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UCL SDAC & MSc Nav Arc Course

Submarine Delivery Agency

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

12 Aug 2026 at 11:49

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

22 Jul 2026 at 11:15

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

23 Feb 2026 at 08:12

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Submarine Delivery Agency bought specialist education and engineering services for the SDAC and MSc Naval Architecture courses. The courses support the continued development of engineering students entering or progressing within the nuclear profession, with relevance to defence and maritime engineering. Delivery is across the United Kingdom. The buyer is the Submarine Delivery Agency, a central government organisation based in Bristol. The requirement covers one service lot and concerns engineering services associated with the university-delivered courses. The selected provider is UCL Consultants Limited, linked to University College London. The arrangement is intended to support student development in areas relevant to the operational capability, safety and security of the armed forces, as well as maritime regulations. The procurement therefore suits education, specialist engineering training and naval architecture providers with a direct role in delivering these courses.

The procurement is complete and was awarded to UCL Consultants Limited on 21 July 2026 through a direct award. The stated rationale was a single-source route based on exclusive intellectual property or other exclusive rights, technical reasons and the absence of reasonable alternatives. The award value is £463,524 excluding VAT, or £556,228.80 including VAT. The award period runs from 1 August 2026 to 31 December 2026, while the signed active contract runs from 10 August 2026 to 31 December 2026 and was signed on 3 August 2026. The contract includes one plus one option years, covering financial years 2026/27 and 2027/28; the overall value depends on student numbers and the highest stated contract value includes those options. Evaluation was not competitive because of the single-supplier justification.

This award demonstrates demand from the Submarine Delivery Agency for university-level naval architecture and specialist engineering education supporting the nuclear and defence workforce. A credible future competitor would need to deliver the SDAC and MSc Naval Architecture courses, or an equivalent standardised course offer, and demonstrate relevant expertise in engineering, naval architecture, maritime regulation and the nuclear profession. The buyer's reliance on a single-source justification indicates that distinctive intellectual property, exclusive rights or technical capability can be decisive for this requirement. Providers should therefore be able to show ownership or control of the relevant course content and delivery rights, suitably qualified academic and engineering staff, and the capacity to enrol and support successive student cohorts. Universities, specialist training organisations and engineering education partnerships with defence-relevant experience are the most closely aligned supplier types.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

UCL SDAC & MSc Nav Arc Course

Notice Description

The intent is for the contract(s) to be awarded under the Procurement Act 2023 regulations with justification sought for a Single Source to the University College of London (UCL). The justification has been sought to request a contract for the SDAC & MSc Naval Architecture courses to ensure the continued development of our Engineering students within the Nuclear Profession. Justification has been sought against the headers outlined in the Procurement Act 2023, relating to Schedule 5, Subsection 5, Single Suppliers; - due to a particular supplier having intellectual property rights or other exclusive rights, only that supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, only a particular supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works. Whereas this requirement is not labeled as a Defence & Security Contract, as outlined in Section 7 of the Procurement Act 2023, it is to be noted that the need for this course is to develop our engineering students to allow them to progress within the Defence and Nuclear profession as per Section 1, Subsection G. goods, services or works that are otherwise relevant to the operational capability, effectiveness, readiness for action, safety or security of the armed forces. maritime regulations.

Procurement Information

The intent is for the contract(s) to be awarded under the Procurement Act 2023 regulations with justification sought for a Single Source to the University College of London (UCL). The justification has been sought to request a contract for the SDAC & MSc Naval Architecture courses to ensure the continued development of our Engineering students within the Nuclear Profession. Justification has been sought against the headers outlined in the Procurement Act 2023, relating to Schedule 5, Subsection 5, Single Suppliers; - due to a particular supplier having intellectual property rights or other exclusive rights, only that supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, only a particular supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works. Whereas this requirement is not labeled as a Defence & Security Contract, as outlined in Section 7 of the Procurement Act 2023, it is to be noted that the need for this course is to develop our engineering students to allow them to progress within the Defence and Nuclear profession as per Section 1, Subsection G. goods, services or works that are otherwise relevant to the operational capability, effectiveness, readiness for action, safety or security of the armed forces.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0659c0
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/076662-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

CPV Codes

71300000 - Engineering services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£463,524 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
£463,524 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
12 Aug 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
21 Jul 20261 months ago
Contract Period
10 Aug 2026 - 31 Dec 2026 1-6 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Submarine Delivery Agency
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
BRISTOL
Postcode
BS34 8JH
Postcode Area
Bristol
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK5 West of England
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK52 Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
South Gloucestershire
Electoral Ward
Stoke Park & Cheswick
Westminster Constituency
Filton and Bradley Stoke

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

UCL Consultants Ltd

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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