Contract notice
Section I: Contracting
authority
I.1) Name and addresses
Scottish Government
4 Atlantic Quay, 70 York St
Glasgow
G2 8EA
UK
Contact person: Scott McCrindle
Telephone: +44 1412425759
E-mail: scott.mccrindle@gov.scot
NUTS: UKM
Internet address(es)
Main address: http://www.scotland.gov.uk
Address of the buyer profile: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA10482
I.2) Joint procurement
The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body
I.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge at:
https://www.publictendersscotland.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/
Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be sent electronically to:
https://www.publictendersscotland.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/
Electronic communication requires the use of tools and devices that are not generally available. Unrestricted and full direct access to these tools and devices is possible, free of charge, at:
https://www.publictendersscotland.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Ministry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local subdivisions
I.5) Main activity
General public services
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
Requirements Reserved for Supported Businesses Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS)
Reference number: SP-23-011
II.1.2) Main CPV code
39000000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Supplies
II.1.4) Short description
The Scottish Government is establishing a collaborative Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for Requirements Reserved for Supported Businesses. A key objective of this DPS is to continue to provide the Scottish public sector and third sector bodies a straightforward, flexible route to market for a range of goods and services provided by supported businesses and in doing so, support the integration of disabled and disadvantaged citizens into the mainstream workforce.
The DPS will be on a single Lot basis that will hold a wide range of goods and services provided by supported businesses. Descriptions of these goods and services and any subsequent categorisation will be provided via publicly available guidance documentation.
Potential participants must complete the SPD (Single Procurement Document) held within PCS Tender and meet the minimum entry criteria to participate in the DPS.
Participants must also complete within this SPD, Annex A to this Dynamic Purchasing System which requests confirmation from bidders on their meeting of the reserved contract criteria described as the ‘two part test’ introduced by European Directive 2014/24/EU and given effect in Scotland through the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, Section 2, Regulation 21.
For details of public sector organisations who can access the DPS please see section III.1) Conditions for participation.
The Requirements Reserved for Supported Businesses DPS will be open for new applicants throughout the lifetime of the DPS.
II.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT:
6 000 000.00
GBP
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.2) Description
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
18200000
18300000
18114000
18130000
55300000
55400000
79000000
18400000
18100000
18110000
18113000
18810000
22100000
37000000
22000000
72000000
98000000
92000000
85300000
33700000
48000000
34928000
34928470
34992000
33199000
35120000
22300000
50800000
72100000
72200000
72300000
72400000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKM
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
Supported businesses are organisations whose main aim is to integrate disabled or disadvantaged people socially and professionally.
The Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) will be on a single Lot basis which it is anticipated will hold a wide range of goods and services provided by supported businesses.
Descriptions of these goods and services and any subsequent categorisation will be provided via a publicly available guidance documentation.
The key aim of the Requirements Reserved for Supported Businesses DPS is to provide Scottish Public Sector and Third Sector Bodies (Framework Public Bodies) with a clear path for the purchase of goods and services from Supported Businesses and in doing so, support the integration of disabled and disadvantaged citizens into the mainstream workforce.
The Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, Section 2, Regulation 21, definition of a Supported Business is twofold. Firstly, a bidding organisation must have the social and professional integration of disabled and disadvantaged persons as its main aim. This may be evidenced in the organisation's Articles of Association (in the case of companies) or such other constitutional documentation that governs the organisation. It is within the discretion of individual public bodies to determine whether a bidding organisation has demonstrated the requirement that it has as its main aim the social and professional integration of disabled and disadvantaged persons.
Secondly, The Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, Section 2, Regulation 21, definition requires that at least 30% of the employees of the organisation are disabled or disadvantaged. Regulation 2 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 states "disabled", in relation to a person, means a disabled person within the meaning of the Equality Act 2010 and, in relation to a worker, means a disabled person who is a worker.
This definition of a supported business is known as the ‘two-part test.’
To assess your suitability for addition to the Requirements Reserved for Supported Businesses DPS you must complete the minimum entry criteria with the Scottish Procurement Document (SPD) for this DPS held within PCS Tender and also complete the information requested on the 'two-part test' definition that will confirm a bidder's supported business status. This information request on the two part test is held within the "General Attachments" area of the the Scottish Procurement Document (SPD) in PCS Tender in the document called 'Annex A – Requirements Reserved for Supported Businesses Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS)'.
No form of volume guarantee has been granted by the Authority. The Authority shall not be be bound to order any services described in the guidance document that supports the single Lot.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Technical
/ Weighting: 60-80%
Price
/ Weighting:
20-40%
II.2.6) Estimated value
Value excluding VAT:
6 000 000.00
GBP
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 24
This contract is subject to renewal: No
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
Envisaged number of candidates: 50
Objective criteria for choosing the limited number of candidates:
There is no maximum limit to the number of candidates in a dynamic purchasing system
II.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted:
No
II.2.11) Information about options
Options:
No
II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds:
No
Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information
III.1) Conditions for participation
III.1.1) Suitability to pursue the professional activity, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers
List and brief description of conditions:
The Authority has the right to request evidence that entry criteria is still valid at any point during the lifecycle of the Dynamic Purchasing System with evidence to be provided via an updated SPD to the Authority within 5 working days of request being issued. Approved suppliers will be asked to confirm their details annually on the anniversary of the implementation of the DPS.
