Contract notice
Section I: Contracting
authority
I.1) Name and addresses
APUC Limited
Unit 27, Stirling Business Centre, Wellgreen
Stirling
FK8 2DZ
UK
Contact person: Josh O'Pray
Telephone: +44 1314428930
E-mail: jopray@apuc-scot.ac.uk
NUTS: UKM77
Internet address(es)
Main address: http://www.apuc-scot.ac.uk
Address of the buyer profile: https://www.publiccontractsscotland.gov.uk/search/Search_AuthProfile.aspx?ID=AA10402
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
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
I.5) Main activity
Education
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
Water Quality Management
Reference number: EFM1068 AP
II.1.2) Main CPV code
90711100
II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.1.4) Short description
The Authority are seeking Contractor(s) for the provision of Water Quality Management Services to the Higher (HE) and Further (FE) Education Institutions throughout Scotland and Higher Education Institutions and other organisations in England and Wales. This includes all members, associate members and their associated and affiliated bodies of APUC Ltd.(Advanced Procurement for Universities & Colleges), HEPCW (Higher
Education Procurement Consortia Wales), NEUPC (North Eastern Universities Purchasing Consortium), NWUPC (North Western Universities Purchasing Consortium), LUPC (London Universities Purchasing Consortium) and SUPC (Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium). In addition to this NHS Scotland Local and Specialised Health Boards, Scotland Excel and its members, Scottish Government Bodies and the Scottish Prison Service will also have access to the Framework Agreement, as detailed within Appendix E - List of Institutions.
The Authority are seeking to obtain, through this tendering process, price normalisation for all Institutions regardless of size and demand.
II.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT:
13 300 000.00
GBP
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
Yes
Tenders may be submitted for all lots
II.2) Description
Lot No: 1
II.2.1) Title
Lot 1A Risk Assessment - Scotland
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
90711100
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKM
Main site or place of performance:
Lot 1A - Scotland
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
The Authority are seeking Contractor(s) for the provision of Sampling and Assessment Services for Risk Assessment as part of a Water Quality Management service to the Higher (HE) and Further (FE) Education Institutions throughout Scotland and Higher Education Institutions. This includes all members, associate members and their associated and affiliated bodies of APUC Ltd.(Advanced Procurement for Universities & Colleges). In addition to this NHS Scotland Local and Specialised Health Boards, Scotland Excel and its members, Scottish Government Bodies and the Scottish Prison Service will also have access to the Framework Agreement, as detailed within Appendix E - List of Institutions.
The Authority are seeking to obtain, through this tendering process, price normalisation for all Institutions regardless of size and demand.
The Authority are seeking to appoint a maximum of 5 contractors to Lot 1A.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Technical
/ Weighting: 50
Price
/ Weighting:
50
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 24
This contract is subject to renewal: Yes
Description of renewals:
The Authority reserves the right to extend the Framework Agreement for a period of up to 24 months subject to satisfactory performance and continued Institutions requirements.
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
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:
Yes
II.2.14) Additional information
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.
Lot No: 2
II.2.1) Title
Lot 1B Risk Assessment - England, Wales and Northern Ireland
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
90711100
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKC
UKD
UKE
UKF
UKG
UKH
UKI
UKJ
UKK
UKL
UKN
Main site or place of performance:
Lot 1B - England, Wales and Northern Ireland
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
The Authority are seeking Contractor(s) for the provision of Sampling and Assessment Services for Risk Assessment as part of a Water Quality Management service to the Higher Education Institutions and other organisations in England and Wales. This includes all members, associate members and their associated and affiliated bodies of HEPCW (Higher
Education Procurement Consortia Wales), NEUPC (North Eastern Universities Purchasing Consortium), NWUPC (North Western Universities Purchasing Consortium), LUPC (London Universities Purchasing Consortium) and SUPC (Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium).
The full list of institutions is detailed within Appendix E - List of Institutions.
The Authority are seeking to obtain, through this tendering process, price normalisation for all Institutions regardless of size and demand.
The Authority is seeking to appoint maximum of 5 contractors to Lot 1B of the Framework Agreement.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Technical
/ Weighting: 50
Price
/ Weighting:
50
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 24
This contract is subject to renewal: Yes
Description of renewals:
The Authority reserves the right to extend the Framework Agreement for a period of up to 24 months subject to satisfactory performance and continued Institutions requirements.
