The Council of the Isles of Scilly is seeking to appoint a suitably experienced and appropriately licensed passenger boat operator, or operators, to provide reliable inter-island commuter passenger boat services connecting St Agnes and St Martin's with St Mary's.
Lifeline boating services between the islands are needed to support a range of Council-facilitated and concessionary travel requirements, particularly during the winter period when the frequency and availability of normal commercial inter-island services is reduced.
This tender process was launched on gov.uk and the Council website on the afternoon of 15 September 2026. It follows the allocation of Emergency Funding from government to ensure that inter-island boating provision for St Agnes and St Martin’s can continue over the 2026/27 winter period, while the Council considers the longer-term requirements for sustainable inter-island connectivity in the face of potential market failure.
How to bid for the contracts
Full details, including how to submit a tender and how submissions will be evaluated, can be found on our Current Contracts webpage.
All bids and evidence must be received in line with the instructions provided on the page at the link above by 12pm on 25 September 2026 in order to be considered.
Boat operators who are considering submitting a tender for these services will have the opportunity to raise any questions and seek further guidance on completing the tender at our online suppliers event, which will be held via either MS Teams or Zoom on 17 September 2026. If you wish to join the event, please contact procurement@scilly.gov.uk to arrange a time.
What happens next
Tenders received by 12pm on 25 September will be evaluated and the successful tenderer will be notified of the contract award decision on 1 October 2026.