A new report to help Scottish small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) win business in the global offshore wind market has been commissioned by the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council.
Its Supply Chain and Clusters group is working with BVG Associates on the study to help businesses which want to win work do so by reviewing how contracts are awarded in other sectors.
Analysts will investigate best-practice in offshore wind, as well as the oil and gas, aerospace and automotive industries, to provide a blueprint for supply chain companies to get involved in the sector - which is to expand from 1GW today to more than 8GW by 2030.
Stephen Thompson, Supply Chain and Clusters lead for the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council (SOWEC), said: “Recognising that pre-qualification, accreditation and contractual terms can be a significant barrier to entry and success for many companies, BVG Associates will look at best practice in other sectors and at how to achieve standardised processes, as well as how to increase opportunities for Scottish companies to succeed more widely.
“The results of this work will enable SOWEC to drive forward changes to the supply chain process and give confidence to the industry and supply chain.”
The report, which is expected to be delivered by March, will also explore the opportunity for greater collaboration throughout the supply chain.
Although focussed on Scotland, the study will also look at the wider UK and international markets for export opportunities.
Funding for the study was previously announced by Crown Estate Scotland in September.
Colin Palmer, director of marine at Crown Estate Scotland, said: “This exercise will look at a number of areas, including the Scottish content baseline and the opportunities and barriers for supply chain participation in offshore wind from many perspectives.”
BVG Associates has already begun fieldwork for the project, and will be contacting businesses in the supply chain and beyond in the first few months of 2021.
Scottish Offshore Wind Energy is co-chaired by Scottish energy minister Paul Wheelhouse MSP and Brian McFarlane, head of projects in SSE's Offshore Development Team.
Its aim is to co-ordinate a Scotland-wide response to the Offshore Wind Sector Deal and to work directly with the DeepWind and Forth & Tay Offshore clusters to achieve its goals.
