Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Northern Lighthouse Board
84 George Street, Northern Lighthouse Board
Edinburgh
EH2 3DA
Contact
Northern Lighthouse Board
Telephone
+44 1314733131
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UK - United Kingdom
Internet address(es)
Main address
Buyer's address
one.1) Name and addresses
The Corporation of Trinity House
Trinity House, Tower Hill,
London
EC3N 4DH
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UK - United Kingdom
Internet address(es)
Main address
one.2) Information about joint procurement
The contract involves joint procurement
one.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge, at
https://www.delta-esourcing.com/
Additional information can be obtained from another address:
Northern Lighthouse Board
84 George Street, Northern Lighthouse Board
Edinburgh
EH2 3DA
Contact
Angela Cahill
Telephone
+44 1314733131
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UK - United Kingdom
Internet address(es)
Main address
Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted to the above-mentioned address
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
Other activity
Aid to Navigation for UK, Scotland and the Isle of Man
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Bi-Lateral GLA Aviation Services Project
Reference number
GLA/HELI/2221
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 60424120 - Hire of helicopters with crew
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
The procurement of the Northern Lighthouse Board and the Corporation of Trinity House (together the General Lighthouse Authorities (GLAs)) helicopter services support for their Marine Aids to Navigation Strategy to 2037 by providing the means to access and maintain their more remote Aids to Navigation. An effective helicopter service is a vital element in the provision of the GLAs’ service to the mariner: a reliable, efficient and cost-effective network of marine Aids to Navigation. The required outcomes of this contract are:
-A reliable, integrated, passenger andcargo (internal and underslung) service.
-A helicopter service which is able to recover from weather, aircraft technical failure and other disruptions to planned activities
-A service able to respond quickly and efficiently to casualties (light or other navigational aid failures) at any time and in any place in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and Channel Islands.
* Please note this contract is being procured as a Bi-GLA.
two.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT: £67,000,000
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 34711500 - Helicopters
- 35612300 - Support helicopters
- 35613000 - Unmanned aerial vehicles
- 60440000 - Aerial and related services
- 34711400 - Special-purpose aircraft
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
Main site or place of performance
UNITED KINGDOM
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Key Requirements:
-Capable of landing on a helipad with a safe loading of four tonnes on a footprint of 250mm x 250mm.
-Capable of operating from the helidecks of the GLA vessels.
Task examples:
- A smaller task would be to carry two technicians with small tools and emergency overnight kit to a lighthouse in the morning and return later the same day; the radius of action is likely to be between 5 and 100 nm.
- A larger task might require twelve workers, their baggage and several tons of underslung material to be carried out in several trips from a vessel close by or an onshore location nearby and brought back a few days or weeks later. In practice there are a wide variety of tasks in terms of size, distance and complexity.
A task may change to include underslung loads at any time Underslung loads represent between 15 and 32% of the operational flying tasks per year (averaging 22%). They are usually flown from a GLA vessel close by or from an accessible point on the nearest mainland to reduce the distance and duration of the operation. The support of building and renovation tasks at lighthouses creates the requirement for a great variety of weights, shapes, sizes, and natures of underslung loads with different aerodynamic characteristics.
The helicopter service will be required throughout the operating areas of the two GLAs (except Gibraltar).
two.2.5) Award criteria
Quality criterion - Name: Quality / Weighting: 50
Quality criterion - Name: Social Value / Weighting: 10
Cost criterion - Name: Financial / Weighting: 40
two.2.6) Estimated value
Value excluding VAT: £67,000,000
two.2.7) Duration of the contract, framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Start date
12 July 2026
End date
30 November 2039
This contract is subject to renewal
No
two.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
Envisaged minimum number: 3
Maximum number: 6
Objective criteria for choosing the limited number of candidates:
as stated within procurement documents
two.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted: No
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: Yes
Description of options
Following a period of mobilisation (expected to be from July 2026 to November 2027), the anticipated term of the ASP contract is ten (10) years from the service commencement date (expected to be 1 December 2027) with an option to extend for a further two (2) years
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
two.2.14) Additional information
The GLA Helicopters are to be twin turbine helicopters equipped, certified and capable of operating single pilot Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations and to operate under Sub-Part HOFO, capable of:
- operating from legacy helidecks of GLA vessels
- operating from sub-1D elevated lantern top helipad
- operating on rough and uneven ground (including ground with bird nesting holes and burrows).
Section three. Legal, economic, financial and technical information
three.1) Conditions for participation
three.1.1) Suitability to pursue the professional activity, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers
List and brief description of conditions
As stated within procurement documents
three.1.2) Economic and financial standing
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents
three.1.3) Technical and professional ability
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents
three.2) Conditions related to the contract
three.2.2) Contract performance conditions
Where tenderers are bidding as part of a group of economic operators (e.g a consortium), the GLAs reserve the right to require tenderers to assume a specific legal form for the purpose of the award of the contract (e.g. establishing a special purpose vehicle (SPV)). Where a tenderer relies upon the capacities of other entities with regard to criteria relating to economic and financial standing, the GLAs reserve the right to require that the tenderer and those entities be jointly and severally liable.
The GLAs intend to require the successful tenderer to provide a parent company guarantee/guarantees and/or other form of suitable security (including a performance bond) on terms acceptable to the GLAs. Please refer to the procurement documents for further information.
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Competitive procedure with negotiation
four.1.4) Information about reduction of the number of solutions or tenders during negotiation or dialogue
Recourse to staged procedure to gradually reduce the number of solutions to be discussed or tenders to be negotiated
four.1.5) Information about negotiation
The contracting authority reserves the right to award the contract on the basis of the initial tenders without conducting negotiations
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
four.2) Administrative information
four.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number: 2024/S 000-005884
four.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date
3 March 2025
four.2.3) Estimated date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates
12 May 2025
four.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
English
four.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)
Section six. Complementary information
six.1) Information about recurrence
This is a recurrent procurement: Yes
Estimated timing for further notices to be published: 2037
six.2) Information about electronic workflows
Electronic ordering will be used
Electronic invoicing will be accepted
Electronic payment will be used
six.3) Additional information
The contracting authority considers that this contract may be suitable for economic operators that are small or medium enterprises (SMEs). However, any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement.The GLAs considers that this contract may be suitable for economic operators that are small or medium enterprises (SMEs). However, any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the selection criteria set out for the procurement which is set out in the procurement documents.
At this stage of the process, the procurement documents include this Contract Notice, the Selection Questionnaire (SQ) Evaluation criteria and the Memorandum of Information (MoI). It is in each tenderer’s interest to access the information as soon as possible.
All SQ submissions will be evaluated and a short list shall be formed. It is anticipated that the shortlist will consist of up to 6 suppliers who have passed all relevant sections of the SQ and achieved the highest scores in the assessment of scored questions. Only shortlisted suppliers will receive an Invitation to Negotiate (ITN).
The GLAs are not liable for any costs incurred, including in respect of expressing an interest in, submitting an SQ response, tendering for or otherwise participating in this opportunity. The GLAs reserve the right at their absolute discretion and at any time to vary the procurement and to not award a contract and cancel the procurement.
For more information about this opportunity, please visit the Delta eSourcing portal at:
https://nlb.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Edinburgh:-Hire-of-helicopters-with-crew./4D48H2YJ6T
To respond to this opportunity, please click here:
https://nlb.delta-esourcing.com/respond/4D48H2YJ6T
GO Reference: GO-2025131-PRO-29275272
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
The High Court of Justice
Royal Courts of Justice, Strand
London
Wc2A 2LL
Country
United Kingdom
six.4.2) Body responsible for mediation procedures
Northern Lighthouse Board
Edinburgh
Country
United Kingdom
six.4.3) Review procedure
Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures
An economic operator which suffers, or risks suffering, loss or damage attributable to a breach of duty owed under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 may bring proceedings in the High Court.
six.4.4) Service from which information about the review procedure may be obtained
Northern Lighthouse Board
Edinburgh
Country
United Kingdom