Official UK procurement notice
Lead Lithium Experimentation Loop
Authority: UK Atomic Energy Authority (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe LLiMFA is at a preliminary design stage and UKAEA are now looking for potential suppliers to progress the design development and produce a Detailed Design of the test loop for the Fusion Technology Facility alongside CHIMERA. Creation of the LLiMFA will allow the supply of Liquid Lead Lithium to both test apparatus, for the research and development of components and materials for use in future fusion systems. The project deliverable this year is a detailed design of the loop that will incorporate further research into ensuring the outstanding challenges from the preliminary design stage can be solved, as well as developing the status of existing work to the point of manufacture (albeit no manufacturing will take place this year).
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
- 22 Oct 2025, 15:46 BST
- Last source update
- 23 Oct 2025, 16:34 BST
- Authority reference
JNCA/TM168/25- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-067952- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05d1d5Find a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Single Suppliers Technical Reasons
- Published justification
- Continuity of Design: Frazer-Nash led the preliminary design phase, producing ~28 technical documents and passing UKAEA’s design gate review. Their continued involvement avoids regression to concept phase and ensures design momentum. - Fusion Expertise: They demonstrated strong fusion sector knowledge, technical capability, and alignment with UKAEA’s design philosophy. - Risk Mitigation: Switching suppliers would risk delays, increased costs, and design misalignment, as new consultants may not adopt or understand the existing design. - Strategic Planning: Frazer-Nash provided a clear roadmap from detailed design through to future manufacture and commissioning, even though this phase focuses solely on design.
- Risks
None know
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
23 Oct 2025 → 3 Nov 2025 · 2 dates- Notice published366 days ago23 Oct 2025, 16:34 BST
- Standstill ends355 days ago3 Nov 2025, 23:59 GMT
Notice history
3 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 22 Oct 2025- Transparency notice published22 Oct 2025, 15:46 BSTUK5
- Contract award notice published23 Oct 2025, 16:34 BSTUK6
- Contract signature expected4 Nov 2025, 23:59 GMTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frazer-Nash Consultancy Limited5 Nov 2025 – 4 Nov 2026 | £1,200,000 | 21 Oct 2025standstill to 3 Nov 2025 | Standstill |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
2 commercial parties on the notice- FRAZER-NASH CONSULTANCY LIMITEDAwarded supplier
- Frasier Nash LLCAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender