Tender for Forth Valley Orchards' Study Announced

Forth Environment Link is inviting consultants to tender for work to carry out a 'Study of the Economic Potential of Forth Valley’s Orchard Resource'.

The study will focus primarily on the Forth Valley area comprising the Unitary Authority Areas of Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and Stirling, but with reference to the wider area of the Central Scotland Green Network, and beyond.  It will investigate if the current Forth Valley orchard resource has potential to generate economic returns for interested stakeholders, and will look at current orchard-related economic activity, and determine the opportunities that exist or can be created to generate economic returns, whilst at the same time enhancing social and environmental benefits for the people of Forth Valley.  Recommendations will be made for Forth Environment Link and relevant stakeholders to take forward into the future.

The term ‘orchard resource’ recognises the existence of individual, or less than five fruit trees growing in gardens, by the wayside, or in other open spaces, which could make a contribution to the total economic picture.

The consultant will liaise with a wide range of stakeholders and potential interested parties such as orchard owners and managers, community organisations and groups, schools, local businesses and individuals.

The key tasks will be:

• Briefly review other studies of orchards in the UK and Scotland, management information, relevant academic research and project documents for equivalent proposals to identify likely local economic benefits, including business creation and diversification, job creation, and the scale of these
• Liaison with key stakeholders
• Assess the number of enterprises, jobs and local economies likely to benefit from the orchard resource (present and future)
• Make recommendations for ways to maximise benefits to local economies, such as further orchard development, marketing strategies, signage approaches, information points, support to local businesses, etc, based on successful approaches adopted elsewhere (which can also include comparable initiatives in other countries in Europe and North America).

Consultants interested in submitting a tender will find full details in the Consultants Tender Information and Tender Invitation Letter, or from the Forth Valley Food Links' website at http://www.fvfl.org.uk/How-You-Can-Get-Involved/fvo_study_announced.html.

The tender return deadline is 9.00 am Thursday, 19 January 2012. 

The submission should be clearly marked, Forth Valley Orchards’ Study Tender, and addressed to:

Diane Alderdice
Project Officer – Forth Valley Orchards’ Initiative
Forth Environment Link
Offices 5 & 6
Earlsgate House
St Ninian’s Road
Stirling
FK8 2HE

Tel: 01786 449215
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Forth Environment Link Location Googlemap Reference:http://g.co/maps/hxcfy.

Consultants are requested to provide:

• one paper copy of their tender submission, and,
• an electronic copy, to be sent to Diane Alderdice, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

The Forth Valley Orchard Initiative is funded by the Central Scotland Green Network Development Fund.  The Central Scotland Green Network Orchard Grant Scheme 2011/2012, which is part of the initiative, covers the whole of the CSGN area.