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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Environmental Impact of Harvesting Marram

Historic Environment Scotland · award, contract

Tender information last checkedLast checked 30 Sept 2026, 11:51.

Opportunity overview

Research examining the environmental impacts of harvesting marram in key coastel areas of the Western Isles

Awarded to

Amounts belong to published awards or contracts. Where several suppliers share one value, it is labelled as shared and is not a supplier-specific allocation.

Boreas Ecology

Match pending…
Contract value
£81.1k
Awarded
Not supplied
Contract signed
28 Sept 2026
Award ID
092180-2026-HES/C/4382-1
Status
active
Location
Dornoch, UKM6, IV25 3QQ, United Kingdom

Classification

  • CPV73110000 — Research services

Lots

  • Historic Environment Scotland (HES) intends to award this contract under the conditions of regulation 33.4.b(ii) of the Public Contracts (Scotland) regulations. HES requires a specialist ecological consultant to continue delivery of an existing multi-year research project assessing the environmental and coastal implications of harvesting marram grass in the Western Isles, and determining whether, and how, marram grass can be harvested sustainably for traditional thatching. The project began in 2022 and is due to conclude in 2030. Four years of the eight-year programme have now been completed, including desktop research, baseline survey work, site selection, permissions, development of the trial methodology and initiation of the first year of cutting trials. The remaining work depends on maintaining consistency in methodology, site knowledge, data interpretation and stakeholder relationships across the full study period. The intention is to put in place a contract to allow completion of the research.Value not stated

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
HES/C/4382
Status
complete
Main Procurement Category
services
Procurement Method
limited
Procurement Method Details
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Why this procedure was chosen
HES intends to award to the supplier on the basis that competition is absent for technical reasons. Research and data have been gathered over the past 4-5 years by a specialist who is critical in finishing this work based on their research so far.

Legal basis

Id
32014L0024
Scheme
CELEX

Classification

Scheme
CPV
Id
73110000
Description
Research services

Covered By

GPA

Procedure reasons

Entry 1
Scheme
TED_PT_AWARD_CONTRACT_WITHOUT_CALL
Id
D_OUTSIDE_SCOPE
Description
The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the directive

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Description
Historic Environment Scotland (HES) intends to award this contract under the conditions of regulation 33.4.b(ii) of the Public Contracts (Scotland) regulations. HES requires a specialist ecological consultant to continue delivery of an existing multi-year research project assessing the environmental and coastal implications of harvesting marram grass in the Western Isles, and determining whether, and how, marram grass can be harvested sustainably for traditional thatching. The project began in 2022 and is due to conclude in 2030. Four years of the eight-year programme have now been completed, including desktop research, baseline survey work, site selection, permissions, development of the trial methodology and initiation of the first year of cutting trials. The remaining work depends on maintaining consistency in methodology, site knowledge, data interpretation and stakeholder relationships across the full study period. The intention is to put in place a contract to allow completion of the research.
Has Options
No

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
73110000
Description
Research services

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UKM64

Delivery Location

Description
Western Isles Scotland

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Name
Historic Environment Scotland
Id
GB-FTS-1169

Identifier

Legal Name
Historic Environment Scotland

Address

Street Address
Longmore House, Salisbury Place
Locality
Edinburgh
Region
UKM75
Postal Code
EH9 1SH
Country Name
United Kingdom

Contact

Telephone
+44 1316688866

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
TED_CA_TYPE
Id
NATIONAL_AGENCY
Description
National or federal agency/office
Entry 2
Scheme
COFOG
Description
Heritage, Tourism, Conservation, Built Environment
Organisation 2
Name
Boreas Ecology
Id
GB-FTS-187130

Identifier

Legal Name
Boreas Ecology

Address

Street Address
Loch Fleet View, Skelbo Street
Locality
Dornoch
Region
UKM6
Postal Code
IV25 3QQ
Country Name
United Kingdom

Contact

Telephone
+44 7775897877

Roles

supplier

Details

Scale
sme
Organisation 3
Name
Edinburgh Sheriff Court
Id
GB-FTS-1033

Identifier

Legal Name
Edinburgh Sheriff Court

Address

Locality
Edinburgh
Country Name
United Kingdom

Roles

reviewBody

Award information

Award 1
Id
092180-2026-HES/C/4382-1
Status
active

Related lots

1

Suppliers

Supplier 1
Id
GB-FTS-187130
Name
Boreas Ecology

Contracts and changes

Entry 1
Id
092180-2026-HES/C/4382-1
Award ID
092180-2026-HES/C/4382-1
Status
active
Date Signed
29 Sept 2026, 00:00

Value

Amount
81,100
Currency
GBP

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Edinburgh · UKM75 · EH9 1SH · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKM64

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. 092180-2026award, contract ·