Official UK procurement notice
Vapour-Phase Electrolysis Design and Development
Authority: UK Fusion Energy Ltd (Public body)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe following summary is not intended as a complete or definitive specification of the requirement. A purpose of this engagement is to seek information from the market to help refine our understanding and aid the development of a future specification.
UKFE is seeking to develop a prototype electrolyser for decomposing a vapour phase feed of water in helium. Prototype development supports the longer-term information of electrolysis technology in the STEP prototype fusion power plant. This MEN pertains to phase 1 of the prototype development: concept design. Concept design will be carried out with the aim to support future additional contracts pertaining to manufacturing, assembly and testing.
UKFE are seeking to identify industry appetite and capabilities for the provision of an electrolyser prototype design. Capabilities may include expertise in electrochemical systems, modelling and simulation, optimisation, mechanical design and process design. Any electrolysis technology capable of decomposing vapour-phase water diluted by helium is applicable to this market engagement notice. These technologies may include, but are not limited to, solid oxide ceramic cells, protonic ceramic cells or molten carbonate cells electrolytes.
UKFE shall provide the requirements of the prototype including a feed and product specification, performance requirements and bounding values.
UKFE shall provide a list of regulatory requirements for operation in a nuclear environment.
The scope of work is to generate a concept design for a prototype electrolyser that meets the requirements provided by UKFE, with design decisions that prioritise longevity, compatibility in a nuclear environment and mechanical design. A full scope, including deliverables, shall be provided as part of an invitation to tender. Deliverables may include a design description document, design justification document, process diagrams, mechanical drawings, calculations, strategies for manufacturing and strategies for validation.
CPV: Engineering design services · Experimental development services · Research and experimental development services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedPipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published
How UK Fusion Energy Ltd buys Engineering design services (CPV 7132), and who usually turns up
UK Fusion Energy Ltd’s own published record, next to the published market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Engineering design services (CPV 7132) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Here, local means registered in South East England (authority’s region).
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered in South East England.
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.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards were announced within 25 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid0% / 9%
2–363% / 30%
4–625% / 19%
7+13% / 42%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Below estimate33% / 62%
Within ±2%67% / 27%
Above estimate0% / 12%
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1CPV 7132Published estimate£125k
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How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. The bar shows 128 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid11%
2–320%
4–621%
7+48%
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Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Planned procurement
- Procurement threshold
- Below threshold
- 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
- 10 Apr 2026, 12:00 BST
- Last source update
- 8 May 2026, 14:29 BST
- Authority reference
PP-UKIFS-598- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-042566- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-067fdcFind a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
10 Apr 2026 → 31 Aug 2026 · 4 dates- Planning notice published193 days ago10 Apr 2026, 12:00 BST
- Latest notice published165 days ago8 May 2026, 14:29 BST
- Market engagement155 days ago18 May 2026, 23:59 BST
This MEN aims to gather information from potential suppliers on solutions and capabilities in relation to the provision of Vapour-Phase Electrolysis Design and Development. This is not a request for quotation but a preliminary stage to assess the market. Suppliers responding to this MEN will have the opportunity to contribute insights that may shape the final tender requirements. All answers and correspondence will be used for market sounding purposes only and will be treated with confidentiality.
Any supplier that chooses not to respond to this MEN will not exclude themselves from any subsequent procurement for this workstream.
Should an NDA or similar be required, please contact the MEN Customer Contact.
Any estimated contract values and contract dates associated with the notice are indicative and do not represent a commitment by UKFE.
As part of this PME, UKFE may carry out a range of activities. These may include, but are not limited to: issuing follow-up questions to suppliers and reviewing their responses; engaging in discussions with suppliers either collectively or individually, such as through webinars or workshops; seeking feedback on proposed requirements; exploring procurement approaches; identifying potentially suitable suppliers; assessing market capacity; and discussing possible contractual terms. PME may also be used to support the development of award criteria and the refinement of tender documentation.
Any information provided in this notice, such as CPV codes, estimated contract values, anticipated contract dates and durations, and proposed engagement timelines - are indicative only and based on UKFE’s current understanding. These details may be subject to change. The purpose of PME is to improve our understanding of the market, refine our requirements, and shape our procurement strategy. The list of activities included here is illustrative rather than exhaustive, and the nature, extent and timetable of engagement may evolve in line with UKIFS’s needs.
- Contract starts51 days ago31 Aug 2026, 00:00 BST
Notice history
2 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 10 Apr 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published10 Apr 2026, 12:00 BSTUK2
- Preliminary market engagement notice published8 May 2026, 14:29 BSTUK2
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Pipeline notice- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender