Crown Estate Scotland

Background:

Scotland Excel’s Flexible Procurement Service has assisted Crown Estate Scotland on both a consultancy and agency basis across many projects since 2023.

This included undertaking a range of Invitations to Quote (ITQs), Invitations to Tender (ITTs) and competitions under a variety of national collaborative frameworks. The work covered areas of spend including finance, construction works and services, leadership development, IT and estate management. Our relationship with Crown Estate Scotland is currently ongoing.

Overview:

Crown Estate Scotland initially engaged the team in June 2023 on a consultancy basis to support in delivering multiple active projects due to a sudden reduction in internal procurement resource. The consultancy service provides guidance through document and process review in collaboration with the member’s team.

During this period, we assisted on a range of tenders related to recruitment, management agents, and organisational design. This included drafting ITTs, support during the evaluation stage and reviewing tender documentation to ensure regulatory compliance.

After we successfully assisted in the delivery of the various projects Crown Estate Scotland then engaged Scotland Excel again in October 2023 – this time on an agency basis.  This approach allows our members to purchase a set amount of procurement time weekly, over a period of time that suits them.

They initially requested assistance for several days a week for a few months. In this short time, we published six tenders on their behalf including survey and tree planting services, repair of marina infrastructure, and asset management services.

Crown Estate Scotland extended the period of our involvement again at the beginning of 2024, and we continued to work as an extension of their procurement team, awarding sixteen tenders over the course of the year. Six of these tenders have been delivered under budget, helping to  free up valuable funds that can be redirected towards other  projects.

Our extended relationship with Crown Estate Scotland has allowed us to integrate into their procurement processes and take on a significant number of projects. We have aligned closely with their operational requirements and have helped to deliver tailored solutions that support successful outcomes.

What we did:

We work closely with the Crown Estate Scotland Procurement Team and experts within each service area at all stages of the tender process, in alignment with their standing orders and templates. This approach has allowed us to ensure compliance with their internal procedures, maintaining consistency and quality across procurement exercises.

We have also contributed to improved ways of working and have developed templates on their behalf.

Project work is prioritised based on urgency and operational impact, and updates are communicated to the procurement team at Crown Estate Scotland on a weekly basis. Our approach allows us to deliver the work virtually, avoiding any travel costs for Crown Estate Scotland.

Work undertaken by the Flexible Procurement Service for Crown Estate Scotland includes:

• Publication and evaluation of three quick quotes for operational and corporate services.
• Managing eight mini-competitions and two direct awards through a variety of existing national frameworks.
• Developing and awarding nine open tender exercises for various projects, including transport, construction, and communications.
• Market research on tender options to make appropriate recommendations on route to market.
• Managing and prioritising multiple tendering exercises for Crown Estate Scotland concurrently, within tight timescales.
• Delivering a total of nine projects under budget to date.

Outcome:

Scotland Excel’s Flexible Procurement Service has been involved in 39 different projects with Crown Estate Scotland, ranging from ITT development, to publishing open tenders, and calling off from existing national frameworks.

Our relationship is anticipated to continue through March 2025, with another eleven live and upcoming tenders under development.

Our long-standing relationship with Crown Estate Scotland has allowed us to create positive relationships on behalf of the procurement team across a variety of service areas. By applying our procurement expertise, we are able to deliver cost-effective and high-quality solutions on their behalf.