--- title: "Executive and Senior Specialist Search and Associated Recruitment Services" ocid: "ocds-r6ebe6-0000824413" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-r6ebe6-0000824413" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000824413.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000824413.json" source: "Public Contracts Scotland" current_stage: "Tender" buyer: "APUC LIMITED" published: "2026-03-06" --- # Executive and Senior Specialist Search and Associated Recruitment Services Buyer: APUC LIMITED Current stage: Tender OCID: ocds-r6ebe6-0000824413 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-r6ebe6-0000824413) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000824413.json) ## Summary This tender opportunity, titled "Executive and Senior Specialist Search and Associated Recruitment Services," is being procured by APUC Limited, a central purchasing body based in Stirling, Scotland. The procurement process is currently in the tender stage, aimed at acquiring recruitment services for higher and further education institutions across Scotland, with implications for sectors including education and public administration. The tender is valued at £12,000,000 GBP and uses an open procedure, requiring electronic submission on the Public Tenders Scotland platform. Key dates include a tender period ending on 13 April 2026. This contract offers a potential duration of 1080 days with possible extension, and it allows for electronic invoicing and ordering. The procurement process, governed by regulations such as the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, involves a rigorous selection and award criteria, focusing on both technical quality (60%) and price (40%). This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in recruitment services, especially those experienced in executive and senior specialist search. Targeting institutions across Scotland, Northern Ireland, and England, the framework agreement aggregates demand from numerous educational bodies and NHS organisations, providing an expansive market for service delivery. Businesses with robust supply chain management and access to recruitment technologies are well-positioned to benefit from this contract, which supports a broad range of services, including succession planning and skill audits. The framework facilitates growth for companies offering innovative recruitment strategies and bolsters collaboration among partners through community benefits, such as mentorship programs and workshops for leadership development. With its scope extending across different regions and sectors, from local government to health services, it provides avenues for diversified growth and entry into public sector markets for suitably qualified operators. ## Notice The Authority is seeking Contractor(s) for the provision of Executive and Senior Specialist Search and Associated Recruitment Services to the higher education (HE) institutions and further education (FE) institutions (and affiliated bodies) in Scotland. A list of the Institutions can be found in Appendix E. In addition, the following purchasing consortia and their respective members have agreed in principle to participate in the Framework Agreement: London Universities Purchasing Consortium and its members (LUPC) - Lots 3, 5 and 6 only North Western Universities Purchasing Consortium and its members (NWUPC) Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium its members (SUPC) - Lot 6 only NHS National Procurement and its members Healthcare Improvement Scotland NHS Education for Scotland NHS Golden Jubilee NHS24 Scotland Excel and its members Scottish Ambulance Service Scottish Government The State Hospitals Board for Scotland The framework agreement will be available for use by the Scottish Ministers (including Agencies), Scottish Non-Departmental Public Bodies, offices in the Scottish Administration which are not ministerial offices, cross-border public authorities within the meaning of section 88(5) of the Scotland Act 1998, The Office for the Secretary of State for Scotland, the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, councils constituted under section 2 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, , bodies registered as social landlords under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001, Scottish health boards or special health boards, Student Loans Company Limited, the Commissioner of Northern Lighthouse operating as the Northern Lighthouse Board, Scottish Futures Trust, Equality and Human Rights Commission, Business Stream Ltd, the Business Gateway National Unit at the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, further or higher education institutions being fundable bodies within the meaning of section 6 of the further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005, any public body established by or under the Scotland Act 1998 or any Act of the Scottish Parliament, any association of or formed by one or more of the foregoing, bodies financed wholly or mainly by one or more of the foregoing, bodies subject to management supervision by one or more of the foregoing and bodies more than half of the board of directors or members of which, or, in the case of a group of individuals, more than half of those individuals, being appointed by one or more of the foregoing. In addition to the contracting authorities listed, the framework agreement will be available to charities entered on the Scottish Charity Register and voluntary organisations entered on the Membership Database of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations. Information about agencies of the Scottish Ministers, Scottish Non-Departmental Public Bodies and offices in the Scottish Administration which are not ministerial offices are listed at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-bodies/about/Bodies Overview of the governance structure of public procurement for Scotland, including the Public Procurement Group. https://www.gov.scot/publications/public-procurement-governance/ ### Lot Information Recruitment related services This lot is for recruitment related services to support the recruitment activities of the institutions. The activities that may be included would be: Succession planning Board reviews Salary and remuneration benchmarking Skills audit Candidate market scoping Panel training Unconscious bias training Access to Recruitment Technology. The pricing for this would be on an hourly, half day and day rate basis however fixed fees may be agreed on call off for a prescribed piece of work before this work is conducted. The Authority is seeking to appoint a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 6 Contractors to service this lot.. 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 Renewal: The Authority reserves the right to extend the Framework Agreement for a period of up to 12 months subject to satisfactory performance and continued Institutions requirements Executive Search - North This Lot relates to the provision of search and selection services for executive roles based in Scotland and the areas represented by NWUPC, including Northern Ireland. The Contractor shall be responsible for identifying, assessing, and presenting suitably qualified candidates in accordance with the Authority's requirements. The Authority is seeking to appoint a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 6 Contractors to service this Lot.. 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. Renewal: The Authority reserves the right to extend the Framework Agreement for a period of up to 12 months subject to satisfactory performance and continued Institutions requirements Executive Search - South This Lot relates to the provision of search and selection services for executive roles based in England and the areas represented by LUPC. The Contractor shall be responsible for identifying, assessing, and presenting suitably qualified candidates in accordance with the Authority's requirements. The Authority is seeking to appoint a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 6 Contractors to service this Lot.. 