Official UK procurement notice
UKRI-5065 BAS - Gateway Agent for Cape Town
Authority: UK Research and Innovation (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionBAS requires a gateway agent to act as their representative in Cape Town and carry out operational functions on their behalf, allowing smooth facilitation of the Antarctic season. Assistance is required on some level year-round, with a peak in assistance required during the Halley operational season (early November to mid-February). Assistance includes but is not limited to handling of passengers, cargo handling, storage and shipment, port/vessel handling and procurement. BAS requires agency representative in Cape Town to be available on a 24/7 on call basis.
- No preliminary market engagement: This procurement has not been subject to a preliminary market engagement exercise. UKRI is familiar with the market and products available, and has sufficient knowledge to proceed with the tender process.
CPV: Travel agency and similar services
How this framework works
From the published notice- Type
- Closed framework
- Call-offs
- every call-off is a further competition among the appointed suppliers
- Places
- up to 1 suppliers
- Framework period
- 3 yrs · up to 4 yrs from 21 Nov 2025, 3 year initial term + option to extend for 1 more calendar year.
Published description of the framework
Single supplier framework for the provision of port agency services. Quotations and subsequent purchase orders will be raised as per the framework agreement priced activities schedule.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1RenewalPublished value£240,000
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published sub-criteria (3)
- Technical/Quality: 60%
- Price: 30%
- Social Value: 10%
Published award criteria (3)
- Price
- Technical/Quality
- Social Value
- Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
- “UKRI-5065 BAS - Gateway Agent for Cape Town” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, up to 1 suppliers, not a single contract: each call-off is a further competition, so the pricing contest starts after appointment.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Closed
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 15 Sept 2025, 16:21 BST
- Last source update
- 15 Sept 2025, 16:21 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 13 Nov 2025
- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-056696- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Not published
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-059aa1Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- 15 Oct 2025, 16:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 1 Oct 2025, 16:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
Timeline
15 Sept 2025 → 21 Nov 2025 · 5 dates- Tender notice published15 Sept 2025, 16:21 BST
- Clarification questions by391 days ago1 Oct 2025, 16:00 BST
- Admission / appointment period ends377 days ago · period end, not a bid countdown15 Oct 2025, 16:00 BST
- Award decision expected by348 days ago13 Nov 2025, 23:59 GMT
- Contract starts341 days ago21 Nov 2025
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Tender notice published15 Sept 2025, 16:21 BSTUK4
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender