Planning

CO2 Condenser - Preliminary Market Engagement

UK INDUSTRIAL FUSION SOLUTIONS LTD

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Planning

09 Oct 2025 at 13:05

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The current public procurement process involves UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd, based at the Culham Science Centre in Abingdon, and focuses on the preliminary market engagement for the design and development of a CO2 condenser, critical to the efficiency of the STEP powerplant. The industry category is engineering design services with specialties in electrical power systems and plant engineering. The initial stage of the procurement is planning, with opportunities for preliminary market engagement exercises expected to commence in November 2025. Key activities include a questionnaire submission deadline on 6 November 2025 and an indicative online presentation and Q&A session in the week beginning 24 November 2025. Although the process is still in the planning stage, it seeks to refine specifications and gather market insights to shape future approaches and documentation.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in engineering design, particularly in the fields of CO2 processing, power systems, and plant engineering, offering the chance to influence the project scope and requirements. Companies with expertise in high-pressure and thermal dynamics, those who can innovate or provide novel technologies in cooling systems, and those complying with UK pressure equipment regulations are well-suited to compete. Engaging early in the market engagement phase allows businesses to shape potential contract terms and criteria, paving the way for future procurement opportunities as the project progresses. This presents a valuable opportunity for engagement and growth for businesses with the capability to meet high technical standards and regulations.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

CO2 Condenser - Preliminary Market Engagement

Notice Description

The following summary is not intended as a complete or definitive specification of the requirement. A purpose of this engagement notice is to seek information from the market to help refine our understanding and aid the development of a future specification. UKIFS is seeking experts to support the design and development of a CO2 condenser that is part of the STEP power cycle. This is because a high-performance CO2 condenser is critical to the efficiency of the STEP powerplant (supercritical and/or transcritical CO2 power generation cycles are currently the preferred concept for the STEP prototypic plant). The proposed technical and operating conditions of the proposed CO2 condenser are: *Operating pressure is between ca. 60-100 bar for the CO2 stream *Operating inlet temperature will be between ca. 50 - 110degC. The outlet temperature will be between ca. 20-25 degC for the CO2 stream. *Thermal duty is in the range of 1-2 GWth. *The equipment must comply with UK pressure equipment regulations. Note: both wet and dry cooling options are of interest, as are both existing and novel technologies or design approaches. For more information about this opportunity, please visit the Delta eSourcing portal at: https://ukifs.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Abingdon:-Engineering-design-services./2HE569TDE9 To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://ukifs.delta-esourcing.com/respond/2HE569TDE9

Planning Information

Scope of Preliminary Market Engagement Activities: This Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) exercise is intended to gather information from potential suppliers regarding the design and development of CO2 condensers. The engagement is currently expected to take place in two stages: The first stage involves a written submission via the questionnaire, which should be returned by 13:00 hrs on 6 November 2025. The second stage will be an online presentation (delivered by UKIFS) and Q&A session that multiple suppliers may attend. This is expected to take place during the week commencing 24 November 2025 (indicative only). For the avoidance of doubt: Suppliers who wish to attend the presentation and Q&A session will need to confirm that they wish to participate by indicating this within the questionnaire and submitting this via Delta as directed. Supplier's who do not to respond to this notice are NOT thereby excluded from any subsequent tender process for this workstream. As part of this PME, UKIFS may carry out a range of activities. These may include, but are not limited to: issuing follow-up questions to suppliers and reviewing their responses; engaging in discussions with suppliers either collectively or individually, such as through webinars or workshops; seeking feedback on proposed requirements; exploring procurement approaches; identifying potentially suitable suppliers; assessing market capacity; and discussing possible contractual terms. PME may also be used to support the development of award criteria and the refinement of tender documentation. Any information provided in this notice, such as CPV codes, estimated contract values, anticipated contract dates and durations, and proposed engagement timelines - are indicative only and based on UKIFS’s current understanding. These details may be subject to change. The purpose of PME is to improve our understanding of the market, refine our requirements, and shape our procurement strategy. The list of activities included here is illustrative rather than exhaustive, and the nature, extent and timetable of engagement may evolve in line with UKIFS’s needs.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05abab
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/063751-2025
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

CPV Codes

71320000 - Engineering design services

71323100 - Electrical power systems design services

71323200 - Plant engineering design services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
9 Oct 20254 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
6 Nov 2025Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planning
Lots Status
Planning
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
UK INDUSTRIAL FUSION SOLUTIONS LTD
Contact Name
Operational Procurement
Contact Email
operationalprocurement.step@ukifs.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
ABINGDON
Postcode
OX14 3DB
Post Town
Oxford
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ14 Oxfordshire CC
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
South Oxfordshire
Electoral Ward
Sandford & the Wittenhams
Westminster Constituency
Didcot and Wantage

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

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