Find a TenderAwarded without competitionContract award notice
Published 17 Sept 2025, 15:02 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Waterhelm Desalination trial · UK public procurement notice

Official notice

Authority: Mining Remediation Authority (Central government)

Below threshold - without competitionSME suitable
Awarded value£190,000published award · exc. VAT
Awarded 17 Sept 2025no call for competition
Awarded to Waterwhelm

What is being bought

Published requirement description

The Salinity Department are developing a programme of short trails to research technologies which may be of use when seeking solutions to the problems posed by rising saline mine water.

Waterwhelm is a start up company based in the UK, Waterwhelm have designed and developed an efficient "Forward Osmosis" technology which has the potential to deliver large savings when compared against existing "Reverse Osmosis" technology.

The prototype they have developed is highly mobile and can be deployed from shipping containers. Following a site visit in June this year, the Salinity team believe this technology is worthy of inclusion in the trials programme.

Due to a gap in Waterwhelm's scheduling, a window of opportunity has opened for us to launch the first of these trials.

The availability is from October to December of this year

The MRA have identified Lynemouth Mine Water Treatment Scheme (MWTS) as the site most suitable to run a Waterwhelm-operated pilot project. Waterwhelm's pilot plant deployed at Lynemouth MWTS will consist of two 20ft stacked shipping containers. These items of plant had previously operated at a capacity of 5m3/day, equivalent to reusing and processing 5,000 litres of wastewater or brackish water per day

This award has been made via the Direct Award route. A UK5 Transparency notice reference 2025/S 000-057402 has also been published.

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Below threshold - without competition
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
17 Sept 2025, 15:02 BST
Last source update
17 Sept 2025, 15:59 BST
Authority reference
CA18/2/31/3
FTS notice number
2025/S 000-057456
Latest notice
Contract award notice (UK6)
Delivery area
North East (UKC)North West (UKD)Yorkshire & Humber (UKE)East Midlands (UKF)West Midlands (UKG)East of England (UKH)London (UKI)South East (UKJ)
+1 moreSouth West (UKK)
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-059c66 Find a Tender

Notice history

3 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 17 Sept 2025
  1. Transparency notice published
    17 Sept 2025, 15:02 BST
    UK5
  2. Contract award notice published
    17 Sept 2025, 15:59 BST
    UK6
  3. Contract signature expected
    30 Sept 2025, 23:59 BST
    scheduled

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast
Awards 1
Awarded value £190,0001 award exc. VAT
Awarded toValueDateStatus
WaterwhelmSME1 Oct 2025 – 31 Dec 2025£190,00017 Sept 2025Awarded

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Mining Remediation Authority

Contracting authorityPublic authority - central government GB-PPON: PRPD-5825-QDVY 200 Lichfield Lane, Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, NG18 4RGContact name, email

Bidders & participating suppliers

2 commercial parties on the notice
  • WaterwhelmAwarded supplier Suite 2, Orchard Brae House, 30 Queensferry Road,, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH4 2HSContact email
  • waterwhelmAwarded supplier Suite 2, Orchard Brae House, 30 Queensferry Road, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH4 2HSContact email

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

  • Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender
  • Transparency notice awardTransparency noticeUK5Transparency notice on Find a Tender