Working with Us

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Volunteering with National Records of Scotland

Volunteers are people who undertake agreed activities on behalf our organisation without expectation of financial remuneration or a contract of employment.

Volunteers add value, support and diversity to the work of the National Records of Scotland (NRS). Voluntary placements provide learning opportunities and promote our work through engagement with the wider community.

Download a copy of our our Volunteering Policy [2] (198 KB PDF), Handbook for Volunteering [3] (271 KB PDF) at the National Records of Scotland and application form [4] (117 KB PDF).

Student Work Experience

What is work experience?

Work experience helps young people to develop a better understanding of the world of work. It allows students to sample a job in an area of interest to them and to experience life in the workplace, through direct observation and hands on experience. It is also designed to broaden young people’s horizons, increase self-confidence and improve their career prospects

How are work experience placements arranged?

We have an agreement with Work Experience Services Departments in local Councils. Each year we liaise with the Council and agree how many places we can offer. As we have this agreement in place we cannot make arrangements with individual parents or students.

If however your school is not covered by this arrangement, and you would be interested in a placement with us, please ask your Guidance Teacher to contact us and we will then liaise with your school to confirm arrangements.

Procurement

The National records of Scotland (NRS) has a central Procurement team responsible for purchasing goods, services and works to support the business.

The public procurement reform programme, of which we are part, aims to drive up standards in the way the public sector procures goods and services to ensure that tax payers money is spent as wisely as possible.

We seek to deliver value for money in all of our purchases which means buying items which best match our requirements. Our procurement policy is that all goods, services and works are acquired through competition, wherever possible, governed by procurement guidelines, procurement best practice and ensuring all relevant legal requirements are met. Guidance on the Scottish Government procurement policy [5] and practice can be found on the Scottish Government Website.

Doing Business with Us

Key information prospective suppliers should know if they are seeking to secure business with us.

Where possible we seek out opportunities to work with other Government organisations to establish collaborative contracts in order to take advantage of additional efficiencies. We use collaborative contracts let by Scottish Government and the Office of Government Commerce.

Please note: We do not maintain a list of approved or preferred suppliers. The onus is on suppliers to check for advertisements of any contracts that may be of interest to them and then respond in accordance with the requirements set out in the advertisement.

We aim to ensure that all of the requirements specifications issued by us clearly communicate our requirements. The Invitation to Tender will include the requirements specification; procedures for submitting a tender; details of information which must be provided by suppliers; any schedules to be completed; evaluation of the tenders; and any security clearance requirements. We actively encourage suppliers to check that they understand the requirement(s) and clarify any issues with us prior to submitting a tender.

Disclosure Scotland checks are routinely required for contractors who will be working within our buildings as part of the requirements of their contract. Where these checks are required they will be specified in the Invitation to Tender, or the Request for a Quote, documentation. Details of Disclosure Scotland can be found on their official website [6].

We advertise contract opportunities as they arise on the Public Contracts Scotland Website [7] and on this website.

Scottish Government guidance on selling to the wider public sector can be found the Scottish Government Website [8].

Terms and Conditions

We use standard terms and conditions of contract for all straightforward purchases and contracts.

Our Standard Terms and Conditions:

Conditions of Contract for the Purchase of Goods [9] (68 KB PDF)
Conditions of Contract for the Purchase of Services [10] (78 KB PDF)
Conditions of Contract for Consultancy Services [11] (66 KB PDF)
Conditions of Contract for the Supply of Goods and Services [12] (87 KB PDF)

Sustainable Procurement

Sustainable Procurement is "A process whereby organisations meet their needs for goods, services, works and utilities in a way that achieves value for money on a whole life basis and generates benefits not only to the organisation, but also to society, the economy and the environment".

In 2009 the Scottish Government set itself a purpose to “increase sustainable economic growth”. We support this purpose and made a commitment to incorporate sustainability into our everyday activities to benefit society, the economy and the environment when we first published our Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy Document in September 2006 and revised in 2010 (NRS Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy 2010-11 to 2012-13).

We aim to build sustainable procurement into our culture in order to take proper account of sustainability in procurement activity and to be able to demonstrate how this is achieved – where feasible buying goods and services which are derived from natural and sustainable sources and which are manufactured, delivered and disposed of in an environmentally responsible way.

The Scottish Government’s Sustainable Procurement Action Plan for Scotland outlines 10 steps to improve the sustainability of its procurement activity. We have adopted this plan and through a Sustainable Procurement Delivery Plan we are committed to making more sustainable choices that are required to deliver sustainable procurement and future plans for improvement.

Contract Opportunities

Listed below are the current contracts being tendered:

Collaborations

We initiate - or are invited to join - projects and partnerships which improve access to the historical records of Scotland. Our Conservation Unit collaborates with other bodies to share expertise in conservation and preservation techniques, and to ensure the preservation and exhibition of Scotland's records in the best possible conditions.

If you would like to work in partnership or collaboratively with us please write to:

National Records of Scotland
Business Management Unit
HM General Register House
2 Princes Street
Edinburgh
EH1 3YY

The NRS is (or has recently been) involved with the following archival and related projects:

Scottish Archive Network (SCAN):
A project whose partners are the National Archives of Scotland (NAS), the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), and the Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU). The project provides a single electronic catalogue to the holdings of more than 50 Scottish archives and digitises original records on a huge scale.
Changing Collagen Hierarchies in Parchment
A partnership between the National Records of Scotland, the Conservation Research Section of The National Archives (at Kew) and the University of Cardiff to study the treatment of parchment artefacts. Download more details of the Collagen Hierarchies project [13] (23 KB PDF).
Charting the Nation
A project describing the mapping of Scotland between 1550 and 1740, developed in conjunction with the Geography Department of the University of Edinburgh and now managed by Edinburgh University Library.
Displaying the Declaration of Arbroath
A partnership between the Advanced Manufacturing Unit of Heriot Watt University, the Getty Conservation Institute and the National Archives of Scotland to make an exhibition case for the Declaration of Arbroath at the Scottish Parliament. Download more details of the Case construction [14] (2.65 MB PDF)
The Drawn Evidence
Led by the University of Dundee, this project was set up to provide images of architectural drawings and related text from 1780 to date.
Finding the Right Clinical Notes
An online database and website dedicated to promoting intellectual access to personal health records in Scotland between 1600 and 1994. This project was led by Lothian Health Services Archive.
Future of the Book conservation projects
A collaboration with the British Library, the Centre for Sustainable Heritage at University College London, the Department of Pure and Applied Chemistry at the University of Strathclyde and six other archives and libraries in two projects researching the impact of environmental conditions on book preservation and the future of book storage and conservation. The first project will examine copies of the same books held by various libraries and compare how differences in their storage conditions and use have affected their state of preservation. The second project will analyse the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) given off by books. Both projects are funded by the Andrew W Mellon Foundation, and will be managed by Dr Barry Knight, Head of Conservation Research in the Collection Care department of the British Library.
Heritage smells! – AHRC research project
A newly launched research project, funded by the AHRC/EPSRC Science and Heritage Programme and led by Dr Lorraine T. Gibson of the University of Strathclyde, brings together leading scientists in the fields of chemistry, physics, statistics, heritage science and sensor technology to develop new diagnostic tools that will ‘sniff’ objects. The aim is to evaluate collections in museums, archives, libraries or other heritage organisations to evaluate their environment, conservation history, composition, condition or stability – without touching the object. Read more about the Heritage smells! AHRC project [15] (24.8 KB PDF)
Resources for Learning in Scotland
An online resource providing digital content for lifelong learners about the social, cultural and industrial history of Scotland. It is led by the National Library of Scotland and its website is managed by Scottish Cultural Resources Access Network (SCRAN).
Scottish East Coast Fisheries Project
This project tells the story of fishing and maritime communities in the East of Scotland and their way of life. It was led by East Lothian Council Museums Service.
Scottish Canals Virtual Archive project
This is an electronic catalogue of records relating to the major Scottish canals. It is part of the British Waterways' larger Virtual Archive Catalogue project.
The Statistical Accounts of Scotland Project
The publication of the first Statistical Account of Scotland dates from 1791-9, the second from 1845. The NAS was a member of the joint and editorial boards of this project, which was run by the EDINA national data centre at the University of Edinburgh and provides online digital access to the individual parish accounts of the local history, society and economy of Scotland.
Translational conservation: From Scientist to Conservator to Practitioner
The purpose of the research cluster is to develop 'Translational Conservation', a term borrowed from Translational Medicine, which is a concept that incorporates a 'from bench to bedside' approach of continuity in information flow. The aim is to foster the growth and advancement of meaningful communication and collaboration between scientists, conservators and practitioners. The cluster will be based on discussion of needs, expectations and feasibility with specific reference to target topics such as a potential interdisciplinary collaborative project on 15th century Chaucer manuscripts. The cluster will highlight the importance of new and existing technologies and historical theories and methodologies to help inform conservation and literary historians using a science based approach. The cluster activities will cover a range of workshops, a symposium and a one-day conference entitled ‘The Sacrificial Sample, Beyond the Written Word, Representation of Data and Translational Conservation’. These activities, which are detailed later within the proposal, are seen as initial points which will promote additional exchange of ideas. Download more details on Translational conservation [16] (44 KB PDF).