Official UK procurement notice
ICL Open Air Diffusion Bonding
Authority: UK Fusion Energy Ltd (Public body)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionDescription of services:
7-month project for continuation of technical work that will further the Intellectual Property application related to open air diffusion bonding technology for fusion application.
Why it is needed:
The open-air diffusion bonding technology presents a unique approach to manufacture of large-scale tungsten components. Unlike both traditional and advanced methods, this technique eliminates the need for vacuum conditions or tightly controlled atmospheres, thereby offering a more scalable and cost-effective solution for industrial applications.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedProcedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Direct award
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Notice status
- Awarded without competition
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Direct award (no call for competition)
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 3 Oct 2025, 15:27 BST
- Last source update
- 3 Oct 2025, 15:27 BST
- Authority reference
PP-UKIFS-422- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-062243- Latest notice
- Transparency notice (UK5)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05a825Find a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Single Suppliers Intellectual Property Exclusive Rights
- Published justification
A previous contract - the scope of which was to identify and develop a manufacturing method suitable for large-scale tungsten blocks with embedded pipes - was let through a competitive framework (Manufacturing Framework). The framework set-up was 4 Tier 1 suppliers, each with a consortium of Tier 2s and further option of sub-contracting to relevant SMEs according to project scope requirements, set up this way in order to maximise reach to relevant technical offerings. The supplier of the winning bid for this contract was Altrad Babcock, due to the project proposal offered: their bid was to develop the technology and IP that Imperial own and was assessed as the best technical offering.
Hence, the contract was awarded (FY24/25, project ref: MFFW034). Imperial hold the technical foundation of knowledge; Altrad Babcock's role in that previous project was Tier 1 project management.
Notice history
2 events · 1 release on Find a Tender · since 3 Oct 2025- Transparency notice published3 Oct 2025, 15:27 BSTUK5
- Contract signature expected6 Oct 2025, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine6 Oct 2025 – 2 Apr 2026 | £220,000 | — | Standstill |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINEAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender