Award of PARD 2025-004 - Lead Reviewer - Key Agency Audits - Invitation To Quote - 22 July 2025

The Scottish Government’s Planning, Architecture & Regeneration Directorate (PARD) would like to commission a suitably qualified, experienced and respected contractor to act as a lead reviewer to conduct audits of planning teams within Key Agencies in order to identify and resolve unnecessary barriers to development delivery.The lead reviewer will require to have experience of conducting reviews of the activities of public bodies and other organisations, have expert knowledge of planning law, including Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 and recent experience of working within Scotland’s Planning system.The purpose of planning is to manage the development and use of land in the longterm public interest. It is a powerful tool for enabling sustainable development, including new homes, in a way which supports our commitments to net zero and nature, and build stronger communities.Over the past decade Scotland’s planning system has undergone a comprehensive programme of reform – including the passage of the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 and National Planning Framework 4 which was adopted in 2023. The Scottish Government is now focusing on impactful delivery to ensure that planning services function as efficiently as possible to enable development delivery, increase confidence and certainty for investment and unlock Scotland’s economic potential.Significant progress has been made to increase capacity and resilience in our planning system and in particular help planning authorities to build capacity, resilience and improve performance. However, the efficiency and performance of planning is not solely the responsibility of planning authorities and as part of a package of measures to realise the potential of planning, Scotland’s Programme for Government 2025-26 published on 6 May includes a series of commitments to boost planning capacity and reduce barriers to delivery. This includes “undertaking rapid audits of planning teams in each of the key agencies and working with them to reduce complexity, cost, and speed up processes”.Key Agencies defined in Planning regulations are bodies specified by Scottish Ministers who are under a duty to co-operate with planning authorities in the compilation of Main Issues Reports; the preparation of the proposed Strategic and Local Development Plans; and the preparation of Action Programmes and proposed Action Programmes.