Official UK procurement notice
UKRI-4667 NERC Research Vessels Refit, Upgrade and Maintenance Services
Authority: UK Research and Innovation (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionUKRI wishes to establish a Framework Agreement for the provision of refit, upgrade and maintenance services for the RRS Sir David Attenborough.
The Framework Agreement (Agreement) will be awarded to a single Supplier for a period of two years with an extension option of up to two years (2+1+1). The Supplier will also be able to provide global support should emergency repairs/dockings be required to be undertaken outside of scheduled maintenance periods.
The Agreement will:
- ensure vessels are maintained to the standards required by UKRI.
- ensure vessels are maintained in accordance with Flag State and Classification Society requirements.
- provide continuity in maintenance standards and utilise one organisation that will gain experience and knowledge of the RRS Sir David Attenborough
- cover the global footprint of operations for RRS Sir David Attenborough
- The authority expects to re-tender this requirement around 1 Nov 2028, 23:59 GMT.
CPV: Repair and maintenance services of ships
How this framework works
From the published notice- Type
- Closed framework
- Call-offs
- call-offs are awarded directly to appointed suppliers, without further competition
- Places
- up to 1 suppliers · 3 bids received (3.0 per place) · 1 appointed (full)
- Framework period
- 2 yrs · up to 4 yrs from 1 Apr 2026
- Supplier levy on call-offs (max %)
- N/A
Published description of the framework
N/A
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£9,000,000
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published sub-criteria (3)
- Technical/Quality: 60%
- Price: 30%
- Social Value: 10%
Published award criteria (3)
- Price: Price: 30%
- Technical/Quality: Technical/Quality: 60%
- Social Value: Social Value: 10%
- Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- “UKRI-4667 NERC Research Vessels Refit, Upgrade and Maintenance Services” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 1 suppliers, not a single contract, and call-offs are awarded directly: getting appointed is the whole game.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Yes · next expected 1 Nov 2028
- First published
- 22 Aug 2025, 15:19 BST
- Last source update
- 8 May 2026, 10:30 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 26 Feb 2026
- Authority reference
C0297- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-079820- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-058d0aFind a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 16 Jan 2026, 14:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 22 Dec 2025, 14:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
- Supplier levy on call-offs (max %)
- call-off levy · N/A
To access this opportunity please click here:
ukri2.my.salesforce-sites.com/ProSpend__CS_Contrac… ↗
Please note the following steps for accessing this opportunity via the Atamis eSourcing platform:
- Log in or create an account here: ukri2.my.site.com ↗
- Navigate to the opportunity in the Find an Opportunity section of the site or via the direct access link above.
- Select Register Interest (you will not be able to view the tender documentation without registering an interest).
- Go back to the main menu and navigate to the My Proposals and Quotes section of the site.
- Select the opportunity from the list. Tender Documents for download are found in the Documents tab.
Timeline
22 Aug 2025 → 8 May 2026 · 11 dates- Planning notice published22 Aug 2025, 15:19 BST
- Market engagement5 Sept 2025, 23:59 BST
Supplier Webinar: Potential Suppliers are invited to attend a (virtual) Supplier Webinar, occurring 08 September 2025. This will allow all Potential Suppliers to fully comprehend and understand the requirement further. Intention to attend the Supplier Webinar must be communicated via the e-sourcing portal by 05 September 2025, including the subject matter ‘UKRI-4667 Supplier Webinar Request’. Suppliers may be sent an RFI Questionnaire, and a further engagement session may take pace in October. Please find details of the opportunity here: ukri2.my.salesforce-sites.com/ProSpend__CS_Contrac… ↗
- Next notice expected358 days ago27 Oct 2025, 23:59 GMT
- Tender notice published320 days ago4 Dec 2025, 15:07 GMT
- Clarification questions by302 days ago22 Dec 2025, 14:00 GMT
- Admission / appointment period ends277 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown16 Jan 2026, 14:00 GMT
- Award decision expected by236 days ago26 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract starts203 days ago1 Apr 2026, 00:00 BST
- Assessment summaries sent184 days ago20 Apr 2026, 00:00 BST
- Standstill ends174 days ago29 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
- Latest notice published166 days ago8 May 2026, 10:30 BST
Notice history
11 events · 6 releases on Find a Tender · since 22 Aug 2025- Preliminary market engagement notice published22 Aug 2025, 15:19 BSTUK2
- Preliminary market engagement notice published28 Aug 2025, 09:58 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published4 Dec 2025, 15:07 GMTUK4
- Status changed to active4 Dec 2025, 15:07 GMT
- Procurement method changed4 Dec 2025, 15:07 GMT
- Deadline published: 16 Jan 2026, 14:00 GMT4 Dec 2025, 15:07 GMT
- Contract award notice published20 Apr 2026, 15:36 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete20 Apr 2026, 15:36 BST
- Contract award notice published23 Apr 2026, 13:20 BSTUK6
- Contract signature expected1 May 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract details notice published8 May 2026, 10:30 BSTUK7
Published amendments (1)
Update to include link to notice
Routine re-releases (6)
- 2025-12: 1 release · 4 Dec 2025
- 2025-08: 2 releases · 22 Aug 2025, 28 Aug 2025
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orskov Yard A/S1 May 2026 – 30 Apr 2028 · up to 30 Apr 2030Extensions: The Contract duration shall be for a period of two (2) years with two optional extensions of (1) year each, from commencement of the Contract (2+1+1). · Amended: Correction regarding the Information about tenders section | £9,000,000 | 17 Apr 2026 | Awarded |
Contracts
UKRI-4667 NERC Research Vessels Refit, Upgrade and Maintenance Services · Orskov Yard A/S
- Signed
- 7 May 2026
- Value
- £9,000,000
- Period
- 8 May 2026 – 30 Apr 2028 · up to 30 Apr 2030 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- The Contract duration shall be for a period of two (2) years with two optional extensions of (1) year each, from commencement of the Contract (2+1+1).
1 agreed KPI: Completion of scope within refit period
- Completion of scope within refit period, All activities of the full required refit should be completed within the agreed refit period, to the quality required
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3final-stage tenders | 0 | 0 | — |
Who bid
- wonOrskov Yard A/S
- did not winDamen Shiprepair Amsterdam B.V.
- did not winA & P FALMOUTH LIMITED · North East England
Bidders as named on the Procurement Act 2023 award notice. “Won” means the bidder holds an award on this notice.
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Framework contractors & participating bidders
3 commercial parties on the notice · 1 awarded- A & P FALMOUTH LIMITEDBidder / tenderer
- Damen Shiprepair Amsterdam B.V.Bidder / tenderer
- Orskov Yard A/SFramework contractor
Official documents & specifications (6)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender