Official UK procurement notice
Research Vessel Charter - Antarctic
Authority: University of Plymouth (Education)
Sectors: Transport & Passenger Services (60) Delivery: AQ
Budget not disclosed Value not published
Award in standstill 15 Sept 2026no call for competition
Award (standstill) to Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale - OGS
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe University of Plymouth requires the provision of specialist Antarctic research vessel charter services for the Antarctic Canyon Experiment (ACE), including vessel, crew, polar icebreaking capability, onboard scientific laboratories, hydrographic surveying, seabed mapping, deployment and recovery of oceanographic and geophysical equipment, sediment sampling, and associated technical support services in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. The contract supports two scientific expeditions for the deployment and subsequent recovery of long-term monitoring infrastructure.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Lot 1Awarded
60651000 Hire of vessels with crew
Procedure 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
- No (one-off requirement)
- First published
- 18 Sept 2026, 11:37 BST
- Last source update
- 18 Sept 2026, 11:37 BST
- Authority reference
MW_UoP_Research_Vessel_Charter _192_026- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-077500
- Why no open competition
- Single Suppliers Technical Reasons
- Published justification
The below justification set out in Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023 applies to this Direct Award; Single Supplier (6) The following conditions are met in relation to the public contract— (a)due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, only a particular supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and (b)there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works. The more…
University of Plymouth requires the charter of a specialist Antarctic research vessel to deliver the Antarctic Canyon Experiment (ACE), a European-funded research project involving two complex Antarctic field seasons 12 months apart in the Ross Sea. The project requires the deployment and recovery of scientific instrumentation at depths of up to 3,500 metres, together with seabed mapping, sediment coring, oceanographic surveying, and long-term monitoring activities. The University has identified that only RV Laura Bassi can meet the combined technical, operational and scheduling requirements of the project. The requirement is not for a standard vessel charter but for a fully integrated polar research platform with: Polar Class 5 icebreaker capability and Polar Code certification. Dynamic positioning for precise station keeping during scientific operations. Specialist oceanographic and geophysical systems, including multibeam echo sounders, sub-bottom profilers and ADCP equipment. Dedicated wet and dry laboratory facilities, including externally vented fume hoods required for the safe preparation of scientific reagents. Significant deck space, cargo capacity and deployment infrastructure for moorings, sediment traps, coring equipment and autonomous vehicles. Experienced onboard technical personnel able to support the construction, deployment and recovery of complex scientific equipment. The project also requires access to the Ross Sea in January-February 2027 and again in January-February 2028 to recover equipment deployed during the first expedition. Due to the short Antarctic operating season and the fixed schedules of national Antarctic programmes, availability is a critical technical requirement. R/V Laura Bassi has confirmed availability for both field seasons and already operates within the Ross Sea as part of the Italian National Antarctic Programme. RV Laura Bassi is considered to be the only vessel currently available that can meet the University's combined technical, operational and scheduling requirements. The vessel has the capability to operate safely within the Ross Sea during the required Antarctic field seasons in January-February 2027 and January-February 2028 and can commit to supporting both expeditions. In addition, it provides the required combination of Polar Class 5 icebreaking capability, specialist scientific infrastructure, dedicated laboratory facilities, deployment and recovery equipment, and experienced technical support personnel necessary to deliver the Antarctic Canyon Experiment (ACE). Funding relevant to this notice benefits from European Research Council (ERC) grant funding under Project 101169829 - Antarctic Canyon Experiment (ACE)
How it was run
- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
2 published dates · Europe/London- Notice published2 days ago18 Sept 2026, 11:37 BST
- Standstill endsin 10 days29 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics — not a forecastAwards 1some still in standstill
| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale - OGS1 Oct 2026 — 30 Nov 2027 | €542,000 | 15 Sept 2026standstill to 29 Sept 2026 | Standstill |
Notice history
3 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 18 Sept 2026- Contract signature expected1 Oct 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract award notice published18 Sept 2026, 11:37 BSTUK6
- Transparency notice published18 Sept 2026, 09:36 BSTUK5
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the noticeOfficial documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Conflict of interest declarationNot published
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender