--- title: "NOC Research Vessel Dry-Dock Refit and Maintenance Contract 2026" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0596f1" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0596f1" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0596f1.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0596f1.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Planning" buyer: "NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHY CENTRE" published: "2025-11-14" --- # NOC Research Vessel Dry-Dock Refit and Maintenance Contract 2026 Buyer: NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHY CENTRE Current stage: Planning OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0596f1 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0596f1) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0596f1.json) ## Summary The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) is planning an accelerated open procedure for the "NOC Research Vessel Dry-Dock Refit and Maintenance Contract 2026," addressing urgent maintenance needs for research vessels RRS Discovery and RRS James Cook. This public procurement, currently in the planning stage, is an urgent requirement due to unforeseen delays in the contract extensions. The process will officially start by 21 November 2025, with a significantly shortened tendering period allowed under the Procurement Act 2023 due to the state of urgency. Interested suppliers should be ready to submit tenders electronically via the MyTenders portal, with the tender documents becoming available one week after publication. The deadline for tender submissions is set for 1 December 2025. This process aims to ensure the vessels are ready for the 2026 scientific missions, maintaining compliance with statutory requirements. The projected contract value ranges between £2 million and £3 million, providing significant business opportunities for companies in marine repair and maintenance services. This tender is suitable for businesses experienced in vessel repairs, upgrades, and dry-docking services, especially those familiar with accelerated procurement processes. By engaging in this tender, businesses can enhance their portfolio and gain preferred vendor status for future maritime service contracts with sub-central government entities such as the NOC. Given the prominence of the NOC in marine research, successful bidders will benefit from exposure and credibility in the industry. ## Notice The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) is planning an accelerated open procedure under section 20(2)(a) of the Procurement Act 2023. This means any interested and qualified supplier may submit a tender. The process is fully transparent and follows the requirements of the Act and associated Regulations. All tender documentation, including this specification, will be available through the MyTenders portal. Suppliers are advised to register now to be ready for the release of tender documents. This planned procurement will be conducted with a state of urgency under an accelerated open procedure in accordance with Section 54 of the Procurement Act 2023, which governs time limits for competitive tendering procedures. Section 54(3) and (4) permit the reduction of minimum time periods where there is a state of urgency that makes compliance with standard time limits impracticable. The NOC is planning to launch the procedure by the 21.11.2025 with the minimum tendering period of 10 Days. We are publishing this advance notice to give suppliers time to register on our e-tendering platform and prepare their teams ahead of an urgent tender. Full documentation will follow in one week, our aim is to support suppliers with as much notice as possible. The urgency arises because the planned extension of the existing PCR2015-compliant contract process has fallen through unexpectedly. The vessels must undergo refit within fixed operational windows to maintain programme commitments for 2026. Delays would result in significant operational disruption and risk to scientific missions, which cannot be rescheduled without major impact on public benefit and research obligations. Accordingly, the tendering period will be shortened to the minimum permitted under Section 54 for urgent cases, while ensuring suppliers have sufficient time to prepare compliant bids. All associated tender documents will be published simultaneously with the tender notice to support this accelerated process. This procurement is for the urgent dry-dock refit and maintenance of two research vessels, RRS Discovery and RRS James Cook, during 2026. The RRS Discovery requires an intermediate docking survey and associated dry-dock works in April 2026, while the RRS James Cook is scheduled for a dry-dock refit between May and August 2026. Both refits must be completed in dry dock to meet statutory and operational requirements. The scope of the contract will be fully detailed in the tender documentation. The contract is intended to establish an overarching agreement that enables the call-off of two distinct work packages, one for each vessel. This approach is designed to allow suppliers to focus their tender submissions on demonstrating their capability and capacity to deliver the required services, rather than responding to highly prescriptive or vessel-specific work packages. The detailed technical scope and minimum requirements will be set out in the tender documentation to ensure transparency and fairness. While the tender will set out all minimum requirements necessary for compliance and operational delivery, the contract will also provide scope for additional works where proportionate and justified, ensuring flexibility and value for money. This structure is intended to ensure that suppliers are evaluated on their ability to meet the minimum requirements and demonstrate capacity, experience, and readiness to deliver within the specified timeframes. The anticipated value of the contract is between PS2 million and PS3 million. All works must be planned, scheduled, and delivered within the specified docking windows to ensure the vessels are returned to service on time. All works must be carried out at shipyard facilities approved by the contracting authority, with full adherence to all regulations. ### Planning Information As part of this market engagement, NOC is seeking reassurance from suppliers regarding the current risks associated with the immediate refit of RRS Discovery, scheduled for March-April 2026. The Capability Assessment will be issued to known suppliers, and any other interested parties may request a copy from NOC. The purpose is to confirm supplier availability and capacity to deliver the required works within the specified window and to understand any constraints or risks that may affect participation. Supplier responses will help NOC determine whether the immediate refit window presents valid risks that justify accelerating this element of the procurement using the accelerated open procedure under section 20(2)(a) and section 54 of the Procurement Act 2023. This process forms part of preliminary market engagement under sections 16-17 of the Act and does not constitute a call for competition. Participation is voluntary and does not affect eligibility to take part in any future procurement. To request a copy of the Capability Assessment, please email tenders@noc.ac.uk quoting reference NOCP00561. Completed responses must be returned by email to the same address no later than 12:00 (UK time) on 15 September 2025. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/074178-2025 | | Notice type | UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Open | | Procurement method details | Open procedure | | Tender suitability | SME | | Awardee scale | Not specified | | All stages | Planning | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 14 Nov 2025 | | Submission deadline | 1 Dec 2025 | | Future notice date | 21 Nov 2025 | | Award date | Not specified | | Contract period | 19 Dec 2025 - 18 Dec 2026 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | £3,000,000 | | Lots value | £3,000,000 | | Awards value | Not specified | | Contracts value | Not specified | ## Status | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender status | Planned | | Lots status | Planned | | Awards status | Not specified | | Contracts status | Not specified | ## Buyer | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Main buyer | NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHY CENTRE | | Locality | SOUTHAMPTON | | Post town | Southampton | | Postcode | SO14 3ZH | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) | | ITL 2 | TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight | | ITL 3 | TLJ32 Southampton | | Local authority | Southampton | | Electoral ward | Bargate | | Westminster constituency | Southampton Itchen | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 50 - Repair and maintenance services ### Codes - 50241100 - Vessel repair services - 50245000 - Upgrading services of ships - 50246100 - Dry-docking services ## Release History - 14 Nov 2025 at 17:39 - Planning - UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/074178-2025 - 9 Sep 2025 at 14:49 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/055122-2025 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/074178-2025 14th November 2025 - Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/055122-2025 9th September 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - https://noc.ac.uk/ - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents ## Provenance This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0596f1. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0596f1.json.