Official UK procurement notice
Technical Operation of the National Space Propulsion Test Facility
Authority: UK Space Agency (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe UK Space Agency has a requirement to test customer engines using the NSPTF in a timely manner. Therefore, ensuring the test facilities are ready and available to perform testing of engines and propulsion systems for customers to the NSPTF, and to support ensuring the continuing testing of hardware in the event of a facility breakdown.
The facility incorporates a range of testing hardware. The service provider will provide the test cells for the facility, from small thrust engine testing (1N+) up to medium thrust testing (up to 1500N). The latter test chamber will have new equipment (vacuum generating plant, common vacuum manifold, plume intercooler, vacuum chamber etc), owned by the UK Space Agency, that will be operated and maintained by service provider.
Provide technical support for facility operations and enter into a technical support contract for running the facility with UKSA. This will include responsibility for all safety aspects in national facility operations and to support ensuring the continuing testing of hardware in the event of a facility breakdown.
Provide cost estimates for customers through liaison with the brokers (STFC).
CPV: Miscellaneous repair and maintenance services · On space industry sector
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Awarded
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record · publisher note attached- 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
- 27 Apr 2022, 11:20 BST
- Last source update
- 27 Apr 2022, 11:20 BST
- Authority reference
PR18132- FTS notice number
2022/S 000-010803- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0330d1Find a Tender
- Why no open competition
The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator due to absence of competition for technical reasons
- Published justification
The Westcott facility and Nammo are the only location and supplier that can provide this service and therefore the authority are justified in awarding in accordance with regulation 32(5)(b).
Publisher note: The UK has key expertise and facilities in industry and academia relating to both chemical and electric propulsion / testing. The lack of investment in current UK facilities means that they are not suitable to the new demands, with the result that UK engines have to be tested abroad at greater expense. The proposed National Space Propulsion Test Facility will incorporate a vacuum pumping facility, to simulate the vacuum of space to test propulsion systems, by drawing sea level ambient pressure from the platform that a propulsion system will be tested. The UK Space Agency have identified Westcott Venture Park, with the existing testing facilities of NAMMO Westcott Ltd, as the only area such a facility can be best achieved. The Westcott Venture Park is the UK's only chemical rocket test and development site. It has been in operation as such since 1946 and has been developing, manufacturing and testing rockets for space applications, primarily satellites, since the mid-1980s. Having explored the possibility of a National Propulsion centre being set up in areas other than the Westcott facility, no viable alternative site has been identified. There is no other comparable location to Westcott, with a suitably skilled workforce located in the UK. Moreover, NAMMO Westcott Ltd has invested in Westcott facility and they would allow companies and Universities to access their facility, which may not occur elsewhere. The vast majority of the operating time will be setting up and firing of the tested engines, less than 20% of the time will be to operate the vacuum pump assembly being built by the UK Space Agency, with ESA expertise, to be attached to the test rig (giving the simulated experience of the vacuum of space). Therefore, while NAMMO staff operate their equipment to test the engine, their staff will be best placed to continue to operate the vacuum pump before firing any tested engine.
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nammo (U.K.) Limited | £1,309,125 † | — | Awarded |
Contracts
Technical Operation of the National Space Propulsion Test Facility · Nammo (U.K.) Limited
- Signed
- 6 Apr 2022
- Value
- £1,309,125
- Status
- active
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1bids | — | — | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Dispute resolution & review bodies
- UK Shared Business Services LimitedMediation bodyReview bodyReview contact point
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Nammo (U.K.) LimitedAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications
Official links; attachments are not copiedNo document links were published on the notice.