Contract award notice
Results of the procurement procedure
Section I: Contracting
entity
I.1) Name and addresses
Northern Lighthouse Board
84 George Street, Northern Lighthouse Board
Edinburgh
EH2 3DA
UK
Contact person: Northern Lighthouse Board
Telephone: +44 1314733131
E-mail: procurement@nlb.org.uk
NUTS: UK
Internet address(es)
Main address: https://www.nlb.org.uk
Address of the buyer profile: https://www.nlb.org.uk
I.1) Name and addresses
The Corporation of Trinity House
Trinity House, Tower Hill,
London
EC3N 4DH
UK
E-mail: procurement@nlb.org.uk
NUTS: UK
Internet address(es)
Main address: https://trinityhouse.co.uk
I.2) Joint procurement
The contract involves joint procurement
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
I.5) Main activity
Other: Aid to Navigation for UK, Scotland and the Isle of Man
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
Bi-Lateral GLA Aviation Services Project
Reference number: GLA/HELI/2221
II.1.2) Main CPV code
60424120
II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.1.4) Short description
The procurement of the Northern Lighthouse Board and the Corporation of Trinity House (together the General Lighthouse Authorities (GLAs)) helicopter services support for their Marine Aids to Navigation Strategy to 2037 by providing the means to access and maintain their more remote Aids to Navigation. An effective helicopter service is a vital element in the provision of the GLAs’ service to the mariner: a reliable, efficient and cost-effective network of marine Aids to Navigation. The required outcomes of this contract are:
-A reliable, integrated, passenger and cargo (internal and underslung) service.
-A helicopter service which is able to recover from weather, aircraft technical failure and other disruptions to planned activities
-A service able to respond quickly and efficiently to casualties (light or other navigational aid failures) at any time and in any place in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Channel Islands.
* Please note this contract is being procured as a Bi-GLA.
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.1.7) Total value of the procurement
Value excluding VAT:
59 360 000.00
GBP
II.2) Description
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
34711500
35612300
35613000
60440000
34711400
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UK
Main site or place of performance:
UNITED KINGDOM
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
Key Requirements:
-Capable of landing on a helipad with a safe loading of four tonnes on a footprint of 250mm x 250mm.
-Capable of operating from the helidecks of the GLA vessels.
Task examples:
- A smaller task would be to carry two technicians with small tools and emergency overnight kit to a lighthouse in the morning and return later the same day; the radius of action is likely to be between 5 and 100 nm.
- A larger task might require twelve workers, their baggage and several tons of underslung material to be carried out in several trips from a vessel close by or an onshore location nearby and brought back a few days or weeks later. In practice there are a wide variety of tasks in terms of size, distance and complexity.
A task may change to include underslung loads at any time Underslung loads represent between 15 and 32% of the operational flying tasks per year (averaging 22%). They are usually flown from a GLA vessel close by or from an accessible point on the nearest mainland to reduce the distance and duration of the operation. The support of building and renovation tasks at lighthouses creates the requirement for a great variety of weights, shapes, sizes, and natures of underslung loads with different aerodynamic characteristics.
The helicopter service will be required throughout the operating areas of the two GLAs (except Gibraltar).
II.2.5) Award criteria
Quality criterion: Quality
/ Weighting: 55
Quality criterion: Social Value
/ Weighting: 10
Cost criterion: Financial
/ Weighting: 35
II.2.11) Information about options
Options:
Yes
Description of options:
Following a period of mobilisation (expected to be from July 2026 to November 2027), the anticipated term of the ASP contract is ten (10) years from the service commencement date (expected to be 1 December 2027) with an option to extend for a further two (2) years
II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds:
No
II.2.14) Additional information
The GLA Helicopters are to be twin turbine helicopters equipped, certified and capable of operating single pilot Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations and to operate under Sub-Part HOFO, capable of:
- operating from legacy helidecks of GLA vessels
- operating from sub-1D elevated lantern top helipad
- operating on rough and uneven ground (including ground with bird nesting holes and burrows).
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.1) Type of procedure
Competitive procedure with negotiation
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:
2024/S 000-005884
Section V: Award of contract
Contract No: GLA/HELI/2221
Title: Bi-Lateral GLA Aviation Services Project
A contract/lot is awarded:
Yes
V.2 Award of contract
V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
14/06/2026
V.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 3
Number of tenders received from SMEs: 1
Number of tenders received from tenderers from EU Member States: 0
Number of tenders received from tenderers from non-EU Member States: 0
Number of tenders received by electronic means: 3
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators:
No
V.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
PLM Dollar Group Ltd (trading as PDG Aviation Services)
SC157532
The Heliport, Dalcross
Inverness
IV2 7XB
UK
NUTS: UKM
The contractor is an SME:
Yes
V.2.4) Information on value of the contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot:
Total value of the contract/lot:
: 59 360 000.00
GBP
V.2.5) Information about subcontracting
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.3) Additional information
GO Reference: GO-202673-PRO-37224097
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
The High Court of Justice
Royal Courts of Justice, Strand
London
WC2A 2LL
UK
VI.4.2) Body responsible for mediation procedures
Northern Lighthouse Board
Edinburgh
EH2 3DA
UK
VI.4.3) Review procedure
Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures:
An economic operator which suffers, or risks suffering, loss or damage attributable to a breach of duty owed under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 may bring proceedings in the High Court.
VI.4.4) Service from which information about the review procedure may be obtained
Northern Lighthouse Board
Edinburgh
EH2 3DA
UK
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
03/07/2026