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
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:
Yes
Lot No: 3
II.2.1) Title
Lot 2 - Water Treatment Services (UK Wide)
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
24962000
42912310
42912330
51514110
90711100
90913100
90913000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKC
UKD
UKE
UKF
UKG
UKH
UKI
UKJ
UKK
UKL
UKN
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
The Authority are seeking Contractor(s) for the provision of Water Treatment Services as part of a Water Quality Management service to the Higher (HE) and Further (FE) Education Institutions throughout Scotland and Higher Education Institutions and other organisations in England and Wales. This includes all members, associate members and their associated and affiliated bodies of APUC Ltd.(Advanced Procurement for Universities & Colleges), HEPCW (Higher
Education Procurement Consortia Wales), NEUPC (North Eastern Universities Purchasing Consortium), NWUPC (North Western Universities Purchasing Consortium), LUPC (London Universities Purchasing Consortium) and SUPC (Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium). In addition to this NHS Scotland Local and Specialised Health Boards, Scotland Excel and its members, Scottish Government Bodies and the Scottish Prison Service will also have access to the Framework Agreement, as detailed within Appendix E - List of Institutions.
The Authority are seeking to obtain, through this tendering process, price normalisation for all Institutions regardless of size and demand.
The Authority is seeking to appoint a maximum of 6 contractors to Lot 2 of the Framework Agreement.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Technical
/ Weighting: 50
Price
/ Weighting:
50
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 24
This contract is subject to renewal: Yes
Description of renewals:
The Authority reserves the right to extend the Framework Agreement for a period of up to 24 months, subject to satisfactory performance and continued Institutional requirement.
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
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:
Yes
II.2.14) Additional information
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.
Lot No: 4
II.2.1) Title
Lot 3 - One Stop Shop (UK Wide)
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
24962000
42912310
42912330
51514110
90711100
90913100
90913000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKC
UKD
UKE
UKF
UKG
UKH
UKI
UKJ
UKK
UKL
UKM
UKN
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
The Authority are seeking Contractor(s) for the provision of a One-Stop-Shop service consisting of Sampling and Risk Assessment services as well as Water Treatment services as part of a complete Water Quality Management Service to the Higher (HE) and Further (FE) Education Institutions throughout Scotland and Higher Education Institutions and other organisations in England and Wales. This includes all members, associate members and their associated and affiliated bodies of APUC Ltd.(Advanced Procurement for Universities & Colleges), HEPCW (Higher
Education Procurement Consortia Wales), NEUPC (North Eastern Universities Purchasing Consortium), NWUPC (North Western Universities Purchasing Consortium), LUPC (London Universities Purchasing Consortium) and SUPC (Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium). In addition to this NHS Scotland Local and Specialised Health Boards, Scotland Excel and its members, Scottish Government Bodies and the Scottish Prison Service will also have access to the Framework Agreement, as detailed within Appendix E - List of Institutions.
The Authority are seeking to obtain, through this tendering process, price normalisation for all Institutions regardless of size and demand.
The Authority is seeking to appoint a maximum 6 contractors to Lot 3 of the Framework Agreement.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Technical
/ Weighting: 50
Price
/ Weighting:
50
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 24
This contract is subject to renewal: Yes
Description of renewals:
The Authority reserves the right to extend the Framework Agreement for a period of up to 24 months, subject to satisfactory performance and continued Institutional requirement
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
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:
Yes
II.2.14) Additional information
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.
Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information
III.1) Conditions for participation
III.1.2) Economic and financial standing
Minimum level(s) of standards required:
With reference to 4B.5 of the ESPD in the qualification questionnaire, bidders must confirm they can provide the following supporting evidence prior to award:
Employer's (Compulsory) Liability Insurance = 5 000 000 GBP
Public Liability Insurance = 5 000 000 GBP
Product Liability Insurance = 5 000 000 GBP
Professional Indemnity Insurance = 2 000 000 GBP
With reference to 4B.6 of the ESPD in the qualification questionnaire, bidders must confirm they can provide the following supporting evidence prior to award:
To demonstrate and evidence suitable economic standing, successful Contractors will be required to provide 2 years audited accounts, or equivalent if awarded the Framework Agreement.
Alternatively, if the contractor is unable to provide the required accounting information e.g. a new business without the required accounts, then they will be required to provide a bankers letter demonstrating their willingness to support the Contractors organisation over the them of the Framework Agreement.
