Award

Ask AI about this notice

Summarise, research or assess it with AI

View Markdown

Share this notice

Send this contract to a colleague

Fuel Cycle Technical Specification Development

UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

17 Sep 2026 at 09:47

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

UK Fusion Energy Ltd commissioned technical consultancy to develop baseline specifications for selected fuel-cycle equipment for the STEP fusion energy programme. The work is intended to create clear design and qualification benchmarks for equipment suppliers, supporting pre-qualification and wider UK industrial participation in the development of a prototype fusion power plant. The scope relates particularly to fuel-cycle systems and tritium handling, including design, manufacture and commissioning considerations, technical analysis, systems consultancy and research consultancy. The service is delivered in the United Kingdom. The buying organisation is UK Fusion Energy Ltd, the company responsible for advancing the STEP programme and its supply-chain strategy. This is a specialist engineering and research assignment rather than the supply of equipment or construction works.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded on 17 September 2026 to Fusion Fuel Cycles, an SME based in Canada. The award value is £130,000 excluding VAT and £156,000 including VAT. The contract period runs from 5 October 2026 to 5 April 2027, with signature due by 2 October 2026. It was a below-threshold procurement using a method recorded as unknown. There was one completed lot, covering fuel-cycle technical specification development. The selected supplier is responsible for the awarded services in the United Kingdom. The award is recorded as active, and the contract is intended to establish technical specifications that can be used to pre-qualify future equipment suppliers for the STEP programme.

This requirement indicates demand for suppliers able to turn specialist fusion and fuel-cycle knowledge into practical, defensible technical specifications. Relevant capability includes tritium handling system design, equipment design and qualification, engineering analysis, systems engineering, technical consultancy and research. Credible competitors would need to understand the challenges of defining design benchmarks where nationally or internationally adopted tritium standards are limited, and be able to translate that expertise into requirements usable for supplier pre-qualification. Experience across the full equipment lifecycle—from design through manufacture and commissioning—would be relevant, as would the ability to support a public-sector fusion programme and its objective of expanding UK industrial participation. Firms with adjacent nuclear, fusion, fuel-cycle or specialist process-engineering expertise could consider how to demonstrate transferable technical authority and supply-chain understanding.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Fuel Cycle Technical Specification Development

Notice Description

The STEP programme aims to deliver a UK prototype fusion energy power plant in the 2040s and establish a credible pathway to the commercial deployment of fusion energy. United Kingdom Fusion Energy Ltd (UKFE Ltd) seeks to maximise the national and regional economic and industrial benefit of the STEP programme, in line with the strategy published in March 2026, which is featured below: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-fusion-energy-ltd-ukfe-strategy Expertise in fusion and particularly tritium handling system design, manufacture, and commissioning is concentrated within national laboratories, research facilities, and a limited specialist supply chain. There is not yet a unified set of nationally or internationally adopted codes and standards that define prescriptive tritium design and qualification requirements in a form readily accessible to new or adjacent suppliers. This absence of clear, standardised, and accessible design benchmarks represents a barrier to wider supply-chain engagement and hinders opportunities to expand UK industrial participation in fusion delivery. This contract aims to develop baseline technical specifications for select fuel cycle equipment that would enable pre-qualification of equipment suppliers for STEP.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-077408
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/088043-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Below threshold - unknown
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

71312000 - Structural engineering consultancy services

71621000 - Technical analysis or consultancy services

72220000 - Systems and technical consultancy services

73210000 - Research consultancy services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£130,000 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Sep 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
17 Sep 20262 weeks ago
Contract Period
5 Oct 2026 - 5 Apr 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
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

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Fusion Fuel Cycles

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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.

Loading OCDS record...