Official UK procurement notice
Supply of MGO Fuel to the RRS Discovery - Halifax Oct 2026
Authority: National Oceanography Centre (Public body)
Sectors: Petroleum products, fuel, electricity and other sources of energy (09) Delivery: CA
Awarded value£390,000published award · inc. VAT
Award in standstill 22 Sept 2026no call for competition
Award (standstill) to Standard Fuel Oils Ltd
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionSupply of Marine Gas Oil (MGO) to a National Oceanography Centre research vessel.
Delivery D-01: RRS Discovery (IMO No. 9588029), Port of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Estimated quantity 230 metric tonnes. Required on the estimated delivery date 04.08.206.
All quantities are estimates. The final invoiced quantity will be confirmed by the Bunker Delivery Note for the delivery and by the actual density recorded on the Certificate of Analysis at 15 degrees Celsius.
Delivery is by bunker barge or road tank wagon to the vessel at its stated berth.
Fuel must comply with ISO 8217:2024/2017 grade DMA. Sulphur content must not exceed 0.10 per cent by mass, as required within the North American Emission Control Area under MARPOL Annex VI Regulation 14. Flash point must be not less than 60 degrees Celsius, in line with SOLAS. Cold flow properties must be suitable for the vessel's operating area and season. Water content, ash, and total sediment must be within the limits set by ISO 8217 for the grade supplied.
The supplier must be registered on the local fuel oil suppliers register maintained by the relevant authority for the port of delivery, in accordance with MARPOL Annex VI Regulation 18.9.
At the time of bunkering the supplier must provide the fuel specification, representative fuel samples drawn in accordance with MARPOL Annex VI Regulation 18.8.1 and the sampling guidelines at MEPC.182(59), a Technical Data Sheet with Certificate of Analysis, and a Safety Data Sheet to the Chief Engineer. A Bunker Delivery Note must be provided in the MARPOL Annex VI Appendix V 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, together with the sulphur content statement and the flash point statement.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Lot 1Awarded
09100000 Fuels
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
- 22 Sept 2026, 16:01 BST
- Last source update
- 22 Sept 2026, 16:01 BST
- Authority reference
2026PRNOC-1255- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0777d9
- Why no open competition
- Commodity
- Published justification
MGO is a commodity. It is traded on international commodity markets and priced by reference to published market indices for the grade at the relevant port, with bunker suppliers quoting on a short term basis reflecting the market at the point of enquiry. Price and availability are driven by market conditions rather than by the terms of any tender, which means requiring suppliers to tender in the usual manner is more…
unnecessary, not appropriate, and would not drive the best outcome for the contracting authority. MGO is a standardised product defined by ISO 8217/2024/2017, a published international technical standard for marine distillate fuels. The specification for this requirement is set entirely by that market standard and by regulatory compliance obligations, being MARPOL Annex VI Regulation 14 for sulphur content within the North American Emission Control Area and SOLAS flash point requirements, rather than by any buyer preference or bespoke requirement. Any supplier able to deliver ISO 8217 grade DMA fuel to the vessel at the port of delivery is capable of fulfilling the contract, and the product itself is not meaningfully differentiable between compliant suppliers. The requirement was competed through a competitive quotation exercise among suppliers able to deliver to the vessel at the port and on the date required, priced on a common specification and quantity on a best and final basis. Award was made on the basis of the Most Advantageous Tender. A firm fixed price has been secured at the point of quotation and the supplier's offer is irrevocable until the last day of the delivery window. The fuel is required for the operational bunkering of RRS Discovery at the Port of Halifax, Nova Scotia on 4 October 2026, ahead of a scheduled departure, making this a time-critical requirement against a fixed delivery date. The port of delivery is outside the United Kingdom and the pool of suppliers capable of delivering to the vessel is limited to those holding stock and delivery capacity at that port within the required window. For these reasons the procurement qualifies for direct award under the commodities justification at paragraph 10 of Schedule 5 to the Procurement Act 2023: the goods are purchased 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.
Review and risk notes
- Risks
Price volatility: MGO is a commodity fuel subject to market price fluctuation. A firm fixed price has been secured at the point of quotation and the supplier's offer is irrevocable until the last day of the delivery window, but wider market movements could affect supplier willingness to perform if there is a material more…
delay between award and delivery. Local taxes and duties: the delivery is made at an overseas port and the price is quoted delivered to the vessel. Liability for local sales, excise, or fuel taxes, and the availability of any relief applicable to fuel bunkered for a vessel on an international voyage, has been confirmed with the supplier in advance of award. A change in that treatment at the point of lifting would affect the delivered cost. Delivery logistics: delivery is into a working commercial port by bunker barge or road tank wagon, with third party agent-controlled access and a berth-controlled window. Risks include barge or vehicle availability at short notice, port access restrictions, weather, and sea state affecting a transfer alongside. The delivery date falls on a Sunday, which carries additional risk to barge crew, agent, and berth availability, and may attract weekend working charges. The exact delivery window and operational hours are confirmed to the supplier no later than five days before delivery. Vessel programme risk: the delivery is tied to the vessel's ETA and ETD window at berth. A change to the vessel's programme would require the delivery date to be moved. The supplier has confirmed that no change to the delivery date alters the price quoted. Quantity variance: the quantity delivered may differ from the estimate due to the operational fuelling process, available tank capacity at the time of bunkering, and density variance. Payment is made solely on the actual quantity delivered as evidenced by the Bunker Delivery Note, and the purchase order value may require amendment to reflect the actual delivered quantity. Quantity is measured in metric tonnes by reference to the density recorded on the Certificate of Analysis for the fuel actually delivered, measured at 15 degrees Celsius. Specification non-compliance: there is a risk that fuel delivered does not meet ISO 8217 for the grade ordered, the 0.10 per cent Emission Control Area sulphur limit, the flash point requirement, or the cold flow requirement on arrival. This would require rejection of the delivery and sourcing from an alternative supplier at short notice, with potential impact on vessel departure. The port of delivery is remote from the authority's usual supply base, which limits the practical alternatives available within the window. Documentation failure: the requirement for the fuel specification, representative fuel samples, the Technical Data Sheet with Certificate of Analysis, the Safety Data Sheet, and the Bunker Delivery Note with the MARPOL Annex VI Regulation 18 declaration creates a risk that incomplete documentation is provided at the time of bunkering. This could affect regulatory compliance and the outcome of port state control inspection. Single supplier and remote port: the delivery is awarded to one supplier at a port outside the United Kingdom where the number of suppliers holding stock and delivery capacity within the required window is limited. Failure to perform would be difficult to remedy at short notice from the same port, and the contingency is a revised bunkering plan at the next port of call rather than substitution at Halifax.
How it was run
- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
2 published dates · Europe/London- Notice published4 days ago22 Sept 2026, 16:01 BST
- Standstill endsin 5 days1 Oct 2026, 23:59 BST
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics — not a forecastAwards 1some still in standstill
Awarded value (inc. VAT) £390,0001 award inc. VAT — no net value published
| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Fuel Oils Ltd2 Oct 2026 — 9 Oct 2026 | £390,000 inc. VAT | 22 Sept 2026standstill to 1 Oct 2026 | Standstill |
Notice history
3 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 22 Sept 2026- Contract signature expected2 Oct 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract award notice published22 Sept 2026, 16:01 BSTUK6
- Transparency notice published22 Sept 2026, 15:56 BSTUK5
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- STANDARD FUEL OILS LIMITEDAwarded supplier
Official 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