It is a requirement of this DPS that suppliers hold, or can commit to obtain prior to the commencement of any subsequently awarded contract, the types and levels of insurance as a minimum indicated below in accordance with any legal obligation for the time being in force:
Public Liability insurance of Minimum GBP 1M
Employers Liability insurance of Minimum GBP 5M
Professional Indemnity insurance of Minimum GBP 1M
Project specific insurance levels will be issued alongside the tender documentation at call-off stage.
The Dynamic Purchasing System 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 Scotland Office, the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, councils constituted under section 2 of the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994, Scottish Fire & Rescue Service, the Scottish Police Authority, Scottish health boards or special health boards, all NHS Scotland, The Integrated Joint Boards established further to the Public Bodies (Joint Working) Act 2014, bodies registered as social landlords under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001, Student Loans Company Limited, the Forestry Commission, the Commissioner of Northern Lighthouse operating as the Northern Lighthouse Board, 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 DPS 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 Scottish Public Bodies is available at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-bodies/about
Information about the Review of Public Procurement in Scotland and links to the other Centres of Expertise are available at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/Procurement
III.1.2) Economic and financial standing
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents
III.1.3) Technical and professional ability
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents
III.1.5) Information about reserved contracts
The contract is reserved to sheltered workshops and economic operators aiming at the social and professional integration of disabled or disadvantaged persons.
The execution of the contract is restricted to the framework of sheltered employment programmes.
III.2) Conditions related to the contract
III.2.2) Contract performance conditions
There will be an ongoing requirement to provide management information on the call of contracts awarded through the DPS.
On an annual basis each Company/Organisation (supported business) on the DPS List will confirm that it continues to meets the reserved contract criteria described as ‘two part test’ introduced by European Directive 2014/24/EU and given effect in Scotland through the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 ("the Regulations"), Section 2, Regulation 21.
III.2.3) Information about staff responsible for the performance of the contract
Obligation to indicate the names and professional qualifications of the staff assigned to performing the contract
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.1) Type of procedure
Restricted procedure
IV.1.3) Information about a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system
The procurement involves the setting up of a dynamic purchasing system
The dynamic purchasing system might be used by additional purchasers
IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement:
Yes
IV.2) Administrative information
IV.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number in the OJ S:
2018/S 143-326359
IV.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date:
08/09/2025
Local time: 12:00
IV.2.3) Estimated date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates
Date:
08/09/2025
IV.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
EN
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement:
No
VI.2) Information about electronic workflows
Electronic ordering will be used
Electronic invoicing will be accepted
Electronic payment will be used
VI.3) Additional information
Please note there is a Technical Envelope within PCS-Tender regarding Fair Work. Your responses are required for information purposes and are not part of the selection criteria. Applications will not be accepted via the PCS-T system unless you complete this Technical Envelope.
Organisations who use the DPS for call-offs will issue them electronically through PCS-Tender.
Many organisations use PCS-Tender, however for those organisations who do not use PCS-Tender, alternative electronic routes may also be used and are acceptable. We envisage the value of call off contracts to range from thousands to hundreds of thousands however no form of volume guarantee has been granted by the Authority.
All participants awarded a place on Lot 1 on the DPS will be invited to all contract opportunities within the lot. Award criteria will be based on best price-quality ratio (see sect II.2.5 of this OJEU for ranges) which will be formulated more precisely at call-off and may incorporate mandatory minimum requirements bidders have to achieve.
Participants should be aware there is not a requirement to bid for all goods or services described in Lot 1.
The buyer is using PCS-Tender to conduct this PQQ exercise. The Project code is 24782.
For more information see: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2343
Community benefits are included in this requirement. For more information see: https://www.gov.scot/policies/public-sector-procurement/community-benefits-in-procurement/
A summary of the expected community benefits has been provided as follows:
The Scottish Government is committed to contributing to the social, economic and environmental well-being of the people of Scotland, in order to create a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth.
The buyer is using PCS-Tender to conduct this PQQ exercise. The Project code is 24782. For more information see: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2343
A sub-contract clause has been included in this contract. For more information see: http://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/info/InfoCentre.aspx?ID=2363
Community benefits are included in this requirement. For more information see: https://www.gov.scot/policies/public-sector-procurement/community-benefits-in-procurement/
A summary of the expected community benefits has been provided as follows:
The Scottish Government is committed to contributing to the social, economic and environmental well-being of the people of Scotland, in order to create a more successful country, with opportunities for all of Scotland to flourish, through increasing sustainable economic growth.
(SC Ref:734029)
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
Sheriff court
27 Chambers Street
Edinburgh
EH1 1LB
UK
Telephone: +44 1312252525
E-mail: edinburgh@scotcourts.gov.uk
Internet address(es)
URL: https://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/the-courts/court-locations/edinburgh-sheriff-court-and-justice-of-the-peace-court
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
02/08/2023