Official UK procurement notice
STEP P&T – High Heat Flux Testing and Verification Facility
Authority: UK FUSION ENERGY LTD (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionAn integrated system that will provide cooling for the high heat flux testing for the STEP in-vessel components, as well as cooling the auxiliary systems required for operation, as part of the High Heat Flux Testing and Verification Facility. This system will include:
Temperature Control Unit (226 kW cooling capacity, 150 kW heating capacity and a maximum operating temperature of 350°C)
Chiller (350 kW cooling capacity)
Design of the Temperature Control Unit and Chiller System, along with all necessary components for operation.
Commissioning of the system.
Installation of the system.
This system is very similar to the operational HIVE test rig which has used this supplier for the last seven years and shares the same fundamental design concept, many similar components, the cooling system and operational principles. These specific nuances are currently only understood by ICS Cool Energy.
This project is an extension of the organisation’s Induction-heating based HHF testing programme and there is a stakeholder requirement to ensure equipment is directly comparable, and compatible to the HIVE facility, including physical interfaces, control, and data acquisition (see approved TD-0012050-A: SHR-010, SHR-011, SHR-013). As a result another supplier would have to retrofit the HIVE test to match the proposed HHFTVF facility increasing the cost beyond what we have been quoted.
The absence of this system poses a significant technical risk to the project, as it will result in certain key stakeholder requirements falling out of scope and lead to a diminished operational capability, such as the inability to accurately replicate the first wall environment as well as future use cases. (see approved TD-0012050-A: SHR-008, SHR-009, SHR-016)
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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
- 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
- 14 Jul 2025, 16:05 BST
- Last source update
- 5 Dec 2025, 14:05 GMT
- Authority reference
PP-UKIFS-334c- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-080201- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-055ed8Find a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Single Suppliers Technical Reasons; Additional Repeat Further Following Competitive Procedure
- Published justification
This project is an extension of the organisation’s induction heating-based HHF testing program, with a stakeholder requirement to ensure that the equipment is directly comparable and compatible with the HIVE facility which has utilised a very similar cooling system from this supplier for the last seven years. This includes physical interfaces, control systems, and data acquisition (see approved TD-0012050-A: SHR-013).
Our facility needs a distinctive combination of components, most of which are commercial off-the-shelf and suitable for their intended purpose. However, addressing our specific requirements requires a deeper understanding of our needs. The proposed supplier has extensive experience with the HIVE facility, making them uniquely qualified to provide post-purchase support as an extension of their current HIVE services.
Using the same supplier allows for consolidation of maintenance contracts which in turn will lead to cost savings through economies of scale, streamlined administrative processes, and improved response times, ultimately enhancing budget predictability and reducing overall operational expenses.
The team responsible for operating HIVE will also manage HHFTVF. Utilizing equipment from the same manufacturer will mitigate the inherent risks associated with operating new machinery and reduce the costs associated with training staff to operate and troubleshoot a new test rig.
ICS Cool Energy is the best positioned supplier to fully satisfies specific requirements for the temperature control unit, including heating power, cooling power, and operational temperature. (see TCU & Chiller Market Research Document)
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
27 Oct 2025 → 5 Dec 2025 · 2 dates- Standstill ends365 days ago27 Oct 2025, 23:59 GMT
- Notice published326 days ago5 Dec 2025, 14:05 GMT
Notice history
4 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 14 Jul 2025- Transparency notice published14 Jul 2025, 16:05 BSTUK5
- Contract award notice published16 Oct 2025, 19:05 BSTUK6
- Contract signature expected29 Oct 2025, 23:59 GMTscheduled
- Contract details notice published5 Dec 2025, 14:05 GMTUK7
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ICS Cool Energy LimitedPP-UKIFS-334c30 Oct 2025 – 31 Mar 2026 | £293,959 | 16 Oct 2025 | Awarded |
Contracts
Contract 1 · ICS Cool Energy Limited
- Signed
- 5 Dec 2025
- Value
- £293,959
- Period
- 8 Dec 2025 – 31 Mar 2026
- Status
- active
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- ICS COOL ENERGY LIMITEDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (4)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender