Find a TenderOpen for tender Tender notice
Published 25 Sept 2026, 12:37 BST

Official UK procurement notice

PLANC (Permitting, Licences, Authorisations, Notifications & Consent) Assurance

Authority: UK FUSION ENERGY LTD (Central government)

ServicesOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitable
Published estimate£1,200,000≈ £600k / year · £1,440,000 inc. VAT
Submission deadline 29 Oct 202612:00 GMT · 33d 23h left
Clarification cut-off 16 Oct 202612:00 BST · questions to the authority
Contract term 2 yrsup to 3 yrs with extensions · starts 10 Dec 2026
Bids per lot · this authority 3all categories · n=21 · competition analysis ↓

What is being bought

Published requirement description

UKFE is running a procurement process to identify a suitably qualified Supplier for the provision of PLANC (Permitting, Licences, Authorisations, Notifications & Consent) Assurance. The appointed Supplier will provide an independent assurance service, principally as a 3rd Line Assurance function, delivering objective challenge and assessment of the effectiveness of arrangements used to identify, manage, integrate and deliver PLANC requirements throughout the programme lifecycle.

UK Fusion Energy Ltd (UKFE) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) Group, responsible for the STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) programme to deliver the UK’s prototype fusion energy plant.

This is an Open procedure procurement run under the Procurement Act 2023.

Interested parties are required to register (for free) on, or login to, the UKFE Delta portal to access the tender pack, to raise clarifications, to communicate with UKFE, and to submit their proposal.

For more information about this opportunity, please visit the eSourcing portal at:

https://ukfe.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Abingdon:-Advisory-and-consultative-engineering-services./35C3P58836

To respond to this opportunity, please click here:

Read the full description (51 more characters)

https://ukfe.delta-esourcing.com/respond/35C3P58836

CPV: Advisory and consultative engineering services · Documentation services · Evaluation consultancy services · Safety consultancy services · Technical analysis or consultancy services · Technical testing, analysis and consultancy services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Lot 1Renewal 2 yrsSMEPublished value£1,200,000
Contract period: 10 Dec 2026 — 8 Dec 2028 (2 yrs) · up to 3 yrs with extensionsEligibility: SME eligibleDelivery: UKTurnover guideline: ~£1,200,000/yr≈ 2× annual value
Value
£1,200,000 exc. VAT · £1,440,000 inc. VAT
Extensions
1x optional 12 month extension
71318000 Advisory and consultative engineering services71600000 Technical testing, analysis and consultancy services71621000 Technical analysis or consultancy services79131000 Documentation services79417000 Safety consultancy services79419000 Evaluation consultancy services

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

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 are scored
Quality: 60%Price: 30%Social value: 10%
Published sub-criteria (9)
  • Delivery Model — 20%
  • Resourcing — 10%
  • Relevant Experience — 10%
  • Independent Assurance Approach — 10%
  • Knowledge Transfer — 5%
  • West Burton place-based contracting — 5%
  • Blended rate — 30%
  • Social value MAC6.1 — 5%
  • Social value MAC6.2 — 5%
Published award criteria (9)
  • Blended rate — Commercial
  • Delivery Model — Technical
  • Resourcing — Technical
  • Relevant Experience — Technical
  • Independent Assurance Approach — Technical
  • Knowledge Transfer — Technical
  • West Burton place-based contracting — Technical
  • Social value MAC6.1 — Social value
  • Social value MAC6.2 — Social value
Conditions of participation2
  • Economic & financial standing
    PSQ is required to be populated as per the ITT
  • Technical & professional ability
    PSQ is required to be populated as per the ITT

Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid

How UK FUSION ENERGY LTD buys Business and management consultancy services (CPV 7941) — and who usually turns up

UK FUSION ENERGY LTD’s own published record, next to the South East England market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Business and management consultancy services (CPV 7941) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Left: this authority. Right: the market where the work is delivered. Bids and award-vs-estimate pairs are per lot, from contested contracts only — direct awards (including PA 2023 transparency notices) report one bid by definition and are left out. On Procurement Act 2023 notices the count is the tenders assessed at the final stage, not every submission received; pairs compare like with like (VAT-exclusive, or VAT-inclusive on both sides). Empty means nothing was published, not filled in from elsewhere.

This authority

UK FUSION ENERGY LTD

contract notices in 36 months: 8 in CPV 7941 (1 without competition · 2 route not published) · 11 in division 79 (2 without competition · 2 route not published) · 98 in all categories (8 without competition · 44 route not published)

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 21 lots. All 21 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices, which count bids assessed.

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

3all categories · 36m · n=21 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 21 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

10%all categories · 36m · n=21 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 13 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

at estimateall categories · 36m · n=13 pairs
Deadline → award date
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 25 notices.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

26dall categories · 36m · n=25 notices
Notice updates
i

How often this buyer changes a notice after publishing it.

Middle number of amendments per notice. Deadline extensions and corrections both count.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 24 months: 143 notices.

Last 24 months.

0all categories · 24m · n=143 notices
Awarded without competition
i

How often this buyer awards without a competition.

Direct or limited awards as a share of its notices that say which procedure was used. These routes are legal in defined cases. This is just the record.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7941), last 36 months: 6 notices.

Last 36 months.

