Find a TenderAwarded without competitionContract details notice
Published 14 Jul 2025, 16:05 BST

Official UK procurement notice

STEP P&T – High Heat Flux Testing and Verification Facility

Official notice

Authority: UK FUSION ENERGY LTD (Central government)

Direct award
Awarded value£293,959published award · exc. VAT
Awarded 16 Oct 2025no call for competition
Awarded to ICS Cool Energy Limited

What is being bought

Published requirement description

An integrated system that will provide cooling for the high heat flux testing for the STEP in-vessel components, as well as cooling the auxiliary systems required for operation, as part of the High Heat Flux Testing and Verification Facility. This system will include:

Temperature Control Unit (226 kW cooling capacity, 150 kW heating capacity and a maximum operating temperature of 350°C)

Chiller (350 kW cooling capacity)

Design of the Temperature Control Unit and Chiller System, along with all necessary components for operation.

Commissioning of the system.

Installation of the system.

This system is very similar to the operational HIVE test rig which has used this supplier for the last seven years and shares the same fundamental design concept, many similar components, the cooling system and operational principles. These specific nuances are currently only understood by ICS Cool Energy.

This project is an extension of the organisation’s Induction-heating based HHF testing programme and there is a stakeholder requirement to ensure equipment is directly comparable, and compatible to the HIVE facility, including physical interfaces, control, and data acquisition (see approved TD-0012050-A: SHR-010, SHR-011, SHR-013). As a result another supplier would have to retrofit the HIVE test to match the proposed HHFTVF facility increasing the cost beyond what we have been quoted.

The absence of this system poses a significant technical risk to the project, as it will result in certain key stakeholder requirements falling out of scope and lead to a diminished operational capability, such as the inability to accurately replicate the first wall environment as well as future use cases. (see approved TD-0012050-A: SHR-008, SHR-009, SHR-016)

To view this notice, please click here:

ukifs.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html ↗

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published

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
14 Jul 2025, 16:05 BST
Last source update
5 Dec 2025, 14:05 GMT
Authority reference
PP-UKIFS-334c
FTS notice number
2025/S 000-080201
Latest notice
Contract details notice (UK7)
Delivery area
UK
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-055ed8 Find a Tender
Why no open competition
Single Suppliers Technical Reasons; Additional Repeat Further Following Competitive Procedure
Published justification

This project is an extension of the organisation’s induction heating-based HHF testing program, with a stakeholder requirement to ensure that the equipment is directly comparable and compatible with the HIVE facility which has utilised a very similar cooling system from this supplier for the last seven years. This includes physical interfaces, control systems, and data acquisition (see approved TD-0012050-A: SHR-013).

Our facility needs a distinctive combination of components, most of which are commercial off-the-shelf and suitable for their intended purpose. However, addressing our specific requirements requires a deeper understanding of our needs. The proposed supplier has extensive experience with the HIVE facility, making them uniquely qualified to provide post-purchase support as an extension of their current HIVE services.

Using the same supplier allows for consolidation of maintenance contracts which in turn will lead to cost savings through economies of scale, streamlined administrative processes, and improved response times, ultimately enhancing budget predictability and reducing overall operational expenses.

The team responsible for operating HIVE will also manage HHFTVF. Utilizing equipment from the same manufacturer will mitigate the inherent risks associated with operating new machinery and reduce the costs associated with training staff to operate and troubleshoot a new test rig.

ICS Cool Energy is the best positioned supplier to fully satisfies specific requirements for the temperature control unit, including heating power, cooling power, and operational temperature. (see TCU & Chiller Market Research Document)

How it was run

Official notice
Submission deadline
—

Timeline

27 Oct 2025 → 5 Dec 2025 · 2 dates
  1. Standstill ends365 days ago
    27 Oct 2025, 23:59 GMT
  2. Notice published326 days ago
    5 Dec 2025, 14:05 GMT

Notice history

4 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 14 Jul 2025
  1. Transparency notice published
    14 Jul 2025, 16:05 BST
    UK5
  2. Contract award notice published
    16 Oct 2025, 19:05 BST
    UK6
  3. Contract signature expected
    29 Oct 2025, 23:59 GMT
    scheduled
  4. Contract details notice published
    5 Dec 2025, 14:05 GMT
    UK7

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast
Awards 1
Awarded value £293,9591 award exc. VAT
Contracts signed 1latest 5 Dec 2025
Awarded toValueDateStatus
ICS Cool Energy LimitedPP-UKIFS-334c30 Oct 2025 – 31 Mar 2026£293,95916 Oct 2025Awarded

Contracts

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

UK INDUSTRIAL FUSION SOLUTIONS LTD

Contracting authorityPublic authority - sub-central government GB-PPON: PCRM-7973-DCBL UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd, Culham Campus, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, Abingdon, South East, OX14 3DBContact name, email

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice
  • ICS COOL ENERGY LIMITEDAwarded supplierGB-PPON: PXRH-1519-HLXY Ics House Stephenson Road, Calmore Industrial Estate, Totton, Southampton, South East, SO40 3SAContact name, email

Official documents & specifications (4)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

Notices published for this procedure

  • Contract details notice contractContract details noticeUK7Contract details notice on Find a Tender
  • Contract award notice awardContract award noticeUK6Contract award notice on Find a Tender
  • Transparency notice awardTransparency noticeUK5Transparency notice on Find a Tender