Mercury Drone Port - Concessionaire Contract Opportunity - PIN

Tender description

Angus Council is engaging with the market regarding a future concessionaire contract for the Mercury Drone Port in Montrose, a key project within the Tay Cities Deal. The Drone Port aims to become a world leading facility for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone trials, supporting decarbonisation of offshore operations, attracting private sector investment, and offering community engagement opportunities. Lot 1: Angus Council is engaging with the market regarding a future concessionaire contract for the Mercury Drone Port in Montrose, a key project within the Tay Cities Deal. The Drone Port aims to become a world leading facility for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone trials, supporting decarbonisation of offshore operations, attracting private sector investment, and offering community engagement opportunities. Since an initial 2023 Request for Information, the Council has completed feasibility work identifying a preferred site and required airspace infrastructure, along with a high level Concept of Operations. The preferred regulatory pathway involves establishing a Temporary Reserved Area (TRA) to enable BVLOS flights from Montrose to the North Sea. The project anticipates three operational phases: 1. TRA demonstration (1–2 years) 2. Industrialisation via Transponder Mandatory Zones or similar (3–5 years) 3. Full integration at scale (10 years) The future concessionaire will develop the design specification for ground and air infrastructure and supply all air related equipment, and operate the drone port. Angus Council will fund and deliver ground infrastructure, with approximately 400,000 GBP allocated. To inform the upcoming procurement specification, the Council is inviting organisations to complete a new Request for Information by 20 February 2026. This engagement is not part of a procurement process and does not provide any competitive advantage. No costs or commercially sensitive information should be submitted, and all data will be handled in line with GDPR.. Attached is the PIN Request for Information and Draft Concessionaire Agreement.