Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission is procuring a major construction framework for its capital delivery programme across Scotland. The framework covers civils, buildings, overhead line works and underground cable construction.
The estimated total value is £7.4 billion excluding VAT, or £8.88 billion including VAT. Requests to participate close at 12pm on 20 August 2026, following an extension made when the authority issued a replacement notice.
Use the replacement notice
The current notice supersedes the earlier notice for the procurement and should be treated as the authoritative version. Minor amendments were made to the all-lots questionnaire, while the lot-specific questionnaires remain unchanged.
Applicants should make sure they are using the updated response configuration and questionnaire before submitting. Relying on an earlier downloaded version creates a straightforward compliance risk.
Six construction lots
The framework contains six lots:
- Lot 1: Civils works up to £10 million. This includes defined and generally lower-complexity packages such as site clearance, earthworks, foundations, drainage, access tracks, road improvements, ducting and environmental mitigation. The lot is also divided into five Scottish regions.
- Lot 2: Civils works over £10 million. This covers larger and more complex packages, including substation platforms, major foundations, bridges, retaining walls, flood defence, watercourse works and interfaces with live assets.
- Lot 3: Buildings and infrastructure. This includes design and construction of operational buildings, offices, welfare facilities, fit-out, mechanical and electrical services, BIM and associated infrastructure.
- Lot 4: Overhead line pole construction. This covers pole-based transmission works, typically at 132kV, including design, foundations, erection, conductor works, testing and handover.
- Lot 5: Overhead line tower construction. This includes lattice tower and steel structure works at transmission voltages, together with foundations, access, erection and system interfaces.
- Lot 6: Underground cable construction. This covers cable routes, trenching, ducts, joint bays, cable installation, testing, reinstatement and interfaces with substations and overhead lines.
The total framework ceiling is shared across the lots. The notice repeats the overall value for individual lots, which should not be interpreted as a separate £7.4 billion budget for each one.
Different initial terms by lot
All lots may operate for up to eight years, but the initial periods vary:
- Lot 1: two years, with up to six years of extensions.
- Lots 2 and 3: three years, with up to five years of extensions.
- Lots 4, 5 and 6: five years, with up to three years of extensions.
Extensions are subject to performance, continued business need and authority approval.
Procedure and call-offs
The procurement uses the competitive flexible procedure under the Procurement Act 2023. Suppliers first complete a pre-qualification and selection stage covering exclusion grounds, financial standing, capability, experience and organisational capacity.
Shortlisted suppliers will be invited to tender. The authority may use clarification, negotiation, dialogue, presentations or interviews before final tenders are evaluated.
Once the framework is in place, call-offs may be made through direct award or mini-competition. Direct award decisions may consider capability, capacity, performance, resource availability, location, programme requirements and value for money.
What applicants should evidence
The scale of the programme does not mean every lot is aimed only at the largest contractors. Lot 1’s value and regional structure may create routes for a wider group of civil engineering suppliers, while the other lots require increasingly specialist capacity and risk controls.
Applicants should align their evidence to the selected lot rather than relying on one generic transmission narrative. Relevant themes include:
- delivery around live substations and critical network assets;
- design management, temporary works and technical assurance;
- consents, land access, wayleaves and third-party coordination;
- environmental mitigation, peatland restoration and biodiversity;
- workforce competence, plant, regional coverage and supply chain resilience;
- construction quality, testing, commissioning and asset data;
- programme recovery and management of outages or access constraints; and
- health, safety and risk controls for high-voltage environments.
Our energy and environmental tender support helps infrastructure suppliers develop compliant PQQs and detailed technical submissions for complex utility procurements.
Key dates
- Enquiry deadline: 10 August 2026 at 5pm.
- Requests to participate: 20 August 2026 at 12pm.
- Estimated award decision: 31 March 2027.
Access the Scottish transmission framework notice and the PQQ documents through the Jaggaer opportunity identified in the submission section.
Coordinate a complex PQQ response
Thornton & Lowe can support bid/no-bid assessment, questionnaire completion, evidence development and review across one or more lots.
Contact our bid team to discuss the lot structure and the support needed before the extended deadline.
