First Minister’s assurances that Lyness project will be retendered

Before standing down as First Minister, Alex Salmond gave Orkney MSP Liam McArthur an assurance that a contract to build an engineering unit at Lyness will be re-tendered.

Mr McArthur raised the issue at First Minister’s Questions earlier this month, claiming that the HIE contract effectively excluded any local construction firms in Orkney from bidding.

In his letter to Mr McArthur, Mr Salmond confirmed that “HIE are willing to stop the tender process for the Lyness workshop and reissue the notice with adjustments to support a wider inclusion of bidders.”