Official UK procurement notice
Project FORGE (Fusion Optimisation and Research by Geometric-integration of Electron-screening)
Authority: United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThis is for a collaborative R&D project.
CPV: Research services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Astral System Limited will lead a collaborative R&D project with the end goal to:
Astral System Limited will lead a collaborative R&D project with the end goal to:
- Explore different candidate LCF deuterium enriched materials and decide on the optimal material for a Mark-1 MSF DT reactor.
- Test the different materials to better understand degradation, longevity, and fuel retention under operational and stress tested conditions.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
- Legal basis
- CELEX · 32014L0024 Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Directive 2014/24/EU)
- Procurement category
- Services
- 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
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 18 Oct 2023, 13:21 BST
- Last source update
- 18 Oct 2023, 13:21 BST
- FTS notice number
2023/S 000-030766- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-040d0dFind a Tender
- Why no open competition
- The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the directive
- Published justification
UKAEA have been engaging the neutron source community to assess the degree of research alignment that might be possible in each source scenario. This is an extension of this work and to achieve the best possible outcome in this area, UKAEA needs to engage a specialist consultant to enhance our knowledge of the topic and unique scientific support .
- Review procedure
VI.4.2)Body responsible for mediation procedures
VI.4.3)Review procedure
Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures:
The authority will incorporate a minimum 10 calendar day standstill period at the point information on the award of the contract is communicated to tenderers.
This period allows unsuccessful tenderers to seek further debriefing from the authority before a contract is entered into applicants have 2 working days from the notification of the award decision to request. Additional debriefing and that information have to be provided within a minimum of 3 working days before the expiry of the standstill period. Such additional information should be sought from the contact named in this notice.
If an appeal regarding the award of a contract has not been successfully resolved, the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (SI 2015 No. 102) provide for aggrieved parties who have been harmed or are at risk of harm by a breach of the rules to take action in the High Court (England, Wales and Northern Ireland).
Any such action must be brought promptly.
(generally within 3 months).
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astral Neutronics Ltd. DBA Astral Systems | £300,000 † | — | Awarded |
Contracts
Contract 030766-2023-1 · Astral Neutronics Ltd. DBA Astral Systems
- Signed
- 16 Oct 2023
- Value
- £300,000
- Status
- active
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- UK Atomic Energy AuthorityMediation bodyReview bodyReview contact point
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Astral Neutronics Ltd. DBA Astral SystemsAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice.