A national contract to help Scottish councils source specialist engineering consultancy services has been awarded – and is expected to be worth £160 million over four years.
Scotland Excel’s second generation Engineering and Technical Consultancy Framework went live on May 22 and is expected to see a spend of around £40 million a year.
A total of 39 suppliers – including 17 who are SME or micro businesses – have been approved for award onto the framework, which will help councils source a range of specialist services to support construction infrastructure across Scotland.
It will offer councils and Scotland Excel’s associate members quick access to suppliers that have gone through a detailed tender process and are ready to do business in specialist areas including:
- Road and structures
- Transportation and traffic
- Environmental engineering
- Land surveying
- Drainage and flooding
- Geoenvironmental and geotechnical
- Coastal and maritime
- Master planning
- Project and commercial management
Councillor John Shaw, convener of Scotland Excel, said, “Scottish councils regularly require specialist engineering and technical services in order to plan and implement the wide range of investment projects and improvement works that are delivered within their communities.
“I welcome the launch of our second generation Engineering and Technical Consultancy contract which will give local authorities quick access to a range of suppliers, while also bringing efficiencies for councils. The framework is also good for business as the 39 UK- based suppliers are a mix of micro, small, medium and large companies.”
All suppliers have pledged to offer local community benefits, based on council spend thresholds, for the lifetime of the framework.
The contract has fixed pricing for 12 months for professional title rates, and 48 months for salary banded rates. It also promotes fair working practices with 38 of the 39 approved suppliers paying the Real Living Wage.
Two key enhancements have strengthened this generation of the framework. Councils now have greater flexibility to manage liability at work‑order level, rather than through a fixed framework‑wide cap, helping ensure risk remains proportionate and aligned with local governance.
The framework also removes minimum service thresholds that previously limited SME participation – allowing suppliers to focus on their areas of expertise. This opens the market to specialist providers, increases competition, and gives councils clearer information to select the right consultant.
Together, these enhancements align the new framework with council priorities and market expectations.
Councillor Shaw added, “Scotland Excel is committed to developing our innovative framework portfolio to evolve with the needs of our member councils and associates. I’m delighted this framework builds on the previous generation by incorporating two key enhancements that give councils greater flexibility over liability decisions and open the framework to a wider range of specialist suppliers.”
The 39 approved suppliers are outlined below:
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