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 Renewal: The Authority reserves the right to extend the Framework Agreement for a period of up to 12 months subject to satisfactory performance and continued Institutions requirements Senior Specialist Search - North This lot is for the search and selection of highly qualified candidates for senior specialist level roles based in Scotland and the areas represented by NWUPC, including Northern Ireland. The Contractor shall be responsible for identifying, assessing, and presenting suitably qualified candidates in accordance with the Authority's requirements. The Authority is seeking to appoint a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 6 Contractors to service each of these lots.. 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 Renewal: The Authority reserves the right to extend the Framework Agreement for a period of up to 12 months subject to satisfactory performance and continued Institutions requirements Senior Specialist Search - South This lot is for the search and selection of highly qualified candidates for senior specialist level roles based in England and the areas represented by LUPC. The Contractor shall be responsible for identifying, assessing, and presenting suitably qualified candidates in accordance with the Authority's requirements. The Authority is seeking to appoint a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 6 Contractors to service each of these lots.. 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 Renewal: The Authority reserves the right to extend the Framework Agreement for a period of up to 12 months subject to satisfactory performance and continued Institutions requirements Chairs of Court and members of governing committees and boards This lot is for the search and selection of highly qualified candidates for Chairs and members of governing committees and board roles based in the UK. The Authority is seeking to appoint a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 6 Contractors to service each of these lots.. 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 Renewal: The Authority reserves the right to extend the Framework Agreement for a period of up to 12 months subject to satisfactory performance and continued Institutions requirements ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Public Contracts Scotland | | Latest notice | https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAR551180 | | Notice type | OJEU - F2 - Contract Notice | | Procurement type | Framework | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Open procedure | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Tender | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 6 Mar 2026 | | Submission deadline | 13 Apr 2026 | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | Not specified | | Recurrence | June 2030 | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £12,000,000 | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Active | | Lots status | Active | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | APUC LIMITED | | Locality | STIRLING | | Post town | Falkirk and Stirling | | Postcode | FK8 2DZ | | Country | Scotland | | ITL 1 | TLM Scotland | | ITL 2 | TLM0 Eastern Scotland | | ITL 3 | TLM02 Perth and Kinross, and Stirling | | Local authority | Stirling | | Electoral ward | Stirling East | | Westminster constituency | Stirling and Strathallan | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security ### Codes - 79600000 - Recruitment services ## Release History - 6 Mar 2026 at 00:00 - Tender - OJEU - F2 - Contract Notice - https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAR551180 ## Documents - https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/show/search_view.aspx?ID=MAR551180 Executive and Senior Specialist Search and Associated Recruitment Services - The Authority is seeking Contractor(s) for the provision of Executive and Senior Specialist Search and Associated Recruitment Services to the higher education (HE) institutions and further education (FE) institutions (and affiliated bodies) in Scotland. A list of the Institutions can be found in Appendix E. In addition, the following purchasing consortia and their respective members have agreed in principle to participate in the Framework Agreement: London Universities Purchasing Consortium and its members (LUPC) - Lots 3, 5 and 6 only North Western Universities Purchasing Consortium and its members (NWUPC) Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium its members (SUPC) - Lot 6 only NHS National Procurement and its members Healthcare Improvement Scotland NHS Education for Scotland NHS Golden Jubilee NHS24 Scotland Excel and its members Scottish Ambulance Service Scottish Government The State Hospitals Board for Scotland The framework agreement will be available for use by the Scottish Ministers (including Agencies), Scottish Non-Departmental Public Bodies, offices in the Scottish Administration which are not ministerial offices, cross-border public authorities within the meaning of section 88(5) of the Scotland Act 1998, The Office for the Secretary of State for Scotland, the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, councils constituted under section 2 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, , bodies registered as social landlords under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001, Scottish health boards or special health boards, Student Loans Company Limited, the Commissioner of Northern Lighthouse operating as the Northern Lighthouse Board, Scottish Futures Trust, Equality and Human Rights Commission, Business Stream Ltd, the Business Gateway National Unit at the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, further or higher education institutions being fundable bodies within the meaning of section 6 of the further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005, any public body established by or under the Scotland Act 1998 or any Act of the Scottish Parliament, any association of or formed by one or more of the foregoing, bodies financed wholly or mainly by one or more of the foregoing, bodies subject to management supervision by one or more of the foregoing and bodies more than half of the board of directors or members of which, or, in the case of a group of individuals, more than half of those individuals, being appointed by one or more of the foregoing. In addition to the contracting authorities listed, the framework agreement will be available to charities entered on the Scottish Charity Register and voluntary organisations entered on the Membership Database of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations. Information about agencies of the Scottish Ministers, Scottish Non-Departmental Public Bodies and offices in the Scottish Administration which are not ministerial offices are listed at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-bodies/about/Bodies Overview of the governance structure of public procurement for Scotland, including the Public Procurement Group. https://www.gov.scot/publications/public-procurement-governance/ ## Notice URLs - http:// - http://ucsp.ac.uk - http://www.apuc-scot.ac.uk - http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2343 - http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2363 - http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-bodies/about/Bodies - https://api.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/v1/Notice?id=ocds-r6ebe6-0000824413 - https://www.gov.scot/policies/public-sector-procurement/community-benefits-in-procurement/ - https://www.gov.scot/publications/public-procurement-governance/ - https://www.publictendersscotland.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk ## 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-r6ebe6-0000824413. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-r6ebe6-0000824413.json.