and Islands Enterprise, in partnership with South of Scotland Enterprise Agency, recently completed a procurement process for a research services contract. The contract, titled "Research Appraisal Evaluation and Delivery Framework - Lot 3 Research," aims to offer efficient and cost-effective research services to support project assessment, development, and policy formulation across public agencies. The framework, initiated by the Highlands and Islands Enterprise, commenced on 26th September 2022 and will run for an initial 3-year period until 25th September 2025, with a possible extension up to 25th September 2026. Businesses interested in providing varied research services to influence strategy and policy development can explore this opportunity.

This tender presents a significant opportunity for businesses, especially those involved in research services, to engage with public agencies like Highlands and Islands Enterprise and South of Scotland Enterprise Agency. The procurement method for this tender was an open procedure, offering businesses a transparent chance to compete for this research services contract. The contract value is estimated at GBP 3.2 million over a maximum of 4 years. Interested businesses should take note of the key dates, including the tender period end date of 6th May 2022 and the bid opening date of 6th May 2022. Understanding the detailed scope and requirements outlined in the framework will be essential for companies aiming to deliver impactful research services to support the government agencies' objectives.

## Notice

THIS IS A CONTRACT AWARD NOTICE AND AS SUCH THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS IS COMPLETE. The Research, Appraisal, Evaluation and Delivery (RAED) Frameworks were procured in 3 Lots: Lot 1 Strategic and Operational Planning/Delivery Support Lot 2 Appraisal and Evaluation Lot 3 Research These Frameworks offer HIE staff an efficient, cost-effective, and streamlined approach for procuring external support and expertise to assist in the assessment and delivery of projects, to provide development support, and to provide robust and impartial research and evaluation evidence to support resource allocation and policy development. This Contact Notice is for Lot 3 which relates to the delivery of research services for HIE and SOSE. For both agencies research requirements will be extremely varied, aimed primarily, but not exclusively, at influencing or informing strategy and policy development within the agencies and across the wider public sector. See Scope of Requirements for full details. The Frameworks commenced on 26th September 2022 and will be for an initial 3 year period to 25th September 2025, unless terminated in accordance with the provisions of the Framework. HIE have the option to extend for a period or periods together not exceeding 1 year following the Initial Term with the 4 year expiry date being 25th September 2026.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Commissions for this Lot will typically involve a mix of primary (both quantitative and qualitative), secondary and tertiary research. The nature of individual assignments will be tailored to reflect the purpose of each research commission and will include, but not be limited to socio-economic research, panel research, sectoral research, scenario planning, customer research and economic intelligence. Studies may include some element of partnership working and may be sub-regional, regional, national or international in coverage. Target audiences will include businesses, social enterprises, community groups, community residents and public sector partners. The budget currently available for the initial 3 year period is GBP 2 400 000 (excluding VAT). This Framework will be available for call-off by HIE and SOSE as well as any other Contracting Authority wholly or partly under the control of, or funded by HIE or SOSE, at any point during the term of this Framework (subject to case-by-case approval by HIE). Other organisations entitled to benefit from the framework will enter into a direct framework agreement with the successful suppliers on the same terms and conditions as those applying between HIE and the suppliers. The Framework will be non-exclusive i.e., HIE and SOSE reserve the right, in certain circumstances, to procure outwith the Framework, as and when required.. Economic operators may be excluded from this competition if they are in any of the situations referred to in Regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015.

Options: HIE reserves the right, on giving reasonable written notice from time to time, to require changes to the Services (whether by way of the removal of Services, the addition of new Services, or increasing or decreasing the Services or specifying the order in which the Services are to be performed or the locations where the Services are to be provided). HIE shall not require any such change other than where it is permitted by Regulation 72 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015. In accordance with Regulation 72(1)(a) of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, HIE reserves the right to make changes to the volume, scope or location of the Services to be supplied under the Framework following a review of the Services by HIE, particularly with regard to demand and budgetary availability or where HIE's strategic focus changes as a result of changes in Scottish Government policy or as a result of a direction given by the Scottish Government. Where HIE determines (at our sole discretion) that demand under one or more Lots is lower than expected, HIE reserves the right to re-allocate the budget for that Lot to one or more of the other Lots, subject to the maximum total budget of GBP 3 560 000.

Renewal: It is expected that these services will be required from September 2022 and will be awarded for an initial period of 3 years, with HIE having the option to extend for a period or periods together not exceeding 1 year following the Initial Term.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Public Contracts Scotland |
| Latest notice | https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=OCT460826 |
| Notice type | OJEU - F3 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large, SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 5 Oct 2022 |
| Submission deadline | 6 May 2022 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 29 Sep 2022 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | HIE reserves the right to re-tender for these services upon termination of the contract or at the end of the contract period, including any extension period. |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £3,200,000 |
| Lots value | £3,200,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £3,200,000 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | HIGHLANDS AND ISLANDS ENTERPRISE |
| Additional buyers | SOUTH OF SCOTLAND ENTERPRISE AGENCY |
| Locality | INVERNESS |
| Post town | Inverness |
| Postcode | IV2 5NA |
| Country | Scotland |
| ITL 1 | TLM Scotland |
| ITL 2 | TLM9 Southern Scotland |
| ITL 3 | TLM92 Dumfries and Galloway |
| Local authority | Dumfries and Galloway |
| Electoral ward | Nith |
| Westminster constituency | Dumfries and Galloway |
| Delivery location | TLM6 Highlands and Islands |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 5 |
| Supplier names | EKOS; EKOS CONSULTING (UK) LIMITED T/A EKOSGEN; IPSOS (MARKET RESEARCH; RSM UK CONSULTING; THE DIFFLEY PARTNERSHIP |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services
- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

