Tenders

Strategic Digital Partner for Website and Mobile Applications

Open
Deadline
1 days left
March 04, 2026
Contract Details
Category
Other
Reference
008846-2026
Value
£7,500,000
Location
Scotland, United Kingdom
Published
February 24, 2026
Organization
CPV Code
Project Timeline

Tender Published

February 02, 2026

Deadline for Questions

February 25, 2026

Submission Deadline

March 04, 2026

Budget
£7,500,000
Duration
60 months
Location
Scotland
Type
Other
60
Quality Score/100
Good

Original Tender Description

CalMac Ferries operates a business-critical digital platform comprising three public-facing websites and native mobile applications. This platform is central to delivering ferry services, customer communications, and operational support. CalMac seeks a strategic digital partner for ongoing support, maintenance, hosting, continuous improvement, compliance, and future innovation.

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Requirements & Qualifications

19 requirements across 5 categories

Submission (2)
Mandatory (1)
Compliance (3)
Technical (12)
Financial (1)
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS2
--Submit bid by the deadline: 2026-03-04T12:00:00+00:00.
--Participate in a "Restricted" procurement process, which typically involves an initial selection stage.
MANDATORY EXCLUSION GROUNDS1
--No explicit mandatory exclusion grounds are provided in the tender information.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS3
--Be a "strategic digital partner" capable of acting as a "delivery partner" rather than a "strategic owner."
--Demonstrate understanding and commitment to CalMac's "community benefit expectations."
--Be capable of operating within a "Restricted" procurement process.
TECHNICAL CAPABILITY REQUIREMENTS12
--Possess expertise in Umbraco CMS for platform support and development.
--Possess expertise in Microsoft Azure for hosting and infrastructure management.
--Provide ongoing support and maintenance for existing public-facing websites (CalMac Consumer, CalMac Corporate, David MacBrayne Group) and native mobile applications (iOS and Android).
FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS1
--Possess the financial capacity to undertake a contract with an estimated value of 7,500,000 EUR over 60 months.

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Documents

4 documents available with AI summaries

OCDS RecordDOC
008846-2026_ocds_record.json

CalMac Ferries seeks a strategic digital partner for ongoing support, maintenance, hosting, and continuous improvement of its business-critical Umbraco/Azure digital platform, including public-facing websites and mobile applications.

OCDS Release PackageDOC
008846-2026_ocds_release.json

This OCDS Release Package provides structured data about CalMac Ferries' restricted tender for a strategic digital partner to support and enhance its business-critical digital platform, including details on community benefit expectations.

Official PDF VersionPDF
008846-2026_official.pdf

CalMac Ferries seeks a strategic digital partner for ongoing support, maintenance, hosting, and continuous improvement of their business-critical Umbraco/Azure-based websites and mobile applications, ensuring stability, scalability, and compliance.

Tender NoticeHTM
008846-2026.html

Download failed - no summary available

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60
Good

Tender Quality Score

This tender provides a clear description of the required services but is significantly hampered by the absence of evaluation criteria and a failed document download, raising concerns about legal compliance, clarity, and fairness.

Score Breakdown

Legal Compliance65/100

The tender defines the procedure type and CPV codes correctly, and there are no disputes. However, the absence of specified evaluation criteria, missing explicit mandatory exclusion grounds, and a missing reveal date are significant legal compliance deficiencies.

No evaluation criteria specified
No explicit mandatory exclusion grounds provided
Clarity70/100

The description of the existing platform and the scope of work, including technical requirements, is very clear and unambiguous. However, the complete lack of evaluation criteria severely diminishes the overall clarity for potential bidders on how their proposals will be assessed.

No evaluation criteria specified
Completeness60/100

Basic information, financial details, and duration are provided. However, the critical 'Tender Notice' document failed to download, and evaluation criteria are entirely missing. There are also missing codes for the procedure type and liable person.

Tender Notice document download failed
No evaluation criteria specified
Fairness45/100

The lack of specified evaluation criteria is a major fairness concern, as bidders cannot understand the basis of selection. The failed download of a key document also impedes equal access to information. While technical requirements are specific, they appear justified by the existing platform.

No evaluation criteria specified
Tender Notice document download failed
Practicality55/100

The tender states 'E-Procurement' but this is contradicted by an automated check, creating ambiguity. The failed download of a tender document is a significant practical barrier. The contract start date is not specified, though duration is clear.

Tender Notice document download failed
Contradiction regarding e-submission (E-Procurement characteristic vs. 'No e-submission' automated check)
Data Consistency75/100

Most key fields are populated, and dates are logical. However, there are missing codes for the procedure type, a missing liable person, and a missing reveal date. The contradiction regarding e-procurement is also a data inconsistency.

Missing codes for Type and Procedure
Missing Liable Person
Sustainability50/100

The tender mentions 'community benefit expectations' and the capability for 'innovation' as part of the long-term vision, indicating some consideration for social and innovation aspects. However, these are not explicitly detailed as evaluation criteria, nor is there a focus on green procurement.

No explicit green procurement focus
Social and innovation aspects not clearly defined as evaluation criteria

Strengths

Clear and detailed description of the scope of work and existing technical platform
Specific technical requirements (Umbraco, Azure) are well-defined
Estimated value and contract duration are clearly stated
Procedure type (Restricted, Competitive with negotiation) is defined
Mentions 'E-Procurement' characteristic

Concerns

No evaluation criteria specified, severely impacting clarity and fairness
Tender Notice document download failed, hindering full document access and completeness
No explicit mandatory exclusion grounds provided
Contradiction regarding e-submission (E-Procurement characteristic vs. 'No e-submission' automated check)
Missing codes for Type and Procedure, and Liable Person

Recommendations

1. Immediately publish comprehensive evaluation criteria to ensure transparency and fairness for all bidders.
2. Rectify the issue with the 'Tender Notice' document to ensure all tender documents are accessible and downloadable.
3. Clarify and explicitly state mandatory exclusion grounds in line with procurement regulations.

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