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Subsea Cable Health/security Utilising Backscatter and Established Repeater Technologies (SCHUBERT)Subsea Cable Health/security Utilising Backscatter and Established Repeater Technologies (SCHUBERT)

NATIONAL GRID ELECTRICITY TRANSMISSION PLC

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

06 Oct 2026 at 11:19

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

National Grid Electricity Transmission commissioned SCHUBERT: research and experimental development into monitoring the health and security of subsea power cables, using backscatter and established repeater technologies. The work supports the development of longer subsea high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cables, which can connect offshore renewable generation, strengthen national grids and enable international electricity trading. The procurement is for specialist research, development consultancy and experimental development services, rather than cable supply or installation. National Grid Electricity Transmission is the buying organisation. Delivery is in the United Kingdom; no more specific delivery location is stated.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded to the University of Southampton on 3 August 2026. It was run as a selective award under an existing framework, without a further competitive call-off. The award value is £1,343,500 excluding VAT (£1,612,200 including VAT). The contract period runs from 6 October 2026 to 31 May 2029, with a possible extension to 31 March 2031. Extensions may be time- or funding-based and require an approved variation. The opportunity was a single lot. The published information gives no evaluation criteria or supplier eligibility requirements.

This award indicates that National Grid is buying specialist research and experimental development to improve subsea cable health and security monitoring, specifically through backscatter and established repeater technologies. Suppliers competing for similar future work would need credible capability in subsea power cable systems, instrumentation or monitoring technologies, and the design and delivery of applied research and experimental development. Experience translating research into solutions for long-distance HVDC infrastructure would be particularly relevant to the stated purpose. The successful supplier was a large university, showing that research organisations can compete for this type of requirement; specialist technology firms or research-led teams may also be well placed if they can demonstrate relevant expertise and delivery capacity. The award was made through a framework route, so framework participation may be important for access to comparable requirements.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Subsea Cable Health/security Utilising Backscatter and Established Repeater Technologies (SCHUBERT)Subsea Cable Health/security Utilising Backscatter and Established Repeater Technologies (SCHUBERT)

Notice Description

With the transition away from fossil fuels and towards greater electrification of transport and heating (net zero 2050) a significant increase in electrical demand is expected over the coming decades. As a result, growth in offshore renewable power generation, "bootstrap" cables to reinforce national power grids, and international interconnects to support energy trading, are all now driving considerable investment in submarine power cable infrastructure. As cable technology and installation techniques develop, it becomes feasible to deploy ever longer subsea cables, creating new opportunities for cable construction projects. When cable spans exceed 50-100km the cost of building HVDC converter stations can be outweighed by savings due to lower transmission losses, the current trend is therefore towards construction of very long subsea HVDC cables.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-078179
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/094166-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Award under framework
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

73111000 - Research laboratory services

73120000 - Experimental development services

73200000 - Research and development consultancy services

73300000 - Design and execution of research and development

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£1,343,500 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
6 Oct 2026Today
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
3 Aug 20262 months ago
Contract Period
6 Oct 2026 - 31 May 2029 2-3 years
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
NATIONAL GRID ELECTRICITY TRANSMISSION PLC
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
WC2N 5EH
Postcode Area
Central London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

University of Southampton

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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