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Corrosion Testing Framework for STEP

UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

TenderUpdate

05 Aug 2026 at 13:54

UK4 - Tender Notice
Tender

22 Jul 2026 at 10:09

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd is procuring specialist corrosion and materials testing services for the UKFE STEP programme, delivered in the United Kingdom. The procurement will establish a multi-supplier framework for testing high-temperature coolants, carrier gases, breeder materials and STEP coolant-facing alloys and candidate tritium-breeding materials. The work is divided into three service areas: light and heavy water exposure; carbon dioxide, supercritical carbon dioxide and helium exposure; and liquid-metal environments. Testing is intended to quantify corrosion, degradation and material compatibility, support mitigation strategies, inform material selection and help assess component service life. Services include controlled exposure testing, environmental monitoring, specimen manufacture where required, post-test characterisation, data analysis and technical reporting, with materials returned after testing.

The process reached tender: the buyer invited offers through an open procedure, with electronic submission allowed in English. Enquiries were due by 1 September 2026 at 12:00 and offers by 8 September 2026 at 12:00. The expected award decision date is 28 September 2026. The framework is planned from 2 November 2026 to 2 November 2028, with up to three two-year extensions and a maximum end date of 2 November 2034. It allows up to 15 suppliers and call-offs may use competition or direct award where consistency is necessary. The total estimated value is £6,000,000 excluding VAT, or £7,200,000 including VAT. Each of the three lots is valued at £2,000,000 excluding VAT. Evaluation is technical quality 80%, commercial price 10% and social value 10%.

This opportunity suits specialist corrosion, materials testing, laboratory and research organisations, including SMEs, that can perform the work directly. Relevant capability includes high-temperature, high-pressure aqueous testing; controlled carbon dioxide, supercritical carbon dioxide and helium exposure testing; and static or dynamic testing of lithium-lead liquid metals. Suppliers should be able to assess steels, tungsten, copper alloys, silicon-carbide composites, coatings and lithium-rich breeder materials, including reactive or air-sensitive materials where relevant. Strong applicants will offer specimen manufacture, environmental monitoring, corrosion and mass-change measurement, thermophysical property testing, impurity and purity analysis, advanced microstructural and compositional characterisation, corrosion-product analysis, data interpretation and technical reporting. Testing must follow recognised standards such as ASTM where applicable, or agreed alternative methods, with irradiation-assisted, pre-irradiated and advanced exposure capabilities advantageous.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Corrosion Testing Framework for STEP

Notice Description

The purpose of this procurement is to establish a framework agreement with a number of pre-qualified, specialist corrosion testing providers to deliver corrosion testing services for the UKFE STEP programme over the next two years. The framework will enable efficient and compliant call-off contracts for testing of high-temperature coolants, carrier gases, and breeder materials against STEP coolant-facing alloys and candidate tritium breeding materials as requirements arise. The framework is intended to streamline procurement and contract management, reduce the need for repeated tender exercises, improve consistency in quality and supplier performance, and enable faster delivery of future testing requirements through simplified call-off procedures. The procurement also aims to establish long-term working relationships with expert testing organisations, promote innovation and market engagement, support a broad specialist supplier base (including SMEs), and ensure compliance with the Procurement Act 2023 through transparent, competitive, and value-for-money procurement. Framework appointments are intended only for organisations that can undertake the testing directly. The testing will generate mechanistic understanding of corrosion interactions between high-temperature coolants (including light and heavy water, supercritical CO2 and helium), carrier gases (helium), STEP coolant-facing alloys, and candidate tritium breeding materials (including lithium ceramics and liquid metals), to quantify corrosion effects, identify mitigation strategies, and support the extension of component service life.

Lot Information

Light (H2O) and heavy (D2O) water exposure.

This lot covers the provision of corrosion testing services to assess the performance and compatibility of STEP candidate materials when exposed to high-temperature aqueous environments representative of future fusion reactor operating conditions. Testing will focus on austenitic stainless steels, tungsten, copper-based alloys, and other candidate materials supplied by UKFE. The objective is to quantify corrosion behaviour, establish baseline performance data using unirradiated materials, and develop a mechanistic understanding of corrosion processes to support material selection, coolant chemistry development, and component lifetime assessment. Suppliers are encouraged to propose capabilities for testing under synergistic irradiation environments where available. The scope includes exposure testing in recirculating high-temperature, high-pressure water environments, monitoring of relevant environmental and corrosion parameters, post-test material characterisation, and the generation of data including corrosion rates, material loss, crack initiation and growth behaviour, oxide characterisation, and material/coolant compatibility. Testing shall be undertaken using recognised industry standards where available, or mutually agreed methodologies where standards do not exist. Suppliers should be capable of undertaking specimen testing, advanced post-exposure characterisation, data analysis, and reporting. Final deliverables will include raw and analysed test data, technical reports, microstructural characterisation results, and the return of all tested and untested materials to UKFE. A non-exhaustive list of anticipated testing requirements is provided in Appendix H - Test Matrix, and suppliers may offer all or part of the required services, as well as complementary capabilities.

Renewal: The framework may include up to three extensions of two years each.

CO2, supercritical CO2 exposures & Helium - applicable to lot 2

This lot is for the provision of specialist materials testing services to assess the performance and degradation of candidate fusion reactor materials under representative STEP operating environments. The work will evaluate uncoated and coated structural alloys, including austenitic stainless steels, ferritic steels and copper-based alloys, when exposed to high-temperature CO2, supercritical CO2 and helium environments, including helium in contact with lithium-rich breeder materials. The supplier will undertake controlled exposure testing to quantify degradation mechanisms such as oxidation, carburisation, corrosion, creep-corrosion and crack growth, and provide mechanistic understanding of these processes together with potential mitigation strategies. Testing will primarily be performed on unirradiated materials to generate baseline performance data, although capability for irradiation-assisted testing is desirable. The scope includes specimen manufacture (where required), high-temperature exposure testing in controlled gas environments, online environmental monitoring, post-test materials characterisation, microstructural and compositional analysis, measurement of corrosion and mass change, and comprehensive reporting of raw and analysed data. For helium testing, additional assessment of interactions between structural materials, protective coatings and lithium-rich breeder materials is required, including appropriate handling of air-sensitive materials. All testing shall be conducted to recognised industry standards (e.g. ASTM where applicable) or agreed alternative methods where no standards exist, with all tested and untested materials returned to UKFE on completion of the contract.

Renewal: The framework may include up to three extensions of two years each.

Liquid metals - applicable to lots 3

This lot is for the provision of specialist testing services to evaluate the compatibility and degradation of candidate fusion reactor materials in liquid metal environments representative of STEP operating conditions. The work will assess structural materials, including austenitic steels, ferritic steels, tungsten and SiC/SiC composites, for corrosion, dissolution, selective leaching, embrittlement and other degradation mechanisms that may affect component performance and lifetime. The scope includes the manufacture and characterisation of lithium-lead (LiPb) liquid metals of varying compositions, measurement of thermophysical properties, controlled impurity addition and analysis, and long-duration corrosion exposure testing under representative operating conditions. Testing will investigate the influence of liquid metal composition, impurities and operating environment on both the liquid metal and exposed materials to improve understanding of corrosion mechanisms and materials compatibility. Services include liquid metal manufacture and purity validation, thermophysical property assessment, static and dynamic corrosion testing, advanced post-exposure materials characterisation, analysis of corrosion products and impurity uptake, specimen manufacture where required, and comprehensive reporting of raw and analysed data. Testing will primarily be undertaken on unirradiated materials to generate baseline performance data, with capability for pre-irradiated materials and advanced exposure techniques considered advantageous. All testing shall be carried out in accordance with recognised industry standards (e.g. ASTM where applicable) or agreed alternative methods where standards do not exist. The contract also includes testing of coated materials, handling of reactive liquid metals under inert conditions, and the return of all supplied materials to UKFE upon completion of the work.

Renewal: The framework may include up to three extensions of two years each.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06d079
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/074225-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Framework
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

71610000 - Composition and purity testing and analysis services

71620000 - Analysis services

71621000 - Technical analysis or consultancy services

71632000 - Technical testing services

71900000 - Laboratory services

73100000 - Research and experimental development services

73111000 - Research laboratory services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£6,000,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£6,000,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
5 Aug 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
8 Sep 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
ABINGDON
Postcode
OX14 3DB
Postcode Area
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)

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