Cross-Sector Facilities Access Initiative

Tender description

Space Scotland is the coordinating body for the Scottish space industry, promoting the growth and development of the Scottish space sector. We work to connect key stakeholders, promote sector priorities, and facilitate international and cross-disciplinary collaboration to enhance Scotland’s role in the global space ecosystem. Space Scotland is seeking to appoint a contractor to undertake a cross-sector facilities assessment and engagement exercise from October 2026 to March 2027. The initiative aims to increase access to facilities and equipment within the Scottish space sector by identifying relevant, commercially available, non-space-specific infrastructure and capabilities in adjacent sectors. This will help create clearer pathways between Scottish space companies and facilities that already exist across sectors including energy, manufacturing, maritime, automotive, defence, advanced materials, electronics and other relevant industries. Lot 1: The Brief Space Scotland is seeking to appoint a contractor to undertake a cross-sector facilities assessment and engagement exercise from October 2026 to March 2027. The initiative aims to increase access to facilities within the Scottish space sector by identifying relevant, commercially available, non-space-specific infrastructure and capabilities in adjacent sectors. This will help create clearer pathways between Scottish space companies and facilities that already exist across sectors including energy, manufacturing, maritime, automotive, defence, advanced materials, electronics and other relevant industries. The work will build on existing infrastructure mapping and recommendations and establish a consistent methodology for identifying, assessing and engaging relevant facilities and facility operators. The appointed contractor will work closely with the Space Scotland team, the Infrastructure and Facilities Working Group and relevant stakeholders. What We Need - Experience of conducting infrastructure, capability or market intelligence exercises, particularly across multiple sectors. - Experience identifying and assessing technical facilities, equipment or capabilities against defined requirements. - Demonstrable understanding of relevant Scottish industrial and innovation ecosystems. - Experience engaging with industry clusters, facility operators, universities, research organisations, innovation centres and/or public-sector organisations. Existing relationships would be advantageous. - Ability to translate technical information into clear, structured and actionable outputs. - Knowledge of the Scottish space sector and its infrastructure requirements. Scope of Work Facility Assessment Criteria The contractor will develop a framework to assess relevant facilities and equipment, identify and prioritise adjacent sectors with relevant capabilities, and create an initial capability database with standardised information requirements to support future stakeholder engagement and expansion of the Space Scotland facilities database. Engage Priority Adjacent Sectors Undertake structured engagement with the sectors identified, using the developed standardised information requirements. Engagement will focus on the prioritised facilities and equipment that could support Scottish space-sector activities and understanding how companies can realistically access them. Expand the Space Scotland Facilities Database Relevant and validated facilities should be collated in a spreadsheet, with appropriate formatting and sector tags, so that it can be easily integrated with the existing database. Some small promotional resources, such as case studies or quotes inviting the space sector to utilise these selected facilities, should be created too. Budget The budget available for this commission is 30,000 GBP excluding VAT. Proposal Requirements Submissions should be limited to 6 pages. Submissions should include: - Company/contractor overview. - Relevant sector experience and case studies, including experience of space, infrastructure, facilities, manufacturing, technology or cross-sector engagement. - Proposed approach to delivering the scope of work, including a risk register. - Proposed deliverables and timetable. - Key personnel who would undertake the work and their relevant experience. - Fee breakdown demonstrating delivery within the 30,000 GBP budget. - Details of any relevant conflicts of interest. Evaluation Proposals will be assessed on: - Understanding and requirements of the brief. - Alignment with the qualities listed in the “What We Need from a Contractor” section. - Strength of the proposed approach to the scope of work. - Relevant experience and capability of the proposed team. - Value for money within the available budget. - Ability to deliver the work within the required timeframe. Submission Applications should be submitted to admin@spacescotland.org by 10AM 21 October 2026. Please include “Cross-Sector Facilities Access Initiative – ITT” in the subject line.