17%CPV 7941 · 36m · n=6 notices
Bids per lot robust · n=21
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 21 lots on 20 contested notices · all categories, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 10%
  • 2–3 57%
  • 4–6 10%
  • 7+ 24%

Median 3 · 21 lots on 20 contested notices · all categories.

Winning award vs estimate robust · n=13
i

How often winners come in below, near or above the estimate.

Each lot with both an estimate and an award is placed by how far the award sat from the estimate.

Based on 13 lot pairs · all categories, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 23%
  • Within ±2% 69%
  • Above estimate 8%

13 lot pairs · all categories.

The market · authority’s region

South East England · Business and management consultancy services (CPV 7941)

contract notices delivered in South East England in 36 months: 110 in CPV 7941 (76 competed, 16 route not published) · 800 in division 79 (519 competed, 135 route not published) · the notice publishes no delivery location, so the authority’s registered region is used

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7941), last 36 months: 43 lots. 34 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 3) and 9 from older notices (bids received, middle 4).

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

3CPV 7941 · 36m · n=43 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7941), last 36 months: 43 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

28%CPV 7941 · 36m · n=43 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7941), last 36 months: 33 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

at estimateCPV 7941 · 36m · n=33 pairs
Deadline → award date
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7941), last 36 months: 25 notices.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

62dCPV 7941 · 36m · n=25 notices
SME bidders
i

How much of this market goes to small and medium firms.

SME bidders where buyers published the split, otherwise SME winners.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7941), last 36 months: 39 lots.

Last 36 months.

67%CPV 7941 · 36m · n=39 lots
Winners based in the region
i

How much work like this goes to companies based in the delivery region.

Awards in this category delivered here where the winner’s registered address is in the region.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 7941), last 36 months: 60 awards.

Registered address, so a national firm with a local branch counts as outside.

Last 36 months.

70%CPV 7941 · 36m · n=60 awards
Bids per lot robust · n=43
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 43 lots on 33 contested notices · CPV 7941, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 28%
  • 2–3 26%
  • 4–6 16%
  • 7+ 30%

Median 3 · 43 lots on 33 contested notices · CPV 7941.

Winning award vs estimate robust · n=33
i

How often winners come in below, near or above the estimate.

Each lot with both an estimate and an award is placed by how far the award sat from the estimate.

Based on 33 lot pairs · CPV 7941, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 30%
  • Within ±2% 58%
  • Above estimate 12%

33 lot pairs · CPV 7941.

robust · n=13
i

Where this tender’s estimate would land if the usual pattern repeats.

We apply the buyer’s usual movement between estimate and award (or the region’s) to the estimate on this notice.

Based on this buyer’s own usual movement over 13 lots (all categories), applied to the £1,200,000 estimate on this notice.

A benchmark, not a price to bid.

Awards in UK FUSION ENERGY LTD (all categories, n=13 pairs) land a median at estimate: on this notice’s £1,200,000 that is about £1,200,000. Context for a bid, not a recommended price.
Coverage and what to read with care
  • Each tile explains itself. The on a figure says what it is, how it is counted and which scope this notice’s own record came from (class, division, all categories, or the authority’s 24-month row). The two columns are never blended and nothing is filled from a UK-wide figure; an empty tile means the source published nothing usable. Long form: Methodology.
  • Coverage. Roughly 40 % of notices publish a bid count; about half publish an ITL1 delivery location, so the market column reads the authority’s registered region when the notice has none (labelled). About 30 % of award-vs-estimate pairs are exact matches — the buyer published the award at the estimate. n is on every figure; a thin sample is muted, never hidden.
  • “Match” and “relevance” are model scores from the nightly matcher, not published facts. Find a Tender does not publish who is bidding. Never shown: contact details, payment behaviour, or a recommended price.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Open procedure
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Open for tender
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
No (one-off requirement)
First published
25 Sept 2026, 12:37 BST
Last source update
25 Sept 2026, 12:37 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end — 27 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
Authority reference
UKFE204
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Advisory and consultative engineering servicesDocumentation servicesEvaluation consultancy servicesSafety consultancy servicesTechnical analysis or consultancy servicesTechnical testing, analysis and consultancy services
Delivery area
UK
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-077a79 Find a Tender

How to participate & submission route

Official notice Submit via Delta eSourcing
Submission portal named on this notice: Delta eSourcing · Who buys & how to bid on Delta
Public notice page · account needed to bidElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free Select account; no DUNS asked at signup
Expression of interest (EOI)
—
Tender submission deadline
29 Oct 2026, 12:00 GMT
Clarification deadline
16 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release
Published estimate £1,200,000 excludes VAT (£1,440,000 including VAT).

Timeline

5 published dates · Europe/London
  1. Tender notice publishedjust passed
    25 Sept 2026, 12:37 BST
  2. Clarification questions byin 21 days
    16 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
  3. Submission deadlinein 34 days
    29 Oct 2026, 12:00 GMT
  4. Award decision expected byin 63 days
    27 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
  5. Contract startsin 75 days
    10 Dec 2026, 00:00 GMT

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Nothing awarded yet
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Tender notice published
    25 Sept 2026, 12:37 BSTUK4

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

UK FUSION ENERGY LTD

Contracting authorityPublic authority - central government GB-PPON: PCRM-7973-DCBL Culham Science Centre, Abingdon, South East, OX14 3DB

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

  • Conflict of interest declarationtenderConflict of interest declarationNot published

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender