Official UK procurement notice
Purchase of Cable Aviodance Tools
Authority: NORTHERN GAS NETWORKS LIMITED (Public body)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionScope of this Contract/Procurement relates solely to the purchase of Cable Aviodance Tools (CAT & Genny units).
Northern Gas Networks (NGN) has consistently deployed Radiodetection equipment for several years, with all operatives trained on this standardised kit. Maintaining a single, familiar equipment type is central to minimising user error and ensuring consistent operational safety. NGN's workshop depots provide majority of in-house servicing, repair, and eCert-level calibration, enabling efficient turnaround and continuity of operations. Replacement units are issued during servicing to avoid downtime, supporting uninterrupted field activity.
The main deliverable of this procurement is the continued supply of approved CAT and Genny units, with future purchases made on an ad-hoc basis to replace equipment that is beyond economic repair due to wear or damage. Retaining the existing supplier avoids the need for retraining, prevents inconsistencies between differing equipment types, and mitigates the increased risk of cable strikes associated with unfamiliar tools.
The purpose of this procurement is to maintain a reliable, standardised, and safety-focused equipment base across the full NGN geography, ensuring continuity of service, operational efficiency, and effective cable-strike prevention.
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
- Utilities
- 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
- 17 Mar 2026, 15:25 GMT
- Last source update
- 2 Apr 2026, 15:19 BST
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-031032- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Delivery area
- Not published
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-066c87Find a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Additional Repeat Extension Partial Replacement
- Published justification
Changing supplier would cause incompatibility or disproportionate technical difficulty:
1 - Operatives are fully trained on this equipment - therefore removing the cost and down time for new training.
2 - Compatiblity is required as NGN's workshop depots provide majority of in-house servicing, repair, and eCert-level calibration, enabling efficient turnaround and continuity of operations.
3 - Disproportionate technical difficulty of switching supplier
Retaining the existing supplier avoids the need for retraining, prevents inconsistencies between differing equipment types, and mitigates the increased risk of cable strikes associated with unfamiliar tools.
The purpose of this procurement is to maintain a reliable, standardised, and safety-focused equipment base across the full NGN geography, ensuring continuity of service, operational efficiency, and effective cable-strike prevention.
Notice history
3 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 17 Mar 2026- Transparency notice published17 Mar 2026, 15:25 GMTUK5
- Contract award notice published2 Apr 2026, 15:19 BSTUK6
- Contract signature expected1 Jul 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radiodetection LtdSMEPurchase of Cable Avoidance Tools1 Jul 2026 – 30 Jun 2029 · up to 30 Jun 2031Extensions: The contract has the option to extend for 2 x 1 years | £724,747 inc. VAT | 17 Mar 2026 | Awarded |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- RADIODETECTION LIMITEDAwarded 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