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Published 12 May 2025, 11:05 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Deep Geothermal Drilling Works

Official notice

Authority: University Of York (Pelican) (Education)

WorksCompetitive flexible procedureAbove thresholdSME suitable
Sectors: Chemical products (24)Transport Equipment & Vehicles (34)Machinery for mining, quarrying, construction equipment (43)
+4 moreConstruction & Civil Engineering (45)Architecture & Engineering (71)Research & Development (R&D) (73)Services related to the oil and gas industry (76)
 Delivery: Yorkshire & Humber (UKE21)
Published estimate£35,000,000≈ £19m / year · £42,000,000 inc. VAT · 1 value update
Submissions closed 24 Oct 2025awarded 17 Feb 2026
Award (standstill) to P R MARRIOTT DRILLING LIMITED
Contract term 1 yr 10 moends 31 Dec 2027 · up to 31 Dec 2028 with extensions · starts 18 Feb 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

In 2025 the University of York ("the Authority") launched an exciting deep geothermal energy project as a transformative step in its journey to Net Zero. The project aims to cut our fossil fuel consumption by 78% as part of our Sustainability Plan 2030 targets and making a substantial contribution to reducing the City of York's overall carbon footprint.

This multi-phased initiative will leverage the Earth's natural heat to provide sustainable energy solutions for our campus and potentially the wider community. The project positions the University of York, City and region as a leader in sustainable energy innovation, combining geothermal exploration with our renowned research and educational expertise.

Further details regarding the project can be found on the university website here https: //www.york.ac.uk/about/sustainability… ↗

The Authority has conducted a tender process to appoint a contractor to deliver a deep geothermal doublet system consisting of a production well of more than 4km, and an injector well of more than 3km, with the aim of extracting geothermal heat to supply the Authority's campus district heat network, thereby removing the need for CHP units in an effort to meet the university's net zero goals. This phase of the project was awarded funding from the government's Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme in April 2025.

The tender process has concluded, and a successful contractor selected to fully deliver the project, which shall involve the drilling and all associated activities.

The project shall be delivered by the Authority and York University Energy Supply Company (YUESCo) which is the Authority's wholly owned subsidiary company responsible for the Authority's on-campus energy production and distribution.

The Authority has sufficient funding in place to deliver the project, and is actively seeking additional funding (both internal and external) to potentially deliver a subsequent production well for research or other use. For clarity, the estimated total value stated in this notice is an estimate of maximum value covered by secured grant funds to deliver the initial two well project and ancillary projects (circ £20,000,000 exVAT), and also an estimated value to deliver a subsequent third well should the Authority secure additional funds (circ £15,000,000 exVAT).

  • How the procedure runs: The Authority's Competitive Flexible procedure has been designed to follow the below procurement stages: STAGE 1 - Procurement Specific Questionnaire: participants must submit a completed Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) with their request to participate. The PSQ (Schedule 7 of the tender pack) is available to download from the In-Tend procurement portal. Where a Participant is a consortium, all members of the consortium must complete a PSQ. The part of the PSQ concerning conditions of participation only requires completion by the lead member of the consortium. STAGE 1 - Completeness Check: the first step will be a completeness check. A complete submission is one which has been received by the deadline for submission, is substantially complete and complies substantially with the requirements of the Invitation to Tender (ITT). Clarification and further information may be sought from participants in order to determine if a submission is complete. The Authority may exclude at this stage any submission that is not complete and may reject any tender submission which is submitted late. STAGE 1 - Exclusion of Excluded and Excludable Suppliers: the Authority will exclude any supplier that is an Excluded Supplier or an Excludable Supplier based on its response to the PSQ. The Authority will identify Excludable Suppliers based on the discretionary exclusion grounds identified in Schedule 1, paragraph 4 of the ITT. Participants must also upload core supplier information to the Central Digital Platform and confirm to the Authority that they have done so. STAGE 1 - Application of Conditions of Participation: the Authority will check that each submission satisfies the conditions of participation set out in the ITT on the basis of the PSQ returned by the Participant. Clarification and further information may be sought from Participants. The Authority may exclude at this stage any submission that does not satisfy the conditions of participation set out in Schedule 1, paragraph 5 of the ITT. Participants must also upload core supplier information to the Central Digital Platform and confirm to the Authority that they have done so. STAGE 1 - Evaluation of the Conditions of Participation Questions: the third step of stage 1 will be to evaluate those submissions other than those rejected as not compliant, or not meeting the conditions of participation, in order to determine a maximum of five (5) participants to be carried forward to Stage 2, using the criteria detailed in Schedule 1, clause 6 of the ITT. STAGE 2 - Contract Markup Submission: the participants who are selected at stage 1 shall be invited to submit a markup of the contract documents. STAGE 2 - Feedback and Negotiation: the Authority shall review the contract markups received from participants and provide feedback followed by a meeting between the Authority and the participants to negotiate contract terms. Stage 2 shall be the only negotiation stage and is limited to the contract terms only. STAGE 3 - Invitation to Submit Final Tender: the Authority shall close negotiations and invite the five participants to submit a final tender. The final tender shall be fully compliant and shall contain a response to Schedule 6 the Pricing Schedule of the ITT, Schedule 8 the Technical Questionnaire of the ITT, and shall be evaluated using the criteria detailed in Schedule 1, clause 6 of the ITT. STAGE 3 - Evaluation and Selection of Most Advantageous Tender: This step will be to evaluate those submissions other than those rejected as not compliant, in order to determine the most advantageous tender, using the criteria detailed in Schedule 1,clause 6 of the ITT. The Participant with the highest tender score shall be carried forward to Stage 4, and all other tenders eliminated. STAGE 3 - Tender Clarifications: as part of the Stage 3 evaluation it may be necessary to invite participants to present their tenders to the Authority and its project team for the purpose of clarification and confirmation. The presentations shall not be scored but will be used to clarify and confirm the tender submission. The scores awarded to participants may be adjusted in consideration of the presentation and clarification questions asked by the evaluation panel and shall determine the most advantageous tender, which shall be the winning tender. STAGE 4 - Pre Construction Services Agreement (PCSA): the winning tender shall enter into a PCSA with the Authority to complete full design leading to the delivery of the well drilling contract.

CPV: Construction work · Downhole equipment · Drilling mud · Drilling rig · Drilling services · Drilling-mud engineering services · Drills · Engineering design services · Geological, geophysical and other scientific prospecting services · Geotechnical engineering services · Mudlogging services · Onshore and offshore services · +12 more

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1AwardedRenewal 1 yr 10 moPublished value£35,000,000
Contract period: 18 Feb 2026 – 31 Dec 2027 (1 yr 10 mo) · up to 31 Dec 2028 with extensionsValue: £35,000,000 exc. VAT · £42,000,000 inc. VAT
Delivery: Yorkshire & Humber
Extensions: The University is actively seeking additional funding to drill an additional production well for research or other purposes and wishes to have a contractual option available to extend the agreement with the successful Contractor to drill an additional production well. · The University requires drilling activity for the production and injector wells to be completed by the 31st December 2027. The University is actively seeking additional funding to drill an additional production well for research or other purposes and wishes to have a contractual option available to extend the agreement with the successful contractor on mutual agreement to drill an additional production well (estimated additional 12 month period through to 31st December 2028).Second stage: 1–5 candidates invited to tender
24951110 Drilling mud34514300 Platforms drilling rigs43132200 Drilling rig43132300 Drills43136000 Downhole equipment43611000 Parts for well-drilling machinery
Pre-qualification & selection criteria (PQQ)3
  • Economic & financial standing

    Please refer to the requirements set out in the procurement documents

  • Technical & professional ability

    Please refer to the requirements set out in the procurement documents

  • Condition of participation

    The criteria to be used to select participants are provided within the procurement documents. The Authority wishes to select a maximum of five (5) participants to carry forward to tender. The Authority shall only carry forward less than five participants where the market conditions and/or the conditions of participation result in fewer participants being selected.

    shortlisting

What it takes to win
i

How this buyer will score bids.

The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).

Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add more
How bids were scored
Quality: 58.19999999999999%Price: 40%Social value: 1.8%
Published sub-criteria (24)
  • UK Geothermal Legislation & Permitting: 1.2%
  • Proposed Delivery Team Structure: 3%
  • Stakeholder Management: 1.8%
  • Risk Identification and Mitigation: 1.8%
  • Relationship Management: 1.2%
  • Design Development: 6%
  • Research Support: 1.8%
  • Supporting Education: 1.2%
  • Lead Times and Early Ordering: 3%
  • Managing Down Time: 1.8%
  • Testing: 1.8%
  • Site Security and Safety: 1.8%
  • Methodology for Undertaking the Works: 6%
  • Programme: 3%
  • Well Design Appraisal: 1.8%
  • Final Tender Development (Design and Build): 6%
  • Targeting Support: 1.8%
  • Reactiveness: 1.8%
  • Legacy: 1.8%
  • CDM: 1.8%
  • Extended Rig Use Proposal: 1.8%
  • Participant's Contract Position: 6%
  • Commercial (Cost): 40%
  • Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Values: 1.8%
Published award criteria (24)
  • Commercial (Cost): The commercial criteria details against which Participants will be scored together is found within the published procurement documents. Cost shall make up 40% of the overall tender score.
  • UK Geothermal Legislation & Permitting: Criteria description and question requirements is detailed within the procurement documents.
  • Proposed Delivery Team Structure: Criteria description and question requirements is detailed within the procurement documents.
  • Stakeholder Management: Criteria description and question requirements is detailed within the procurement documents.
  • Risk Identification and Mitigation: Criteria description and question requirements is detailed within the procurement documents.
  • Relationship Management: Criteria description and question requirements is detailed within the procurement documents.
  • Design Development: Criteria description and question requirements is detailed within the procurement documents.
  • Research Support: Criteria description and question requirements is detailed within the procurement documents.
  • Supporting Education: Criteria description and question requirements is detailed within the procurement documents.
  • Lead Times and Early Ordering: Criteria description and question requirements is detailed within the procurement documents.
  • Managing Down Time: Criteria description and question requirements is detailed within the procurement documents.
  • Testing: Criteria description and question requirements is detailed within the procurement documents.
  • Site Security and Safety: Criteria description and question requirements is detailed within the procurement documents.
  • Methodology for Undertaking the Works: Criteria description and question requirements is detailed within the procurement documents.
  • Programme: Criteria description and question requirements is detailed within the procurement documents.
  • Well Design Appraisal: Criteria description and question requirements is detailed within the procurement documents.
  • Final Tender Development (Design and Build): Criteria description and question requirements is detailed within the procurement documents.
  • Targeting Support: Criteria description and question requirements is detailed within the procurement documents.
  • Reactiveness: Criteria description and question requirements is detailed within the procurement documents.
  • Legacy: Criteria description and question requirements is detailed within the procurement documents.
  • CDM: Criteria description and question requirements is detailed within the procurement documents.
  • Extended Rig Use Proposal: Criteria description and question requirements is detailed within the procurement documents.
  • Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Values: Criteria description and question requirements is detailed within the procurement documents.
  • Participant's Contract Position: Criteria description and question requirements is detailed within the procurement documents.
Conditions of participation3
  • Economic & financial standing

    Please refer to the requirements set out in the procurement documents

  • Technical & professional ability

    Please refer to the requirements set out in the procurement documents

  • Condition of participation

    The criteria to be used to select participants are provided within the procurement documents. The Authority wishes to select a maximum of five (5) participants to carry forward to tender. The Authority shall only carry forward less than five participants where the market conditions and/or the conditions of participation result in fewer participants being selected.

    shortlisting
What this means for your bid
  • Price carries 40 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.

Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Competitive flexible procedure
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Works
Notice status
Awarded
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Yes (GPA)
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
12 May 2025, 11:05 BST
Last source update
17 Feb 2026, 20:03 GMT
Award evaluation window
Submission end – 4 Feb 2026
Authority reference
UY PROC 1195
FTS notice number
2025/S 000-060265
Latest notice
Contract award notice (UK6)
Classification (CPV)
Construction workDownhole equipmentDrilling mudDrilling rigDrilling servicesDrilling-mud engineering servicesDrillsEngineering design servicesGeological, geophysical and other scientific prospecting servicesGeotechnical engineering services
+14 moreMudlogging servicesOnshore and offshore services
Delivery area
Yorkshire & Humber (UKE21)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-051093 Find a Tender
How it runs

The Authority's Competitive Flexible procedure has been designed to follow the below procurement stages:

STAGE 1 - Procurement Specific Questionnaire: participants must submit a completed Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) with their request to participate. The PSQ (Schedule 7 of the tender pack) is available to download from the In-Tend procurement portal. Where a Participant is a consortium, all members of the consortium must complete a PSQ. The part of the PSQ concerning conditions of participation only requires completion by the lead member of the consortium.

