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Welcome to the Spring edition of our quarterly Supplier Newsletter. We start with an introduction from our new Head of Commercial and Procurement Services, Bridget Lambert, who joined the team at the beginning of February.

Welcome from Bridget Lambert

“I have been part of the public sector procurement community since 2006, with experience in both direct local authority and national collaborative procurement. Throughout my career I have been a passionate advocate of Sustainable Procurement, and I believe strongly in the value that procurement can bring to Scotland’s people and communities. I believe strongly in reducing barriers to SMEs, encouraging more local businesses to access public sector opportunities. I am excited to witness the positive work that is already going on in ¾ÅÉ« to promote engagement with local businesses, social enterprises and the wider third sector and I look forward to continuing to support this.

The recently passed Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Act 2026 actively supports investment in local communities and encourages a strong focus on the purchase of local goods, works and services. The City of ¾ÅÉ« Council spend in 2024 / 2025 with local suppliers accounted for 35.9% of the total third party spend. It is my ambition to continue to open up even more of that spend to locally based businesses, helping to boost our local economy and support sustainable economic growth in ¾ÅÉ«.”

In this edition we also look back at the recent “Meet the Council” event where over 270 local businesses had an opportunity to meet and chat in person with business facing teams and related external partner organisations.

Continuing to build on the practical resources available, we focus on the second part of environmental considerations within procurement, to help you answer climate related questions that may come up in any tender you wish to apply for.

Finally, our usual update on upcoming tender opportunities and for those new to tendering with the public sector we encourage you to register for alerts on the , if you haven’t done so already.

If you would like to receive our quarterly supplier newsletter direct to your inbox, please email us at supplierdevelopment@edinburgh.gov.uk.

We look forward to working with you.

Bridget Lambert

Head of Commercial and Procurement Services

Meet the City of ¾ÅÉ« Council Event 2026

Procurement colleagues were delighted to support the second Meet the Council Event which took place on 3 February 2026, at the Assembly Rooms in ¾ÅÉ«. The event was organised by our Business Gateway Team and was widely attended.  Overall, 279 attendees were able to speak directly to 22 council teams and 11 external business support partners. During the event, Procurement colleagues delivered a bespoke presentation to over 80 potential suppliers on “What We Buy and What Influences Us” and had an opportunity to ask questions directly to the team. Our partners, The Supplier Development Programme, also delivered a session to help suppliers become “tender ready.”

Al Bryce, Senior Manager from the Business Growth and Inclusion Team commented

“the Meet the Council event is a key part of our drive to demonstrate transparency and willingness to engage with and assist the local business community. We were delighted with the response; with three times more businesses attending in February this year than at our inaugural event in 2025. Plans are already underway for our third Meet the Council in 2027 – an event which is fast becoming a valuable part of the Council calendar, and an annual opportunity to bring local businesses and our business facing teams together in person.”

Following the event, we received much positive feedback with one supplier commenting, “I particularly liked the idea of meeting the council team and demystifying the many challenges of getting real answers through online medium.”

If you missed the event, you can still access the that Procurement shared on the day, including the presentation that was delivered at the event.

Environmental considerations in Procurement (Part Two)

The Council aims to use its spending to boost a greener, fairer and more sustainable economy.  Through our purchasing decisions, we encourage businesses to play their part in tackling climate change and supporting a fair transition to a low-carbon economy.

In our January edition, we shared useful tools and support to help you get started with measuring and managing your greenhouse gas emissions and overall environmental impact.

When you bid for a Council contract, you’ll need to answer questions about the environment and reducing carbon emissions. Relevant questions may be asked in your (SPD) in question 4C7, within the tender submission pack.

You might be asked to complete a Climate Change Plan. Your submission should explain:

• Your organisation’s emission sources
• What actions you will take to address them
• When you plan to complete these actions.

Please find further information about the Plans on the .

Public sector quick quotes and tenders will often include extra questions about how your business is reducing your carbon footprint and helping meet the Climate Change targets.

What to expect in the tender:

Specifications will outline environmental goals you are expected to support, such as:

• reducing carbon and other greenhouse gases
• cutting waste and using fewer raw materials
• supporting circular economy principles such as recycling and reuse
• improving resilience to the risks from a changing climate.

Tender submissions will ask for environmental details which will be scored as part of the evaluation.

• It is important to answer all questions fully.
• These questions may appear in the quality section or in a separate section.

There are various free resources to help you:

• The provides guidance for businesses on how to take climate into account when bidding for public contracts. Pre-filled example Climate Change Plan Templates are also available on the Supplier Journey.
• The provides free support in all aspects of tendering to Scottish-based SMEs, supported businesses and third sector organisations.
• The Climate Literacy eLearning is hosted on the platform (for both buyers and suppliers).
• Free guides and resources from the to help SMEs and start-ups tackle Net Zero, energy efficiency, and carbon reduction.

Upcoming Free Training Events via The Supplier Development Programme (SDP)

If you’re a Scottish SME or third sector organisation interested in working with the public sector, SDP can help. All you need to do is with SDP to access the free training.

Tuesday 7 April 2026, 10:30am-12:00pm webinar

Tuesday 21 April 2026, 10:30am – 12:00pm webinar

Thursday 12 May 2026, 10:30am – 12:00pm webinar

Supplier drop-in sessions

Commercial and Procurement Services team runs monthly virtual 1-2-1 engagement sessions. These are an excellent opportunity to ask any burning questions you may have if you’re interested in working in, or becoming part of, the supply chain that delivers goods, services or works to the Council. If you’d like to drop-in, please email procurement.delivery@edinburgh.gov.uk.

Tender opportunities

You can find details of contract opportunities with the Council on the . You will also find future opportunities for noting interest and engaging in the development where appropriate, we expect these will include the following.

Prior Information Notice (PIN)

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Current opportunities

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Future opportunities

• Community Led Improvement Programme (CLIP), estimated publishing date, April 2026.
• Letter Distribution and Installation, estimated publishing date, April 2026.
• Lift Service & Maintenance, estimated publishing date, April 2026.
• Taxi and PHC Intermediate Course First Aid provision, estimated publishing date April 2026.
• Letter Distribution and Installation, estimated publishing date April 2026.
• First Aid Training for Taxi’s, estimated publishing date April 2026.
• Mechanical & Electrical works, estimated publishing date, April 2026.
• Gas Engineering Works, estimated publishing date, April 2026.
• Transport & Infrastructure Framework, estimated publishing date, May 2026.
• Stonemasonry - Dry Stone Walling, estimated publishing date, May 2026.
• Adult Community Drug and Alcohol Treatment Services – Core Locality Hub Services: Estimated publishing, May 2026.
• Accredited Pathways, Certified Counselling and Therapies Flexible Purchasing System Round 6: Estimated publishing date, July 2026.
• Fleet Vehicle Disposal, estimated publishing date, July 2026.
• Disabled Ramps (Moveable & Permanent) estimated publishing date, July 2026.
• Energy Advice Service, estimated publishing date, July 2026.
• Roads & Infrastructure Framework Agreement, estimated publishing date, July 2026.
• Transfer of Waste to Disposal Outlets, estimated publishing date, August 2026.
• Leased Property Insurance, estimated publishing date October 2026.
• Taxi & PHC Accessibility Assessment - DPS, estimated publishing date July 2026.
• Treasury Advisors, estimated publishing date August 2026.

Useful resources

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