Official UK procurement notice
Supply of (HVO) fuel to RRS Discovery August 2026
Authority: National Oceanography Centre (Public body)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionSupply of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel to RRS Discovery (IMO No. 9588029), berthed at Southampton, UK.
Estimated Quantity required: 210,000 litres. The quantity is an estimate; the final invoiced quantity will be confirmed by the Bunker Delivery Note and the actual density at the point of delivery.
Delivery: By road tanker wagon (RTW), to be completed by 16th August 2026.
Fuel must comply with the EN 15940 standard and must be derived from used cooking oil (UCO) feedstock only, with no palm oil, palm oil sludge, POME, or animal fats. Sulphur content must comply with MARPOL Annex VI and the applicable MCA requirements, with a maximum sulphur content of less than 5 mg/kg (5 ppm). Fuel must have a flash point of not less than 60 degrees Celsius, in line with SOLAS.
The supplier must provide, at the time of bunkering, a copy of the fuel specification, fuel samples, and a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) to the Chief Engineer. A Bunker Delivery Note (BDN) must be provided in the MARPOL Annex VI format, stating quantity in metric tonnes, carrying the supplier's signed declaration that the fuel meets the fuel quality requirements of MARPOL Annex VI Regulation 18.
The following sustainability documentation is required: proof of sustainability of the biofuel component, certified under either ISCC or RFAS Heat-Power-Marine (RSB is not required), a biofuel delivery statement, and the greenhouse gas emissions data (carbon intensity or emission factor) for the fuel.
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
- 31 Jul 2026, 15:03 BST
- Last source update
- 1 Sept 2026, 16:22 BST
- Authority reference
2026PRNOC-1230- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-082824- Latest notice
- Contract termination notice (UK11)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d913Find a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Commodity
- Published justification
HVO fuel is a standardised commodity product defined by EN 15940, a published European technical standard for paraffinic diesel fuels. The specification for this requirement is set entirely by that market standard and by regulatory compliance obligations (EU and MCA sulphur content regulations), rather than by any buyer preference or bespoke requirement. Any supplier able to deliver EN 15940-compliant HVO with the required sustainability certifications (ISCC/RSB) is capable of fulfilling the contract, and the product itself is not meaningfully differentiable between compliant suppliers.
The justification in paragraph 10 of Schedule 5 to the Procurement Act 2023 applies where a contract is for goods purchased on a commodity market. It does not require that the contracting authority buy the goods on a commodity market or transact through a commodity exchange. It requires only that the contract is for goods of a kind purchased on a commodity market, which this contract pertains to.
The requirement was competed through a competitive quote exercise conducted among multiple suppliers, with award made on the basis of best price received. The fuel is required for the operational bunkering of RRS Discovery at Southampton ahead of a scheduled departure, making this a time-critical requirement.
For these reasons, the procurement qualifies for direct award under the commodities justification: the goods are traded on a commodity market, the specification is determined by an established market standard, and the authority has nonetheless conducted a competitive process to secure best value.
- Risks
Price volatility: HVO is a commodity fuel subject to market price fluctuation. Although a firm fixed price has been agreed at the point of quotation, wider market movements could affect supplier willingness to honour pricing if there is a material delay between award and delivery.
Delivery logistics: Delivery is by road tanker wagon (RTW) to a working port. Risks include road transport delays, port access restrictions, and vehicle availability at short notice, any of which could jeopardise delivery against the required date of 16th August 2026.
Quantity variance: The quantity delivered may differ from the quantity ordered due to the operational fuelling process and density variance at the point of delivery. The final invoiced quantity will be confirmed by the Bunker Delivery Note, and the purchase order value may require amendment to reflect the actual delivered volume.
Specification non-compliance: There is a risk that fuel delivered does not meet the EN 15940 standard, the sustainability certification requirements (ISCC or RFAS Heat-Power-Marine), or the sulphur content threshold on arrival. This would require rejection of the delivery and sourcing from an alternative supplier, with potential impact on vessel departure.
Documentation failure: The requirement for sustainability certification, the Safety Data Sheet, fuel samples, the Bunker Delivery Note with the MARPOL Annex VI Regulation 18 declaration, and greenhouse gas emissions data creates a risk that incomplete documentation is provided at the time of bunkering, which could affect regulatory compliance and internal reporting obligations under the Procurement Act 2023.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
12 Aug 2026 → 1 Sept 2026 · 2 dates- Standstill ends70 days ago12 Aug 2026, 23:59 BST
- Notice published50 days ago1 Sept 2026, 16:22 BST
Notice history
5 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 31 Jul 2026- Transparency notice published31 Jul 2026, 15:03 BSTUK5
- Contract award notice published31 Jul 2026, 15:22 BSTUK6
- Contract signature expected14 Aug 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract details notice published1 Sept 2026, 16:20 BSTUK7
- Contract termination notice published1 Sept 2026, 16:22 BSTUK11
Routine re-releases (4)
- 2026-07: 1 release · 31 Jul 2026
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Fuel Oils Ltd16 Aug 2026 – 21 Aug 2026 | £349,314 inc. VAT | 31 Jul 2026 | Awarded |
Contracts
Contract 1 · Standard Fuel Oils Ltd
- Signed
- 14 Aug 2026
- Value
- £349,314 inc. VAT
- Period
- 16 Aug 2026 – 21 Aug 2026
- Status
- terminated, Contract Completed
- Final value
- £349,314
- Termination
- contractCompleted
No agreed KPIs: The estimated value of this contract is below the £5 million threshold at which the requirement to set key performance indicators applies under the Procurement Act 2023. KPIs have therefore not been set. The contract is in any event a single short-term supply of a standardised commodity fuel against a defined specification, the performance of which is governed by the product standard and delivery documentation rather than ongoing performance measures.
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- STANDARD FUEL OILS LIMITEDAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (4)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract termination notice Contract termination notice on Find a Tender
- 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