Official UK procurement notice
Maintenance and Development of the Dounreay Data Management System
Authority: Nuclear Restoration Services Limited (Public body)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe Dounreay Data Management System (DMS) is an existing bespoke developed integrated Data Management System which records the consignment, movement, processing and disposal of all solid waste on the Dounreay site ensuring that NRS Dounreay has an audit trail of the verification of waste packages from cradle to grave.
The DMS was designed to replace paper-based tracking systems. Data is entered by users or read directly from assay systems, with built-in validation to help reduce the possibility of data entry error. There is a fully integrated approval process including electronic signatures.
The scope of this requirement is for the provision of support and maintenance for the NRS Dounreay DMS. This maintenance service must maintain the availability of DMS for the users and ensure that threats and events are proactively managed and mitigated appropriately so there is no detrimental impact to the system and its data.
The support service will include:
- Availability of a help desk, to log and deal with support calls, with an appropriate Information Technology Service Management (ITSM solution for tracking tickets against agreed Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
- Backups of the database.
- Repair of defects and issues.
- Planned quarterly updates to the servers with the latest stable version of Debian Linux, including security patching.
- Un-planned updates as required if critical vulnerabilities have been identified.
- Maintenance of all DMS specific related software.
- Change management approval and audit trail.
- System Upgrades.
- Mobilisation and demobilisation for any transition periods required between contracts.
Additional to the maintenance of DMS is the requirement for the Consultant to demonstrate the capability to develop and implement new functionality and propose enhanced capabilities to streamline activities which will be scoped and agreed separately under a contract change notice.
The DMS is a ‘live’ system and is reactive to changes that will be carried out throughout the decommissioning life cycle of the Dounreay Site. As operational and compliance processes change the DMS will be required to be modified.
CPV: Database and operating software development services · Database software development services · Database systems · Development consultancy services · Industry specific software development services · Maintenance of information technology software · Miscellaneous software development services and computer systems · Software maintenance and repair services · Software support services · System and support services · System management software development services · Systems consultancy services · +1 more
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Awarded
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Direct award
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded without competition
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- 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
- 4 Jun 2025, 14:27 BST
- Last source update
- 12 Jun 2026, 08:09 BST
- Authority reference
C20891- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-055481- Latest notice
- Transparency notice (UK5)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-052c78Find a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Single Suppliers Technical Reasons
- Published justification
This a direct award for the purposes of the Procurement Act 2023 and is being made pursuant to Paragraph 6 of Schedule 5 (Single Supplier - absence of competition for technical reasons).
NRS Dounreay considers that, due to technical reasons, only the incumbent supplier can deliver the required services and that no reasonable alternatives exist.
The Dounreay Data Management System (DMS) is a highly bespoke, business-critical system developed and configured specifically to meet NRS Dounreay’s operational, safety, and regulatory requirements. The solution incorporates complex integrations with operational plant systems, bespoke data structures, and functionality evolved over a number of years.
The incumbent supplier holds unique and irreplaceable technical knowledge of the system architecture, configuration, integrations, and underlying design. This knowledge is not fully documented to a level that would enable a third party to assume delivery without significant additional effort and risk.
Any alternative supplier would be required to undertake substantial reverse engineering, knowledge transfer, and revalidation activities to understand and safely operate the system in a live nuclear environment. This would result in:
- disproportionate technical and operational risk to the continuity of critical waste management activities;
- unacceptable delays to service delivery and ongoing system development;
- significant duplication of cost and effort; and
- potential impacts on compliance and system assurance.
Given the above, the Authority considers that competition is absent for technical reasons and that no reasonable alternative or substitute exists which could deliver the required services within acceptable levels of risk, cost, and time.
- Risks
The Authority anticipates risks associated with the migration of the DMS solution to an open-source software stack, including the potential extent of rework required to remove proprietary components, maintain existing functionality, and ensure system performance. The scale and impact of these activities cannot be fully determined prior to contract award and may necessitate modification to the scope, delivery approach, and/or contract value.
Open-source migration complexity - The Authority anticipates risks associated with the migration of the DMS solution to an open-source software stack, including the potential extent of rework required to remove proprietary components, maintain existing functionality, and ensure system performance. The scale and impact of these activities cannot be fully determined prior to contract award and may necessitate modification to the scope, delivery approach, and/or contract value.
Residual IP removal and system decoupling - The Authority recognises a risk that the extent of residual proprietary intellectual property and system dependencies may require additional or alternative technical solutions to achieve full independence. The impact of this risk cannot be fully established in advance and may require modification of the contracted services.
Integration with plant systems / WRACS interfaces - The DMS solution interfaces with operational plant systems (including WRACS). Changes in interfacing requirements, system behaviours, or data structures may arise during the contract term. The extent of any required system changes cannot be determined at award and may necessitate modification to the technical scope and associated services.
Cyber security / Secure by Design changes - The Authority anticipates that evolving cyber threats, security standards, and Secure by Design requirements may require modification to the DMS system architecture or controls. The nature and extent of such changes cannot be predicted and may require variation to the contract scope and cost.
Regulatory / nuclear compliance changes - Changes to applicable legislation, regulatory requirements, or nuclear waste management standards during the contract term may necessitate system enhancements or redesign. The impact of such changes cannot be fully defined in advance and may require contract modification.
Expansion to other sites - The Authority is considering potential expansion of the DMS solution to additional sites as they transfer under NRS management arrangements. The specific requirements, scale, and complexity of such expansion cannot currently be determined and may require modification to the scope and value of the contract.
Unknown system changes arising from live operations - Changes to the underlying hosting environment (including Microsoft Azure services and pricing models) may require adaptation of the DMS solution. The extent of such changes cannot be fully predicted and may necessitate modification to the contract scope or cost.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
4 Jun 2025 → 30 Oct 2026 · 4 dates- Planning notice published4 Jun 2025, 14:27 BST
- Latest notice published131 days ago12 Jun 2026, 08:09 BST
- Next notice expected127 days ago15 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
- Today21 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 9 days30 Oct 2026
Notice history
8 events · 5 releases on Find a Tender · since 4 Jun 2025- Pipeline notice published4 Jun 2025, 14:27 BSTUK1
- Pipeline notice published23 Jul 2025, 10:58 BSTUK1
- Pipeline notice published9 Feb 2026, 10:33 GMTUK1
- Pipeline notice published5 Jun 2026, 09:08 BSTUK1
- Procurement method changed5 Jun 2026, 09:08 BST
- Transparency notice published12 Jun 2026, 08:09 BSTUK5
- Status changed to complete12 Jun 2026, 08:09 BST
- Contract signature expected1 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
Published amendments (3)
Update to the tender notice publication
Date change as requested by Lynda Reeve.
Update to procedure type and contract start and end dates
Routine re-releases (5)
- 2025-07: 1 release · 23 Jul 2025
- 2025-06: 1 release · 4 Jun 2025
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| DataCapture LtdSME1 Nov 2026 – 1 Nov 2029 · up to 30 Oct 2031Extensions: Exenstions permissable in case of risk materalisation and extended demand for services. · Options: Extensions in the event of prolongation of services being required should risks materialise. NEC4 secondary options are likely to include Option X1 Price Adjustment for Inflation and Option X2 Changes in Law. | £2,000,000 | — | Standstill |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- DataCapture LtdAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (5)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender
- Pipeline notice Pipeline notice on Find a Tender
- Pipeline notice Pipeline notice on Find a Tender
- Pipeline notice Pipeline notice on Find a Tender
- Pipeline notice Pipeline notice on Find a Tender