Find a TenderAwardedContract award notice

Published 4 Feb 2026, 08:26 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

UKRI-5440 - Control Systems for Superconducting Quantum Computing Research

Official notice

Authority: UK Research and Innovation (Central government)

GoodsOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitable

Sectors: Electrical machinery, apparatus, equipment and consumables; lighting (31) Delivery: UK

Published estimate£5,000,000≈ £5.0m / year · £6,000,000 inc. VAT29.7% above published estimate

Submissions closed 6 Mar 2026awarded 20 Mar 2026

Award (standstill) to Zurich Instruments AG

Contract term 1 yrends 30 Mar 2027 · up to 30 Mar 2031 with extensions · starts 30 Mar 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

The UK’s National Quantum Computing Centre (NQCC) plans to build and scale quantum computers based on superconducting circuit qubits for its research activities.

This tender is for the purchase of one (1) superconducting qubit control system in the first instance, with the option to procure additional compatible systems and associated upgrades over the contract duration (up to five years) to support the ongoing scaling of NQCC’s quantum computing platforms and related research and development activity.

The control system must enable NQCC researchers to measure and control superconducting multi-qubit systems for experimental research in quantum error correction for superconducting quantum computing. A suitable control system solution that can be scaled and upgraded over the contract term while maintaining technical compatibility will accelerate NQCC’s research programme in superconducting quantum computing.

CPV: Electronic, electromechanical and electrotechnical supplies

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published

Lot #1AwardedRenewal 1 yrSMEPublished value£5,000,000

Contract period: 30 Mar 2026 – 30 Mar 2027 (1 yr) · up to 30 Mar 2031 with extensionsValue: £5,000,000 exc. VAT · £6,000,000 inc. VAT

Delivery: UKEligibility: SME eligible

Extensions: Additional QB systems · The initial contract period will be twelve (12) months with a maximum spend of 1 million Pounds sterling (£1,000,000). with the option to extend on an annual basis for up to four (4) years. The estimated total value of the contract is up to five million pounds sterling (£5,000,000), exclusive of VAT, over a maximum term of five (5) years.

31700000 Electronic, electromechanical and electrotechnical supplies

What it takes to win
i
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 more

How bids were scored

Quality: 60%Price: 40%

Published sub-criteria (2)

Technical & Quality: 60%
Price: 40%

Published award criteria (2)

Price
Technical & Quality

What this means for your bid

Price carries 40 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.

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: Goods
Notice status: Awarded
Procurement threshold: Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime: Standard
Commercial structure: Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type: Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered: Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement: Unspecified in notice
First published: 4 Feb 2026, 08:26 GMT
Last source update: 17 Jul 2026, 07:59 BST
Award evaluation window: Submission end – 13 Mar 2026
Authority reference: UKRI-5440
FTS notice number: 2026/S 000-009730
Latest notice: Contract award notice (UK6)
Classification (CPV): Electronic, electromechanical and electrotechnical supplies
Delivery area: UK
Official registry OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-061609 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice

Run through: UKRI eSourcing

Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN

Access & registration note: Free

Submission deadline: 6 Mar 2026, 14:00 GMT
Clarification deadline: 24 Feb 2026, 14:00 GMT
Submission channel: Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission: Allowed
Accepted languages: en

Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release

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.
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

4 Feb 2026 → 17 Jul 2026 · 8 dates

Tender notice published264 days ago
4 Feb 2026, 08:26 GMT
Clarification questions by243 days ago
24 Feb 2026, 14:00 GMT
Submission deadline233 days ago
6 Mar 2026, 14:00 GMT
Award decision expected by226 days ago
13 Mar 2026, 23:59 GMT
Assessment summaries sent220 days ago
20 Mar 2026
Contract starts210 days ago
30 Mar 2026, 00:00 BST
Standstill ends208 days ago
31 Mar 2026, 23:59 BST
Latest notice published101 days ago
17 Jul 2026, 07:59 BST

Notice history

6 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 4 Feb 2026

Tender notice published
4 Feb 2026, 08:26 GMT
UK4
Contract award notice published
20 Mar 2026, 14:45 GMT
UK6
Status changed to complete
20 Mar 2026, 14:45 GMT
Contract signature expected
2 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
scheduled
Contract details notice published
13 Jul 2026, 14:46 BST
UK7
Contract award notice published
17 Jul 2026, 07:59 BST
UK6

Routine re-releases (4)

2026-02: 1 release · 4 Feb 2026

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast

Awards 1

Awarded value £6,484,4061 award exc. VAT

Bids received 1

Named bidders 1published on the award notice

Contracts signed 1latest 2 Apr 2026

Awarded to	Value	Date	Status
Zurich Instruments AG3 Apr 2026 – 2 Apr 2027 · up to 2 Apr 2031Extensions: Individual annual extensions. 1+1+1+1+1. · Options: Deliverables permitted in subsequent years. · Amended: Initial Notice displayed incorrect Amount	£6,484,406	20 Mar 2026standstill to 31 Mar 2026	Standstill

Contracts

UKRI-5440 - Control Systems for Superconducting Quantum Computing Research · Zurich Instruments AG
Signed
2 Apr 2026
Value
£6,484,406
Period
3 Apr 2026 – 2 Apr 2027 · up to 2 Apr 2031 with extensions
Status
active
Extensions
Individual annual extensions. 1+1+1+1+1.
Options
Deliverables permitted in subsequent years.
No agreed KPIs: N/A

Bid statistics published by the authority

Bids	SME	VCSE	Valid bid range
1final-stage tenders · 5 at stage one	0	0	—

Who bid

wonZurich Instruments AG

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

UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)

Contracting authorityPublic authority - central government GB-PPON: PDQJ-7126-JDHG Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire, South West, SN2 1FLContact name, email

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice

Zurich Instruments AGAwarded supplierGB-PPON: PJTT-7635-GTVR Technoparkstrasse 1, Zurich, CH, 8005, CHContact email

Official documents & specifications (4)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender17 Jul 2026, 07:59 BST
Contract details notice contractContract details noticeUK7Contract details notice on Find a Tender13 Jul 2026, 14:46 BST
Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender20 Mar 2026, 14:45 GMT
Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender4 Feb 2026, 08:26 GMT