The Baton carries a message from the Queen to invite the athletes of the Commonwealth to the Games and has been a curtain raiser to the event since Cardiff in 1958, when the event's official title was still the Empire and Commonwealth Games. 

The Baton will visit all 71 Commonwealth nations and territories culminating with Scotland in the lead-up to the Games, which are due to open on July 23, 2014.

The Relay traditionally begins at Buckingham Palace in London as a part of the city's Commonwealth Day festivities when Queen entrusts the Baton to the first relay runner.

At the Opening Ceremony of the Games, the final relay runner hands the baton back to the Queen or her representative, who reads the message aloud to officially open the Games.

Organisers are inviting companies to bid to "design, engineer and manufacture" the baton.

Interested parties have until October 11 to register their interest in bidding for the contract, which organisers say has a "fixed and firm budget" of £200,000 ($325,000/€247,000).

The successful candidate will begin work on the Baton in December with a completion date of August next year and will be required to collaborate with the design community in Glasgow and Scotland.

David Beckham and youngster Kirsty Howard handed over the Baton to the Queen at the conclusion of the relay for the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester

"The Queen's Baton Relay is an integral part of the Commonwealth Games and one which supports a sense of unity throughout the Commonwealth," said a Glasgow 2014 spokesperson.

"We are seeking to appoint a contractor to design, engineer and manufacture the Queen's Baton and its accessories for the Queen's Baton Relay within a firm and fixed budget."

For the last Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in 2010, the Baton was manufactured out of aluminium and contained 71 lights on the front, representing the 71 member nations of the Commonwealth Games Federation.

A video camera built into the front of the baton recorded continuously as the baton travelled, and a GPS tracker was fitted, so that the baton's location could be viewed live on the Commonwealth Games Website.

Last month, American firm Jack Morton Worldwide won a £14 million (£23 million/€17 million) contract to deliver the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Glasgow 2014 Games. 

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August 2012: Glasgow 2014 appoint Jack Morton Worldwide to deliver Opening and Closing Ceremonies