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NICTS Appointment of a Broker to commission the sale of an arrested shipping vessel

Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS)

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

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25 Aug 2026 at 10:27

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS) is procuring ship brokerage services to appraise and sell an arrested shipping vessel. The vessel was arrested under a court warrant and has remained berthed in Belfast Harbour. Following court orders for its sale and for the Admiralty Marshal to commission the appraisal and sale, NICTS requires a broker to manage the process. The work covers preparing the vessel for sale, arranging its appraisal and commissioning the sale on behalf of the Admiralty Marshal. The service is delivered in Belfast, with the vessel located in Belfast Harbour. The procuring function is provided by CPD – Supplies & Services Division, Northern Ireland’s central government procurement centre, while NICTS is the buying organisation.

The procurement is complete and was awarded through a direct award as one lot. The selected supplier is recorded as Withheld Section 94 Supplier. The award date is 25 August 2026, with an award value of £175,000 excluding VAT and £210,000 gross. The contract period runs from 7 September 2026 to 31 March 2027. The direct award was justified by extreme and unavoidable urgency, because delay could increase costs payable from the vessel sale, and by the claim that only a particular supplier could provide the service. The supplier is also the appointed provider for mainland Great Britain, with costs set under UK legislation. The procurement was above threshold and is now complete.

This requirement is relevant to specialist shipbrokers and maritime service providers able to appraise and sell arrested or distressed vessels for a public authority. A credible competitor would need practical ship brokerage capability, access to suitable appraisal expertise and the ability to manage a sale under court-directed Admiralty Marshal instructions. Experience of vessels held in port, court or enforcement sales, and the legal and procedural requirements surrounding arrested assets would be important. The procurement also shows that NICTS may require a provider able to mobilise quickly where delay increases costs and where the service depends on a particular supplier’s expertise. Suppliers familiar with regulated fee arrangements and public-sector value-for-money justification would be well placed when this type of requirement returns.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

NICTS Appointment of a Broker to commission the sale of an arrested shipping vessel

Notice Description

The Chief Enforcement Officer, in their capacity as Admiralty Marshal pursuant to Schedule 1, Order 75 of the Rules of the Court of Judicature (Northern Ireland) 1980, executed a Warrant of Arrest against a vessel in May 2026. The vessel has remained berthed in Belfast Harbour since then. An Order for the sale of the vessel was made in July 2026, followed by a further Order in August 2026 directing the Admiralty Marshal to commission the appraisement and sale of the vessel. The authority for the Admiralty Marshal to undertake these functions arises under Order 75. The Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS) is required to appoint a provider to deal with the appraisal and sale.

Procurement Information

There are direct award justifications provided for under Section 41 and Schedule 5 of the PA 2023 which permit a Contracting Authority to award a public contract to a single supplier where the supplies or services can only be supplied by a particular supplier and the following conditions are met:- Where-- (a) the goods, services or works to be supplied under the public contract are strictly necessary for reasons of extreme and unavoidable urgency, and (b) as a result the public contract cannot be awarded on the basis of a competitive tendering procedure. NICTS has been tasked with sourcing a broker to appraise the vessel ready for sale and delays in appointing the broker will incur will increase the overall costs to the NICTS which are payable from the sale. A competitive tender competition would therefore not be seen as demonstrating best value for money. In addition, it is noted that the supplier is also the appointed provider within GB mainland and their costs are set in UK legislation under Practice Direction 61 of the Civil Procedure Rules. The costs for this provision are exactly as set out in said legislation, therefore demonstrating VFM.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06eb3c
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080714-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency 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

63 - Supporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services

CPV Codes

63522000 - Ship brokerage services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£175,000 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
25 Aug 2026Yesterday
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
25 Aug 2026Yesterday
Contract Period
7 Sep 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 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
Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service (NICTS)
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
BELFAST
Postcode
BT1 3LA
Postcode Area
Northern Ireland
Country
Northern Ireland
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLN Northern Ireland
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLN0 Northern Ireland
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLN06 Belfast
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Belfast
Electoral Ward
Central
Westminster Constituency
Belfast South and Mid Down

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Withheld Section 94 Supplier

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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