Estimated Value
Up to £5,000,000
Deadline
29 June 2026
Published
29 May 2026
Type
goods
Overview
The Authority is seeking Contractor(s) for the provision of Plumbing & Heating Materials for all Scottish Higher (HE) and Further (FE) Education sector and some other public sector bodies in Scotland. This includes all full members, associate members and their associated and affiliated bodies of APUC Ltd, as detailed at: https://www.apuc-scot.ac.uk/!#/members More details can be found within Appendix E - List of Institutions.
The Authority are also seeking to gain a level of price normalisation across the sector. A maximum of 5 Contractors will be appointed per lot.
The scope of this agreement is the supply of a range of Heating Materials and associated products. Contractors must be able to price and supply a minimum of 74.31% (136 out of 183 items) of the products listed in the Core Product List for Lot 2.
Regulations cited
- Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015
Additional details
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 scope of this agreement is the supply of a range of Plumbing Consumables and associated products and materials.
Contractors must be able to price and supply a minimum of 74.46% (242 out of 325 items) of the products listed in the Core Product List for Lot 1. 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.
AI Analysis
Powered by AI — always verify against official documents
The Scottish Authority is looking for up to 5 plumbing suppliers and up to 5 heating materials suppliers to provide products to all Scottish universities, colleges, and some other public sector organisations. This is a framework agreement where you'll be on an approved supplier list and institutions will order from you directly at agreed prices.
Requirements
- Must be able to supply and price at least 74.46% of the plumbing consumables on the Core Product List (242 out of 325 items for Lot 1)
- Must be able to supply and price at least 74.31% of the heating materials on the Core Product List (136 out of 183 items for Lot 2)
- Must not fall under exclusion grounds listed in regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 (e.g. insolvency, fraud, serious breaches)
- Must supply to all APUC Ltd members across HE and FE sector in Scotland and associated public bodies (see Appendix E for full list of eligible institutions)
- No specific certifications mentioned in the notice — check full tender documents for any ISO, safety, or quality standards required
Key Tasks & Deliverables
- Supply plumbing consumables and associated materials from the approved Core Product List (Lot 1) to Scottish education and public sector bodies on demand
- Supply heating materials and associated products from the approved Core Product List (Lot 2) to Scottish education and public sector bodies on demand
- Price a minimum of 74.46% of plumbing items and 74.31% of heating items competitively to help achieve sector-wide price standardisation
- Fulfil orders placed directly by individual institutions (universities, colleges, public bodies) once you're appointed to the framework
How to Read This Tender
- 1This is a 'framework agreement' — you're not bidding for one big order. Instead, you're pre-approved as a supplier and institutions order from you directly over the contract period. Your bid pricing is crucial because it locks in your rates.
- 2The 'Core Product List' is your bible — you must be able to supply at least three-quarters of the items on it. Get the full product list from the tender documents immediately (it's not in this summary). If you can't supply 74%+ of items, don't bid.
- 3There are TWO separate lots: Lot 1 (Plumbing Consumables — 325 items) and Lot 2 (Heating Materials — 136 items). You can bid for one or both, but each has its own minimum coverage threshold.
- 4Check Appendix E carefully — it lists all the institutions (every Scottish university, college, and public bodies) who can order from you. This tells you your potential customer base and volume scale.
- 5Regulation 58 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 is a legal exclusion test — your tender documents will list what disqualifies you (bankruptcies, criminal convictions, serious contract breaches, etc.). Make sure you can answer 'no' to all of these before bidding.
Tips for Small Businesses
- If you're a small supplier and can't hit the 74% product coverage threshold alone, consider forming a consortium with a complementary supplier or discussing subcontracting arrangements. The notice allows multiple contractors per lot, so partnership bidding is viable.
- Price competitively — this contract is explicitly about 'price normalisation' across the sector, meaning the Authority wants to drive value. Your pricing will be compared directly against other bidders. Build in reasonable margins but don't overprice or you won't be selected.
- Winning this gives you access to multiple large institutional customers (every university and college in Scotland) with recurring orders. The volume opportunity is significant, but you need to be ready for demand spikes and reliable delivery across the sector.
Before you bid, buyers check
two years of filed accountsyour financial standingturnover vs contract valueyour Companies House recordcash flow for 30-day termscredit scores and ratios
Actions
Sign up freeto open noticeA free account takes a moment and unlocks the buyer’s own notice, tender documents, fit scoring and the Bid Writer. From 1 September 2026 opening these links becomes £2/month membership.
Open Bid WriterIndependent software, web & cloud studio. We design, build and grow digital products that quietly outlast their category.
How to Apply
Step-by-step submission guide
Submission Portal
Find a Tender
Open the original notice
Click the button below to view the full notice on Find a Tender Service (FTS)
Check the procedure type
The "Procedure" section tells you if it's Open (one stage) or Restricted (SQ then ITT). This changes how you apply
Access the eSourcing portal
FTS notices link to the buyer's eSourcing platform — register there to access documents
Complete the Selection Questionnaire
Higher-value contracts often require an SQ first — this pre-qualifies you before the full bid stage
Submit electronically
Upload your completed response through the eSourcing platform before the closing date and time
FTS contracts are above UK procurement thresholds. Late submissions are strictly rejected — submit at least 24 hours before the deadline to avoid portal issues.
Key Dates
Published
29 May 2026
Submission deadline
29 June 2026
Notice type
tender
Source
find a tender
Related Contracts
Cafe concessionaire
Saltash Town Council is looking for a business to run a cafe inside Isambard House at Saltash Railway Station, serving passengers and visitors.
PRTC
The contract is for a small-scale replacement of an existing timber multiplay unit with an identical one and the associated surfacing, required quickly due to a risk assessment report.
Supply and installation of live events PA system for trinity market
Hull City Council wants a company to supply and install a live events public address (PA) system for Trinity Market, with the work running from 30 Sept 2026 to 29 Sept 2027.
Bangladesh carbon market governance & readiness sprint
The UK PACT programme is looking for qualified suppliers or consortia to give technical assistance and capacity‑building to the government of Bangladesh so it can join high‑integrity carbon markets such as Article 6, CORSIA and voluntary schemes. The work will help Bangladesh set up governance, authorisation, MRV and reporting systems to meet its climate targets.