Scott calls for HIE to give local consultants a fair chance

4.59.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 10th Jun 2009

Commenting on the publication of the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) review of its contracts with Rocket Science UK Ltd, a business consultancy chaired by William Roe, who is also Chair of HIE, and on Mr Roe’s decision to cut his ties with Rocket Science, Shetland MSP, Tavish Scott, said that he remained dissatisfied with HIE’s tendering procedures which still denied good local consultancies a chance to tender for work.

Tavish Scott said;Tavish Scott MSP: Shetland

“Whatever the rights and wrongs of the safeguards HIE used to protect Mr Roe from conflicts of interest, the fact is that his firm has been given chance after chance to tender for HIE work. Meanwhile, local firms, like AB Associates, are too often denied a chance to tender for HIE work, recently even being denied the chance to tender for work which was, in effect, just to update a study they had previously carried out.

“This review should have gone much further – it should have looked into their whole tendering procedures and at how local firms can be given a fair chance and be allowed to bid for consultancy work.”