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Published 25 Sept 2026, 09:59 BST

Official UK procurement notice

UKRI-6249 Provision Of DUNE APA Stainless Steel Frames - #2 Lots

Authority: UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) (Central government)

2 lotsGoodsOpen procedureAbove thresholdSME suitableMax 1 lot per supplier
Published estimate£1,080,000envelope for 2 lots · £1,296,000 inc. VAT
Submission deadline 21 Oct 202623:45 BST · 26d 12h left
Clarification cut-off 9 Oct 202614:00 BST · questions to the authority
Contract term 1 yr 1 moup to 1 yr 4 mo with extensions · starts 26 Nov 2026
Bids per lot · this authority 2.5division 44 · n=4 · competition analysis ↓

What is being bought2 lots · detail below

Published requirement description

The provision of DUNE APA Stainless Steel Frames, this procurement is split into two Lots, for the manufacturing, assembly and delivery. Lot 1 will consist of the provision of 30 frames and Lot 2 will be for the provision of 10 frames.

  • No preliminary market engagement: A Preliminary Market Engagement Notice was not published because the market engagement undertaken was limited and informal in nature. The engagement was undertaken with a small number of specialist suppliers to inform UKRI's understanding of the market, manufacturing capability and capacity, and to help inform the more…procurement strategy and specification. No supplier was given information or an opportunity to participate in the procurement that was not made available to all potential bidders through the subsequent tender documentation.

CPV: Structures and parts of structures

Lots and requirements (2)Procurement structure

2 lots · all with a published value (£1,080,000 together) · a supplier may bid for at most 1 and win at most 1 of them · same evaluation weights on every lot
Lot #1Lot 1Renewal 1 yr 1 moSMEPublished value£720,000
Provision of X30 Frames
Contract period: 26 Nov 2026 — 26 Dec 2027 (1 yr 1 mo) · up to 1 yr 4 mo with extensionsEligibility: SME eligibleDelivery: UKTurnover guideline: ~£1,327,273/yr≈ 2× annual value
Value
£720,000 exc. VAT · £864,000 inc. VAT
Extensions
Optional 3 month extension · Optional 3 month extension
44210000 Structures and parts of structures

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

Lot #2Lot 2Renewal 1 yr 1 moSMEPublished value£360,000
Provision of X10 Frames
Contract period: 26 Nov 2026 — 26 Dec 2027 (1 yr 1 mo) · up to 1 yr 4 mo with extensionsEligibility: SME eligibleDelivery: UKTurnover guideline: ~£663,636/yr≈ 2× annual value
Value
£360,000 exc. VAT · £432,000 inc. VAT
Extensions
Optional 3 month extension · Optional 3 month extension
44210000 Structures and parts of structures

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

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 are scored · same split on all 2 lots
Quality: 80%Price: 20%
Published sub-criteria (2)
  • Technical Quality — 80%
  • Price — 20%
The procurement will be divided into two lots. Suppliers may tender for Lot 1 or Lot 2 only and are not permitted to tender for both lots. One supplier will be appointed to each lot, subject to the receipt of compliant tenders and the application of the published award criteria. Each lot will be evaluated and awarded independently.

No conditions of participation were published on the notice; check the tender documents.

Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid

How UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) buys Structures and parts of structures (CPV 4421) — and who usually turns up

UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)’s own published record, next to the South West England market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Structures and parts of structures (CPV 4421) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Left: this authority. Right: the market where the work is delivered. Bids and award-vs-estimate pairs are per lot, from contested contracts only — direct awards (including PA 2023 transparency notices) report one bid by definition and are left out. On Procurement Act 2023 notices the count is the tenders assessed at the final stage, not every submission received; pairs compare like with like (VAT-exclusive, or VAT-inclusive on both sides). Empty means nothing was published, not filled in from elsewhere.

This authority

UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)

contract notices in 36 months: 2 in CPV 4421 · 8 in division 44 (3 route not published) · 217 in all categories (23 without competition · 57 route not published)

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in this industry (CPV 44), last 36 months: 4 lots. All 4 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices, which count bids assessed.

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

2.5division 44 · 36m · n=4 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in this industry (CPV 44), last 36 months: 4 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

25%division 44 · 36m · n=4 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 75 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

at estimateall categories · 36m · n=75 pairs
Deadline → award date
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in this industry (CPV 44), last 36 months: 4 notices.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

30ddivision 44 · 36m · n=4 notices
Notice updates
i

How often this buyer changes a notice after publishing it.

Middle number of amendments per notice. Deadline extensions and corrections both count.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 24 months: 2,628 notices.

Last 24 months.

0all categories · 24m · n=2,628 notices
Awarded without competition
i

How often this buyer awards without a competition.

Direct or limited awards as a share of its notices that say which procedure was used. These routes are legal in defined cases. This is just the record.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in this industry (CPV 44), last 36 months: 5 notices.

Last 36 months.

0%division 44 · 36m · n=5 notices
Bids per lot · history, not this notice’s lots moderate · n=4
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 4 lots on 4 contested notices · division 44, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 25%
  • 2–3 50%
  • 4–6 0%
  • 7+ 25%

Median 2.5 · 4 lots on 4 contested notices · division 44.

