Official UK procurement notice
UKRI-5676 Equipment Hire Agreement
Authority: UK Research and Innovation (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionSupport and Maintenance for ARTEMIS system quantum computer hosted at RAL. Lessor shall provide software support in terms of bug fixes and occasional updates to Software. Software Support Services will be provided via remote call or email.
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
- 26 Jan 2026, 10:23 GMT
- Last source update
- 26 Jan 2026, 10:28 GMT
- Authority reference
UKRI-5676- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-006483- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-060e0eFind a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Single Suppliers Technical Reasons
- Published justification
This contract has been awarded directly to Aegiq Ltd as they are the original designer and manufacturer of the ARTEMIS photonic quantum computer delivered to NQCC under the SBRI Testbeds funding call. The system is a bespoke, one‑off research asset that relies on proprietary technology and Aegiq‑specific expertise. Aegiq Ltd is the only supplier technically capable of providing the required support and maintenance services. Continued support is essential to ensure ongoing operation, benchmarking and exploitation of the system and to maximise the benefits of the Testbeds investment. A direct award is therefore justified for technical reasons.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
26 Jan 2026 → 4 Feb 2026 · 2 dates- Notice published275 days ago26 Jan 2026, 10:28 GMT
- Standstill ends265 days ago4 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMT
Notice history
3 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 26 Jan 2026- Transparency notice published26 Jan 2026, 10:23 GMTUK5
- Contract award notice published26 Jan 2026, 10:28 GMTUK6
- Contract signature expected6 Feb 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aegiq Ltd9 Feb 2026 – 8 Feb 2027 | £320,300 | 22 Jan 2026standstill to 4 Feb 2026 | Standstill |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Aegiq LtdAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender