Award

UKRI-5613 Cargo and Personnel Transfers

UK RESEARCH & INNOVATION (UKRI)

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

28 Apr 2026 at 13:20

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

28 Apr 2026 at 13:09

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), a central government public authority located in Swindon, Wiltshire, has initiated a contract for the transfer of personnel and cargo in Antarctica, focusing on ship chartering services. This procurement process involves a direct award with technical reasoning due to operations availability at the required location. The contract, titled "UKRI-5613 Cargo and Personnel Transfers," spans from 11th May 2026 until 31st December 2026, with potential extension considerations due to weather or unforeseen requirements. The award has a value of $700,000 USD, and milestones include a future signature date set for 9th May 2026, post the end of the standstill period on 8th May 2026.

This tender opens significant opportunities for businesses specialising in logistics and maritime solutions, particularly those capable of handling challenging environments like Antarctica. Large-scale enterprises with expertise in ship chartering services and the capacity to manage complex transportation demands stand to benefit from engaging with this contract. Additionally, the suitability for SMEs and VCSEs indicates potential opportunities for smaller entities within the logistics industry to participate, especially if they possess unique technical capabilities or geographic advantages pertaining to Antarctic operations.

Find more tenders on our Open Data Platform.
How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

UKRI-5613 Cargo and Personnel Transfers

Notice Description

The purpose of this contract is for the transfer of personnel and cargo in and out of Antarctica.

Procurement Information

Competition is absent on ground of technical reasoning. This is due to availability of operations in the required location.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-068ce4
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/038631-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

63 - Supporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services

CPV Codes

63726400 - Ship chartering services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£700,000 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
28 Apr 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
27 Apr 20261 weeks ago
Contract Period
10 May 2026 - 31 Dec 2026 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Pending
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
UK RESEARCH & INNOVATION (UKRI)
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
SWINDON, WILTSHIRE
Postcode
SN2 1FL
Post Town
Swindon
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK7 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK71 Swindon
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Swindon
Electoral Ward
Rodbourne Cheney
Westminster Constituency
Swindon North

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

ONLY CHARTER

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

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. 

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-068ce4-2026-04-28T14:20:15+01:00",
    "date": "2026-04-28T14:20:15+01:00",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-068ce4",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PDQJ-7126-JDHG",
            "name": "UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PDQJ-7126-JDHG"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Polaris House",
                "locality": "Swindon, Wiltshire",
                "postalCode": "SN2 1FL",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKK14"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "nercprocurement@ukri.org"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "url": "https://www.ukri.org/",
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment",
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "description": "Public authority - central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PXCT-6121-VZYL",
            "name": "Only Charter SPA",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PXCT-6121-VZYL"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Sarmiento 846, Punta Arenas, Region de Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena",
                "locality": "Punta Arenas",
                "postalCode": "6212742",
                "country": "CL",
                "countryName": "Chile",
                "region": "CL"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "info@sway.cl"
            },
            "roles": [
                "supplier"
            ],
            "details": {
                "scale": "large",
                "vcse": false,
                "publicServiceMissionOrganization": false,
                "shelteredWorkshop": false
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PDQJ-7126-JDHG",
        "name": "UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)"
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "C0724",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "UKRI-5613 Cargo and Personnel Transfers",
        "description": "The purpose of this contract is for the transfer of personnel and cargo in and out of Antarctica.",
        "status": "complete",
        "procurementMethod": "direct",
        "procurementMethodDetails": "Direct award",
        "procurementMethodRationale": "Competition is absent on ground of technical reasoning. This is due to availability of operations in the required location.",
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "status": "complete",
                "suitability": {
                    "sme": true,
                    "vcse": true
                }
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "conflictOfInterest",
                "documentType": "conflictOfInterest",
                "description": "Not published"
            }
        ],
        "riskDetails": "Due to location, there are potential risk of delay to the service due to weather related issues.",
        "procurementMethodRationaleClassifications": [
            {
                "id": "singleSuppliersTechnicalReasons"
            }
        ]
    },
    "awards": [
        {
            "id": "1",
            "title": "UKRI-5613 Cargo and Personnel Transfers",
            "status": "pending",
            "value": {
                "amountGross": 700000,
                "amount": 700000,
                "currency": "USD"
            },
            "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
            "aboveThreshold": true,
            "items": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "additionalClassifications": [
                        {
                            "scheme": "CPV",
                            "id": "63726400",
                            "description": "Ship chartering services"
                        }
                    ],
                    "deliveryAddresses": [
                        {
                            "region": "AQ",
                            "country": "AQ",
                            "countryName": "Antarctica"
                        }
                    ],
                    "relatedLot": "1"
                }
            ],
            "contractPeriod": {
                "startDate": "2026-05-11T00:00:00+01:00",
                "endDate": "2026-12-31T23:59:59Z",
                "maxExtentDate": "2027-01-31T23:59:59Z"
            },
            "hasRenewal": true,
            "renewal": {
                "description": "Potential extension of 1 month to allow for any delays due to weather or unforeseen additional cargo/personnel transfer requirements."
            },
            "relatedLots": [
                "1"
            ],
            "documents": [
                {
                    "id": "038620-2026",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK5",
                    "description": "Transparency notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/038620-2026",
                    "datePublished": "2026-04-28T14:09:32+01:00",
                    "format": "text/html"
                },
                {
                    "id": "038631-2026",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK6",
                    "description": "Contract award notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/038631-2026",
                    "datePublished": "2026-04-28T14:20:15+01:00",
                    "format": "text/html"
                }
            ],
            "milestones": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "type": "futureSignatureDate",
                    "dueDate": "2026-05-09T23:59:59+01:00",
                    "status": "scheduled"
                }
            ],
            "date": "2026-04-28T00:00:00+01:00",
            "suppliers": [
                {
                    "id": "GB-PPON-PXCT-6121-VZYL",
                    "name": "Only Charter SPA"
                }
            ],
            "standstillPeriod": {
                "endDate": "2026-05-08T23:59:59+01:00"
            }
        }
    ],
    "language": "en"
}