Winning award vs estimate robust · n=75
i

How often winners come in below, near or above the estimate.

Each lot with both an estimate and an award is placed by how far the award sat from the estimate.

Based on 75 lot pairs · all categories, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 37%
  • Within ±2% 52%
  • Above estimate 11%

75 lot pairs · all categories.

The market · authority’s region

South West England · Structures and parts of structures (CPV 4421)

contract notices delivered in South West England in 36 months: 31 in CPV 4421 (25 competed, 4 route not published) · 244 in division 44 (182 competed, 37 route not published) · the notice publishes no delivery location, so the authority’s registered region is used

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 4421), last 36 months: 8 lots. 4 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 6) and 4 from older notices (bids received, middle 5).

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

5CPV 4421 · 36m · n=8 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 4421), last 36 months: 8 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

13%CPV 4421 · 36m · n=8 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 4421), last 36 months: 5 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

at estimateCPV 4421 · 36m · n=5 pairs
Deadline → award date
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 4421), last 36 months: 7 notices.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

45dCPV 4421 · 36m · n=7 notices
SME bidders
i

How much of this market goes to small and medium firms.

SME bidders where buyers published the split, otherwise SME winners.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 4421), last 36 months: 6 lots.

Last 36 months.

82%CPV 4421 · 36m · n=6 lots
Winners based in the region
i

How much work like this goes to companies based in the delivery region.

Awards in this category delivered here where the winner’s registered address is in the region.

Based on this region’s tenders in this sector (CPV 4421), last 36 months: 21 awards.

Registered address, so a national firm with a local branch counts as outside.

Last 36 months.

81%CPV 4421 · 36m · n=21 awards
Bids per lot · history, not this notice’s lots robust · n=8
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 8 lots on 8 contested notices · CPV 4421, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 13%
  • 2–3 0%
  • 4–6 63%
  • 7+ 25%

Median 5 · 8 lots on 8 contested notices · CPV 4421.

Winning award vs estimate robust · n=5
i

How often winners come in below, near or above the estimate.

Each lot with both an estimate and an award is placed by how far the award sat from the estimate.

Based on 5 lot pairs · CPV 4421, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 40%
  • Within ±2% 60%
  • Above estimate 0%

5 lot pairs · CPV 4421.

robust · n=75
i

Where this tender’s estimate would land if the usual pattern repeats.

We apply the buyer’s usual movement between estimate and award (or the region’s) to the estimate on this notice.

This notice gives one total for several lots, so we show the percentage but do not turn it into pounds.

A benchmark, not a price to bid.

Awards in UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) (all categories, n=75 pairs) land a median at estimate. Applied to each lot’s own published value in the lot table below — the notice total (£1,080,000) is an envelope for 2 lots and is not converted.
Coverage and what to read with care
  • Each tile explains itself. The on a figure says what it is, how it is counted and which scope this notice’s own record came from (class, division, all categories, or the authority’s 24-month row). The two columns are never blended and nothing is filled from a UK-wide figure; an empty tile means the source published nothing usable. Long form: Methodology.
  • Coverage. Roughly 40 % of notices publish a bid count; about half publish an ITL1 delivery location, so the market column reads the authority’s registered region when the notice has none (labelled). About 30 % of award-vs-estimate pairs are exact matches — the buyer published the award at the estimate. n is on every figure; a thin sample is muted, never hidden.
  • “Match” and “relevance” are model scores from the nightly matcher, not published facts. Find a Tender does not publish who is bidding. Never shown: contact details, payment behaviour, or a recommended price.

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
Open for tender
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
No (one-off requirement)
First published
25 Sept 2026, 09:59 BST
Last source update
25 Sept 2026, 09:59 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end — 26 Oct 2026, 23:59 GMT
Authority reference
C1503
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
Structures and parts of structures
Delivery area
UK
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-077a28 Find a Tender

How to participate & submission route

Official notice Submit via UKRI eSourcing
Submission portal named on this notice: UKRI eSourcing
Supplier login requiredElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free
Expression of interest (EOI)
—
Tender submission deadline
21 Oct 2026, 23:45 BST
Clarification deadline
9 Oct 2026, 14:00 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release
To view and access this opportunity go to the Atamis eSourcing platform: 1. Log in or create an account here: ukri2.my.site.com ↗ 2. Navigate to the opportunity in the Find an Opportunity section of the site or via the direct access link 3. Select Register Interest (you will not be able to view the tender documentation without registering an interest). 4. Go back to the main menu and navigate to the My Proposals and Quotes section of the site. 5. Select the opportunity from the list. Tender Documents for download are found in the Documents tab

Timeline

5 published dates · Europe/London
  1. Tender notice publishedearlier today
    25 Sept 2026, 09:59 BST
  2. Clarification questions byin 14 days
    9 Oct 2026, 14:00 BST
  3. Submission deadlinein 27 days
    21 Oct 2026, 23:45 BST
  4. Award decision expected byin 32 days
    26 Oct 2026, 23:59 GMT
  5. Contract startsin 62 days
    26 Nov 2026, 00:00 GMT

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Nothing awarded yet
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Tender notice published
    25 Sept 2026, 09:59 BSTUK4

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 1FL [email protected]

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

  • Conflict of interest declarationtenderConflict of interest declaration

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender