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The provision of Ocean Bottom Seismograph (OBS)

UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

04 Sep 2026 at 11:34

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

04 Sep 2026 at 11:31

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The University of Plymouth procured six ocean-bottom seismographs (OBS), associated equipment and specialist operational and technical support for the Antarctic Canyon Experiment (ACE). The requirement supports a long-term marine geophysical research programme in Antarctica and covers experimental planning, design, mobilisation, deployment, recovery, equipment management, shipping, sea-going technical operations and data acquisition. The work combines research and development services with precision scientific instrumentation. The buyer is the University of Plymouth, and delivery and field operations are centred on Antarctica. The requirement is intended for a supplier able to provide both Antarctic-capable OBS equipment and the specialist expertise needed to operate and manage the instruments in a challenging marine research environment.

The procurement is complete and was awarded through a direct award to Ocean-Bottom Instrumentation Consortium. The University justified using a single supplier because competition was absent for technical reasons and no reasonable alternative could provide the required combination of instrumentation, submarine-canyon deployment experience, technical expertise, logistics and availability. The award date was 1 September 2026. The awarded value is £408,296 excluding VAT, or £489,955.20 including VAT. The contract period runs from 17 September 2026 to 30 September 2027. The award is above the applicable threshold. A standstill period ends on 15 September 2026, with contract signature scheduled for 17 September 2026. There is one lot and one awarded supplier.

This procurement demonstrates demand for specialist oceanographic instrumentation and technical delivery in Antarctic marine research. A credible future competitor would need access to six ocean-bottom seismographs suitable for Antarctic deployment, together with the capacity to mobilise, ship, deploy, recover and manage them during a long-term field programme. Relevant capability includes experimental planning and design, scientific data acquisition, sea-going technical operations and experience working in submarine canyons or similarly demanding marine environments. Suppliers would also need reliable equipment availability and logistics that align with a defined research programme, as well as the technical personnel to support operations from preparation through recovery. The requirement favours an integrated instrumentation-and-services provider rather than an equipment-only supplier.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

The provision of Ocean Bottom Seismograph (OBS)

Notice Description

The University of Plymouth requires the provision of Ocean Bottom Seismographs (OBS), associated equipment, and specialist operational and technical support services to support the ACE Project in Antarctica. The requirement includes the mobilisation, deployment, recovery and management of six OBS units for a long-term marine geophysical research programme, together with specialist expertise in experimental planning, design, implementation and data acquisition. Funding relevant to this notice benefits from European Research Council (ERC) grant funding under Project 101169829 - Antarctic Canyon Experiment (ACE)

Procurement Information

The below justification set out in Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023 applies to this Direct Award; Single Supplier (6) The following conditions are met in relation to the public contract-- (a)due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, only a particular supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and (b)there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works. The University of Plymouth requires the hire of six Ocean Bottom Seismometers (OBS) and associated specialist technical services for the Antarctic Canyon Experiment (ACE). The requirement includes not only the provision of Antarctic-capable OBS equipment, but also specialist support for experimental design, mobilisation, deployment, recovery, equipment shipping and sea-going technical operations. The Ocean-Bottom Instrument Consortium (OBIC) has been identified as the only supplier able to provide the required combination of OBS instrumentation, specialist technical expertise, submarine canyon deployment experience, logistical capability and equipment availability for the required project period. Alternative providers were considered; however, none could demonstrate the full combination of technical capability, operational support and availability necessary to meet the scientific and logistical requirements of the project. Several suppliers confirmed they were unavailable within the required timeframe or unable to provide the necessary support arrangements. The University has therefore concluded that competition is absent for technical reasons and that no reasonable alternative supplier exists. Accordingly, OBIC is the only supplier capable of meeting the University's requirements. Funding relevant to this notice benefits from European Research Council (ERC) grant funding under Project 101169829 - Antarctic Canyon Experiment (ACE)

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06f219
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083836-2026
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
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

38 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

38000000 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)

73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£408,296 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
4 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
1 Sep 20262 weeks ago
Contract Period
17 Sep 2026 - 30 Sep 2027 1-2 years
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
UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
PLYMOUTH, DEVON
Postcode
PL4 8AA
Postcode Area
Plymouth
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK4 Devon
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK41 Plymouth
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Plymouth
Electoral Ward
Drake
Westminster Constituency
Plymouth Sutton and Devonport

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Ocean-Bottom Instrumentation Consortium

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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