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: Graeme Kerr
Telephone: +44 1314428930
E-mail: gkerr@apuc-scot.ac.uk
NUTS: UKM
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
Executive and Senior Specialist Search and Associated Recruitment Services
Reference number: PFB1048 AP
II.1.2) Main CPV code
79600000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.1.4) Short description
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/
II.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT:
12 000 000.00
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
Recruitment related services
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
79600000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UK
Main site or place of performance:
UK
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
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.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Technical
/ Weighting: 60%
Price
/ Weighting:
40%
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 36
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 12 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:
No
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
Executive Search – North
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
79600000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UK
Main site or place of performance:
UK North
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
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.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Technical
/ Weighting: 60%
Price
/ Weighting:
40%
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 36
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 12 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:
No
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: 3
II.2.1) Title
Executive Search - South
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
79600000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UK
Main site or place of performance:
UK South
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
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.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Technical
/ Weighting: 60%
Price
/ Weighting:
40%
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 36
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 12 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:
No
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
Senior Specialist Search – North
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
79600000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UK
Main site or place of performance:
UK North
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
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.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Technical
/ Weighting: 60%
Price
/ Weighting:
40%
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 36
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 12 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:
No
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: 5
II.2.1) Title
Senior Specialist Search – South
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
79600000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UK
Main site or place of performance:
UK South
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
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.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Technical
/ Weighting: 60%
Price
/ Weighting:
40%
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 36
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 12 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:
No
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: 6
II.2.1) Title
Chairs of Court and members of governing committees and boards
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
79600000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UK
Main site or place of performance:
UK
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
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.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Quality criterion: Technical
/ Weighting: 60%
Price
/ Weighting:
40%
II.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 36
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 12 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:
No
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:
Please refer to Question 4B.5 of the SPD and Economic and Financial Standing section of the Contract Notice. Tenderers must confirm that they can provide the following supporting evidence prior to award:
Employers Liability: 5,000,000 GBP
Public Liability: 5,000,000.00 GBP
Professional Indemnity: 5,000,000.00 GBP
To demonstrate and evidence suitable economic standing, successful Contractors will be required to provide 2 years audited accounts, or equivalent if awarded to the Framework Agreement. Alternatively, if the Contractor is unable to provide the required accounting information, e.g. due to being a new business, then they will be required to provide a banker's letter demonstrating their willingness to the support the Contractor's organisation over the term of the framework agreement.
Please refer to 4B.6 of the SPD
III.1.3) Technical and professional ability
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 than30 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.
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: 36
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:
2025/S 000-067001
IV.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date:
13/04/2026
Local time: 14:00
IV.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
EN
IV.2.6) Minimum time frame during which the tenderer must maintain the tender
Duration in months: 6 (from the date stated for receipt of tender)
IV.2.7) Conditions for opening of tenders
Date:
13/04/2026
Local time: 15:00
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement:
Yes
Estimated timing for further notices to be published:
June 2030
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
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.
The following should be submitted prior to award. It is for information only and will not be scored.
Form of Tender
Please confirm that you will be in a position to submit prior to award “Appendix A – Form of Tender” in the Technical Questionnaire in
PCS-Tender.
Freedom of Information
Please confirm that you will be in a position to submit prior to award “Appendix B – Freedom of Information” if applicable in the
Technical Questionnaire in PCS-Tender.
Sustain Supply Chain Code of Conduct
Please confirm that you will be in a position to submit prior to award “Appendix D – Sustain Supply Chain Code of Conduct” in the
Technical Questionnaire in PCS-Tender.
For Information only
List of Institutions - Appendix E
The buyer is using PCS-Tender to conduct this ITT exercise. The Project code is 31279. 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:
Leadership and governance career‑pathway awareness sessions
Executive‑level mentoring or coaching for emerging leaders
Support for return to leadership or senior‑career returner programmes
Mock interviews and application support for senior or specialist roles
Pro bono strategic recruitment advice (succession planning, senior hiring, workforce strategy)
Workshops on inclusive executive recruitment and reducing bias at senior levels
Access to leadership, governance, and strategic HR eLearning modules
Guest lectures or talks on public‑sector leadership and senior career development
Diversity and inclusion initiatives focused on leadership representation
Volunteering or pro bono support for boards, charities, or governance groups
(SC Ref:824413)
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
Sheriff Court House
Viewfield Place
Stirling
FK8 1NH
UK
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
06/03/2026