Official UK procurement notice
Supply of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel to RRS James Cook
Authority: National Oceanography Centre (Public body)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe National Oceanography Centre has awarded a contract to Crown Oil Ltd for the supply of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel to RRS James Cook (IMO No. 9338242), berthed at Southampton, UK.
The contract is for the supply of 350 metric tons (approximately 437,000 litres) of HVO fuel, delivered by road tanker wagon (RTW).
The fuel must comply with the EN 15940 standard and must not contain palm oil or palm oil sludge. Sulphur content must comply with the latest EU and MCA regulations, with a maximum sulphur content of less than 5% by volume. The fuel must have a flash point in excess of 60 degrees Celsius.
At the time of bunkering, the supplier must provide a copy of the fuel specification, fuel samples, and a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) to the Chief Engineer. A Bunker Delivery Note (BDN) must be provided stating the quantity in metric tons and the specific flashpoint value if below 70 degrees Celsius, or confirmation that the flashpoint has been measured at or above 70 degrees Celsius.
The following sustainability documentation is required: proof of sustainability of the biofuel component (certified by ISCC/RSB), a biofuel delivery statement, and the Emission Factor (CF) value for the Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (fuel grade) in t-CO2/t-Fuel.
The contract was awarded by direct award under the Procurement Act 2023. The contract award notice was published on 10 June 2026, the standstill period ended on 22 June 2026, and the contract was entered into following expiry of that period.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Awarded
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
- 10 Jun 2026, 13:24 BST
- Last source update
- 2 Jul 2026, 08:09 BST
- Authority reference
2026PRNOC-1213- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-062004- Latest notice
- Contract termination notice (UK11)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06b1d1Find a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Commodity
- Published justification
HVO fuel is a standardised commodity product defined by EN 15940, a published European technical standard for paraffinic diesel fuels. The specification for this requirement is set entirely by that market standard and by regulatory compliance obligations (EU and MCA sulphur content regulations), rather than by any buyer preference or bespoke requirement. Any supplier able to deliver EN 15940-compliant HVO with the required sustainability certifications (ISCC/RSB) is capable of fulfilling the contract, and the product itself is not meaningfully differentiable between compliant suppliers.
The justification in paragraph 10 of Schedule 5 to the Procurement Act 2023 applies where a contract is for goods purchased on a commodity market. It does not require that the contracting authority buy the goods on a commodity market or transact through a commodity exchange. It requires only that the contract is for goods of a kind purchased on a commodity market, which this contract pertains to.
The requirement was competed through a competitive quote exercise conducted among multiple suppliers, with award made on the basis of best price received. The fuel is required for the operational bunkering of RRS James Cook at Southampton ahead of a scheduled departure, making this a time-critical requirement against a fixed delivery date of 25 June 2026.
For these reasons, the procurement qualifies for direct award under the commodities justification: the goods are traded on a commodity market, the specification is determined by an established market standard, and the authority has nonetheless conducted a competitive process to secure best value.
- Risks
Price volatility: HVO is a commodity fuel subject to market price fluctuation. Although a firm fixed price has been agreed at the point of quotation, wider market movements could affect supplier willingness to honour pricing if there is a material delay between award and delivery.
Delivery logistics: Delivery is by road tanker wagon (RTW) to a working port. Risks include road transport delays, port access restrictions, and vehicle availability at short notice, any of which could jeopardise delivery against the required date of 25 June 2026.
Quantity variance: The quantity delivered may differ from the quantity ordered due to the operational fuelling process and density variance at the point of delivery. The final invoiced quantity will be confirmed by the Bunker Delivery Note, and the purchase order value may require amendment to reflect the actual delivered volume.
Specification non-compliance: There is a risk that fuel delivered does not meet the EN 15940 standard, sustainability certification requirements (ISCC/RSB), or the sulphur content threshold on arrival. This would require rejection of the delivery and sourcing from an alternative supplier, with potential impact on vessel departure.
Documentation failure: The requirement for sustainability certificates, MSDS, fuel samples, BDN, and Emission Factor data creates a risk that incomplete documentation is provided at the time of bunkering, which could affect regulatory compliance and internal reporting obligations under the Procurement Act 2023.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
22 Jun 2026 → 2 Jul 2026 · 2 dates- Standstill ends128 days ago22 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
- Notice published119 days ago2 Jul 2026, 08:09 BST
Notice history
5 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 10 Jun 2026- Transparency notice published10 Jun 2026, 13:24 BSTUK5
- Contract award notice published10 Jun 2026, 13:38 BSTUK6
- Contract signature expected23 Jun 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract details notice published25 Jun 2026, 13:39 BSTUK7
- Contract termination notice published2 Jul 2026, 08:09 BSTUK11
Routine re-releases (4)
- 2026-06: 1 release · 10 Jun 2026
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crown Oil Ltd24 Jun 2026 – 30 Jun 2026 | £870,000 inc. VAT | 10 Jun 2026 | Awarded |
Contracts
Provision of HVO Fuel - RRS JC June 2026 · Crown Oil Ltd
- Signed
- 24 Jun 2026
- Value
- £870,000 inc. VAT
- Period
- 24 Jun 2026 – 30 Jun 2026
- Status
- terminated
- Final value
- £700,008
- Termination
- contractCompleted
No agreed KPIs: The estimated value of this contract is £870,000 including VAT, which is below the £5 million threshold at which the requirement to set key performance indicators applies under the Procurement Act 2023. KPIs have therefore not been set. The contract is in any event a single short-term supply of a standardised commodity fuel against a defined specification, the performance of which is governed by the product standard and delivery documentation rather than ongoing performance measures.
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Crown Oil LtdAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (4)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Contract termination notice Contract termination notice on Find a Tender
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender