SCOTTISH Borders Council is seeking to appoint a project manager for the £41m Hawick Flood Protection Scheme.

The local authority has taken to the Public Contracts Scotland website this week to invite tenders for the role. These must be submitted by May 5.

The notice confirms that the successful candidate will be paid an estimated £500,000, excluding VAT, to manage the project which is due for completion in March 2022 and involves extensive work alongside a 3.5-mile stretch of the River Teviot.

The main construction phase will take place between 2019 and 2020.

The Scottish Government has indicated it will fund 80 per cent of the project costs following major and costly flood events in the town, notably in October 2005, December 2015 and in January last year.

The scheme will be officially “published” by the council on April 18, triggering a 28-day statutory consultation period.

“The publication of the scheme is the most important stage of the project for determining the programme [of works] and successfully obtaining funding as it opens up the final design to public query and challenge,” said SBC’s project management team leader Euan Doyle.

Subject to the resolution of any objections, the council is expected to give the final ‘”confirmation” of the scheme in September.