III.1.3) Technical and professional ability
Minimum level(s) of standards required:
Minimum level(s) of standards required:
Tenderers must confirm they have (or have access to) the relevant supply chain management and tracking systems to ensure a resilient and sustainable supply chain. This includes confirmation that they have the systems in place to pay subcontractors through the supply chain promptly (i.e. no later than 30 days after the invoice (or similar claim) relating to the payment is presented) and effectively, and provide evidence when requested of:
a) their standard payment terms
b) ≥95% of all supply chain invoices being paid on time (in accordance with the terms of contract) in the last financial year
If the bidder is unable to confirm (b) they must provide an improvement plan, signed by their Director, which improves the payment performance.
III.2) Conditions related to the contract
III.2.2) Contract performance conditions
Submission of Management Information
Following commencement of the Framework Agreement, the Contractor will provide a performance report to The Authority on a quarterly basis to include spend by institution under the Framework Agreement for the reporting period.
Contractors must provide the information on a quarterly basis, within 10 working days following the start of each quarter. Data must be uploaded to the website: http://ucsp.ac.uk/ using the template provided (template shall be provided during the lead-in period). The supplied
template is the only format permissible and should contain Contractor name, tender reference, total net spend by institution each month. If there has been no spend for the quarter, then this will still require you to log in and record a nil spend return.
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.1) Type of procedure
Open procedure
IV.1.3) Information about a framework agreement or a dynamic purchasing system
The procurement involves the establishment of a framework agreement with several operators.
Envisaged maximum number of participants to the framework agreement: 22
IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement:
Yes
IV.2) Administrative information
IV.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date:
26/09/2025
Local time: 12:00
IV.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
EN
IV.2.7) Conditions for opening of tenders
Date:
26/09/2025
Local time: 13:00
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement:
Yes
Estimated timing for further notices to be published:
The Framework Agreement will run for an initial period of 24 months and may be extended for a further 24 month period, after which it will be re-tendered.
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
Form of Tender
Tenderers must sign Appendix A prior to award to confirm that their Tender Response is a complete, true and accurate submission.
Freedom of Information
Please confirm that you will be in a position to complete, prior to award, Appendix B(if applicable) in the Technical Questionnaire. This information should only be submitted if applicable at point of award. It is for information only and will not be scored.
Sustain Supply Chain Code of Conduct
The Authority has developed Appendix D which sets out its expected standards for its supply chain in social, ethical and environmental compliance. Tenderers must complete the Appendix prior to award to assist in achieving its objectives.
List Of Institutions
Tenderers must complete and return Appendix E to confirm their ability to service the required coverage levels.
Prompt Payment
Tenderers must confirm that payment of subcontractors at all stages of the supply chain will be made within a maximum of 30 days and that this will be managed. It is for information only and will not be scored but is a requirement of this tender and will be included in the contractual terms.
Serious Organised Crime
Please complete Appendix H in the Technical Questionnaire. Tenderers must complete the Declaration of Non-Involvement in Serious Organised Crime. It is for information only and will not be scored but it is a requirement of this tender and will be included in the assessment of tender responses and in contractual terms.
Human Trafficking & Labour Exploitation
Please complete Appendix I in the Technical Questionnaire. Tenderers must complete the Declaration of Non-Involvement in Human Trafficking & labour Exploitation. It is for information only and will not be scored but it is a requirement of this tender and will be included in the assessment of tender responses and in contractual terms.
SCM Responsible Procurement Supply Chain Evaluation Tool: Section 1
SCM RP Section 1 is the Authority's designated tool for contracted suppliers to keep up-to-date essential information on their company, which allows the Authority to get an insight into their company’s general standing, commitment to preventing modern slavery and addressing climate change, as well as their pledge to fair and decent working practices for their staff. Tenderers must confirm that they will commit to completing SCM RP Section 1 on award and review on a yearly basis. It is for information only and will not be scored but is a requirement of this tender and will be included in the contractual terms.
Living Wage Status
Please provide details on your position on the Real Living Wage. This information should be submitted in the Technical envelope in PCS-T. It is for information only and will not be scored.
The buyer is using PCS-Tender to conduct this ITT exercise.
The Project code is 29889.
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/
The buyer is using PCS-Tender to conduct this ITT exercise. The Project code is 29889. 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 Contractor will work with the Authority to deliver Community Benefits or social value where they are identifiable throughout the term of the Framework Agreement. Examples of Community Benefits or social value are: providing training opportunities to staff and students
and investment in the local community.
(SC Ref:807439)
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
Stirling Sheriff Court House
Sheriff Court House
Stirling
FK8 1NH
UK
E-mail: stirling@scotcourts.gov.uk
Internet address(es)
URL: https://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/courts-and-tribunals/courts-tribunals-and-office-locations/find-us/stirling-sheriff-court-and-justice-of-the-peace-court/
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
25/08/2025