### Codes

- 73110000 - Research services
- 73210000 - Research consultancy services
- 79300000 - Market and economic research; polling and statistics
- 79310000 - Market research services
- 79311000 - Survey services
- 79311100 - Survey design services
- 79311200 - Survey conduction services
- 79311210 - Telephone survey services
- 79311300 - Survey analysis services
- 79311400 - Economic research services
- 79315000 - Social research services
- 79330000 - Statistical services
- 79342310 - Customer survey services
- 79342311 - Customer satisfaction survey

## Release History

- 5 Oct 2022 at 00:00 - Award - OJEU - F3 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=OCT460826
- 24 Mar 2022 at 00:00 - Tender - OJEU - F2 - Contract Notice - https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAR444345

## Documents

- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/NoticeDownload/DownloadDocument.aspx?id=MAR444345&idx=14
  19th April 2022 - Bidders questions and HIE responses for Lot 1 which are relevant to all lots.
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/NoticeDownload/DownloadDocument.aspx?id=MAR444345&idx=13
  5th April 2022 - RAED Questions and Answers from SDP Webinar
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/NoticeDownload/DownloadDocument.aspx?id=MAR444345&idx=12
  5th April 2022 - HIE/SOSE presentation - SDP Webinar
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/NoticeDownload/DownloadDocument.aspx?id=MAR444345&idx=1
  24th March 2022 - RAED Lot 3 - Scope of Requirements and Guidance Notes
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/NoticeDownload/DownloadDocument.aspx?id=MAR444345&idx=2
  24th March 2022 - Framework Terms and Conditions
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/NoticeDownload/DownloadDocument.aspx?id=MAR444345&idx=3
  24th March 2022 - RAED Lot 3 - Award Criteria Tender Response Form FORM TO BE RETURNED
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/NoticeDownload/DownloadDocument.aspx?id=MAR444345&idx=4
  24th March 2022 - RAED Lot 3 - Pricing Proforma FORM TO BE RETURNED
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/NoticeDownload/DownloadDocument.aspx?id=MAR444345&idx=5
  24th March 2022 - RAED Cyber Security Response Form FORM TO BE RETURNED
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/NoticeDownload/DownloadDocument.aspx?id=MAR444345&idx=6
  24th March 2022 - Community Benefits and Fair Work Practices Guidance
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/NoticeDownload/DownloadDocument.aspx?id=MAR444345&idx=7
  24th March 2022 - Community Benefits and Fair Work Practices Response Form FORM TO BE RETURNED
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/NoticeDownload/DownloadDocument.aspx?id=MAR444345&idx=8
  24th March 2022 - RAED Lot 3 - Forms for Signature FORM TO BE RETURNED
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/NoticeDownload/DownloadDocument.aspx?id=MAR444345&idx=9
  24th March 2022 - HIE Business Travel Policy
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/NoticeDownload/DownloadDocument.aspx?id=MAR444345&idx=10
  24th March 2022 - SOSE Business Travel Policy
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/NoticeDownload/DownloadDocument.aspx?id=MAR444345&idx=11
  24th March 2022 - SOSE Conflict of Interest Policy
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAR444345
  Research Appraisal Evaluation and Delivery Framework - Lot 3 Research - A new Research, Appraisal, Evaluation and Delivery (RAED) Framework is being procured, with the requirements divided into 3 Lots: Lot 1 Strategic and Operational Planning/Delivery Support Lot 2 Appraisal and Evaluation Lot 3 Research These frameworks offer HIE staff an efficient, cost-effective, and streamlined approach for procuring external support and expertise to assist in the assessment and delivery of projects, to provide development support, and to provide robust and impartial research and evaluation evidence to support resource allocation and policy development. This Contact Notice is for Lot 3 which relates to the delivery of research services for HIE and SOSE. For both agencies research requirements will be extremely varied, aimed primarily, but not exclusively, at influencing or informing strategy and policy development within the agencies and across the wider public sector. Bidders who are interested in bidding for Lots 1-3 can do so by locating the respective PCS notices, which were all published on the same date with Research Appraisal Evaluation and Delivery Framework' in the contract description. Bidders can submit a response for one or more Lots. See Scope of Requirements for full details.
- https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=OCT460826
  Research Appraisal Evaluation and Delivery Framework - Lot 3 Research - THIS IS A CONTRACT AWARD NOTICE AND AS SUCH THE PROCUREMENT PROCESS IS COMPLETE. The Research, Appraisal, Evaluation and Delivery (RAED) Frameworks were procured in 3 Lots: Lot 1 Strategic and Operational Planning/Delivery Support Lot 2 Appraisal and Evaluation Lot 3 Research These Frameworks offer HIE staff an efficient, cost-effective, and streamlined approach for procuring external support and expertise to assist in the assessment and delivery of projects, to provide development support, and to provide robust and impartial research and evaluation evidence to support resource allocation and policy development. This Contact Notice is for Lot 3 which relates to the delivery of research services for HIE and SOSE. For both agencies research requirements will be extremely varied, aimed primarily, but not exclusively, at influencing or informing strategy and policy development within the agencies and across the wider public sector. See Scope of Requirements for full details. The Frameworks commenced on 26th September 2022 and will be for an initial 3 year period to 25th September 2025, unless terminated in accordance with the provisions of the Framework. HIE have the option to extend for a period or periods together not exceeding 1 year following the Initial Term with the 4 year expiry date being 25th September 2026.

## Notice URLs

- http://
- http://www.hie.co.uk
- http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/hse40.pdf
- http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk
- https://api.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/v1/Notice?id=ocds-r6ebe6-0000687398
- https://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/the-courts/court-locations/inverness-sheriff-court-and-justice-of-the-peace-court

## 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-r6ebe6-0000687398. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000687398.json.