STAGE 1 - Completeness Check: the first step will be a completeness check. A complete submission is one which has been received by the deadline for submission, is substantially complete and complies substantially with the requirements of the Invitation to Tender (ITT). Clarification and further information may be sought from participants in order to determine if a submission is complete. The Authority may exclude at this stage any submission that is not complete and may reject any tender submission which is submitted late.

STAGE 1 - Exclusion of Excluded and Excludable Suppliers: the Authority will exclude any supplier that is an Excluded Supplier or an Excludable Supplier based on its response to the PSQ. The Authority will identify Excludable Suppliers based on the discretionary exclusion grounds identified in Schedule 1, paragraph 4 of the ITT. Participants must also upload core supplier information to the Central Digital Platform and confirm to the Authority that they have done so.

STAGE 1 - Application of Conditions of Participation: the Authority will check that each submission satisfies the conditions of participation set out in the ITT on the basis of the PSQ returned by the Participant. Clarification and further information may be sought from Participants. The Authority may exclude at this stage any submission that does not satisfy the conditions of participation set out in Schedule 1, paragraph 5 of the ITT. Participants must also upload core supplier information to the Central Digital Platform and confirm to the Authority that they have done so.

STAGE 1 - Evaluation of the Conditions of Participation Questions: the third step of stage 1 will be to evaluate those submissions other than those rejected as not compliant, or not meeting the conditions of participation, in order to determine a maximum of five (5) participants to be carried forward to Stage 2, using the criteria detailed in Schedule 1, clause 6 of the ITT.

STAGE 2 - Contract Markup Submission: the participants who are selected at stage 1 shall be invited to submit a markup of the contract documents.

STAGE 2 - Feedback and Negotiation: the Authority shall review the contract markups received from participants and provide feedback followed by a meeting between the Authority and the participants to negotiate contract terms. Stage 2 shall be the only negotiation stage and is limited to the contract terms only.

STAGE 3 - Invitation to Submit Final Tender: the Authority shall close negotiations and invite the five participants to submit a final tender. The final tender shall be fully compliant and shall contain a response to Schedule 6 the Pricing Schedule of the ITT, Schedule 8 the Technical Questionnaire of the ITT, and shall be evaluated using the criteria detailed in Schedule 1, clause 6 of the ITT.

STAGE 3 - Evaluation and Selection of Most Advantageous Tender: This step will be to evaluate those submissions other than those rejected as not compliant, in order to determine the most advantageous tender, using the criteria detailed in Schedule 1,clause 6 of the ITT. The Participant with the highest tender score shall be carried forward to Stage 4, and all other tenders eliminated.

STAGE 3 - Tender Clarifications: as part of the Stage 3 evaluation it may be necessary to invite participants to present their tenders to the Authority and its project team for the purpose of clarification and confirmation. The presentations shall not be scored but will be used to clarify and confirm the tender submission. The scores awarded to participants may be adjusted in consideration of the presentation and clarification questions asked by the evaluation panel and shall determine the most advantageous tender, which shall be the winning tender.

STAGE 4 - Pre Construction Services Agreement (PCSA): the winning tender shall enter into a PCSA with the Authority to complete full design leading to the delivery of the well drilling contract.

Review and risk notes
Risks

The Authority has identified the following known risks which may have unforeseen impacts on the project necessitating a need to amend its approach and make modifications to its contract and/or its approach to the market to ensure the project is successfully delivered to budget and programme under paragraph 5 of Schedule 8 of the Procurement Act 2023. The main known risks are listed below in no order of potential importance or impact:

Geopolitical or other events in the marketplace beyond the reasonable control of the Authority which cause severe impact with regard to securing the materials, personnel or equipment needed to deliver the project.

Changes in law or other legal impacts which hinder the contractor's ability to obtain materials, personnel or equipment from outside of the United Kingdom.

The known risk of hazardous substances, geological conditions, structural issues and changes in ground conditions arising from drilling operations being discovered at the site could increase costs or lead to a delay in the programme that could potentially require a variation or addition to the works and/or services to satisfactorily perform the contract. The severity and impact of such factors may not be known until after the commencement of the contract, the completion of surveys or the works are underway.

How it was run

Official notice
Run through: In-tend · Who buys & how to bid on In-tend
Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free · one account per buying organisation's portal · reCAPTCHA on signup
Requests to participate (first stage)
24 Oct 2025, 12:00 BST
Submission deadline
24 Oct 2025, 12:00 BST
Clarification deadline
17 Oct 2025, 12:00 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

Via the In-Tend procurement portal at: in-tendhost.co.uk/york/aspx/Home ↗

Timeline

12 May 2025 → 26 Feb 2026 · 11 dates
  1. Planning notice published
    12 May 2025, 11:05 BST
  2. Market engagement
    24 May 2025, 00:59 BST

    Engagement questionnaire responses are invited and are to be submitted by the end of Friday 23rd May 2025.

  3. Next notice expected
    2 Jul 2025, 00:59 BST
  4. Tender notice published395 days ago
    26 Sept 2025, 15:47 BST
  5. Clarification questions by374 days ago
    17 Oct 2025, 12:00 BST
  6. Submission deadline367 days ago
    24 Oct 2025, 12:00 BST
  7. Award decision expected by264 days ago
    4 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMT
  8. Assessment summaries sent252 days ago
    17 Feb 2026
  9. Latest notice published251 days ago
    17 Feb 2026, 20:03 GMT
  10. Contract starts251 days ago
    18 Feb 2026
  11. Standstill ends242 days ago
    26 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMT

Notice history

8 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 12 May 2025
  1. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    12 May 2025, 11:05 BST
    UK2
  2. Tender notice published
    26 Sept 2025, 15:47 BST
    UK4
  3. Published value updated to £35,000,000
    26 Sept 2025, 15:47 BST
    was £16,000,000
  4. Status changed to active
    26 Sept 2025, 15:47 BST
  5. Procurement method changed
    26 Sept 2025, 15:47 BST
  6. Contract award notice published
    17 Feb 2026, 20:03 GMT
    UK6
  7. Status changed to complete
    17 Feb 2026, 20:03 GMT
  8. Contract signature expected
    27 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMT
    scheduled

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast
Awards 1
Awarded value £35,000,0001 award exc. VAT
Bids received 43 from SMEs
Named bidders 4published on the award notice
Awarded toValueDateStatus
P R MARRIOTT DRILLING LIMITED27 Feb 2026 – 31 Dec 2027 · up to 31 Jan 2028Extensions: The University requires drilling activity for the production and injector wells to be completed by the 31st December 2027. The University is actively seeking additional funding to drill an additional production well for research or other purposes and wishes to have a contractual option available to extend the agreement with the successful contractor on mutual agreement to drill an additional production well (estimated additional 12 month period through to 31st December 2028). · Options: The University is actively seeking additional funding to drill an additional production well for research or other purposes and wishes to have a contractual option available to extend the agreement with the successful Contractor to drill an additional production well.£35,000,00017 Feb 2026standstill to 26 Feb 2026Standstill

Bid statistics published by the authority

BidsSMEVCSEValid bid range
4final-stage tenders30—

Who bid

Bidders as named on the Procurement Act 2023 award notice. “Won” means the bidder holds an award on this notice.

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

University of York

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PRDQ-5539-WTHX · GB-UKPRN: 10007167 Heslington, York, Yorkshire & Humber, YO10 5DDContact name, email, phone

Bidders & participating suppliers

4 commercial parties on the notice · 1 awarded
  • CONSORTIUM DRILLING LIMITEDBidder / tendererGB-COH: 13475714GB-PPON: PZHY-3246-BQWR 5 Westbrook Court, Sheffield, Yorkshire & Humber, S11 8YZ
  • Jardboranir hfBidder / tendererGB-PPON: PCCQ-5243-DNBT Dalshraun 1b,, Hafnarfjordur, IS, 220, IS
  • P R MARRIOTT DRILLING LIMITEDAwarded supplierGB-COH: 02592487GB-PPON: PGGZ-7621-XMMQ Spring Water House Old Pit Lane, Chesterfield, East Midlands, S45 9BQContact email
  • STAR ENERGY GROUP PLCBidder / tendererGB-COH: 04981279GB-PPON: PLPT-1179-WVTY Welton Gathering Centre, Barfield Lane Off Wragby Road, Lincoln, East Midlands, LN2 2QX

Official documents & specifications (5)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

  • Bidding documents and specifications tenderBidding documents and specificationsThe procurement documents making up the invitation to tender are available to download from the In-Tend procurement portal at: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/york/aspx/Home
  • Bidding documents and specificationstenderBidding documents and specificationsAccess: Should additional supplementary information be issued to bidders in response to any tender clarification questions or during the negotiation stage they shall be uploaded to the In-Tend procurement portal at: https://in-tendhost.co.uk/york/aspx/Home

Notices published for this procedure