---
title: "UKRI-5713 SANDALS II Vacuum Vessel for STFC"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-067f17"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-067f17"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067f17.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067f17.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "UK RESEARCH & INNOVATION (UKRI)"
published: "2026-06-18"
---

# UKRI-5713 SANDALS II Vacuum Vessel for STFC

Buyer: UK RESEARCH & INNOVATION (UKRI)  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-067f17

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## Summary

The UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), a public authority in central government, has concluded the tender process for the UKRI-5713 SANDALS II Vacuum Vessel for the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). The process was initiated on 9th April 2026 and completed with an award on 18th June 2026. The successful tender involved delivering a SANDALS II Vacuum Vessel Assembly, an important upgrade under the ISIS Endeavour Programme, impacting research fields such as structural biology and functional materials. Based in Swindon, Wiltshire, the organisation followed an open procurement method and was actively seeking bids until 15th May 2026. The contract, awarded to Cadinox SA of Spain, is set to run from 6th July 2026 to 31st January 2027, with its focal point on goods, particularly pressure vessels.

This contract represents an exceptional opportunity for businesses in the manufacturing sector, especially those specialising in advanced engineering or pressure vessel production. The competitive open procedure attracted seven bids, indicating a robust interest among suppliers. While the winning bid went to a large scale company, the tender's open nature and electronic submission policy made it accessible to SMEs, presenting future opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises to engage with large-scale, publicly funded projects. Businesses with expertise in precision engineering, innovative material use, and experience in public-sector contracts could find growth potential in participating in similar tenders by the UKRI.

## Notice

UKRI-5713 SANDALS II Vacuum Vessel tender is to deliver One SANDALS II Vacuum Vessel Assembly to upgrade the current SANDALS instrument, as part of the ISIS Endeavour Programme. This significant upgrade is made to expand its user base into new research areas in the fields of structural biology, macromolecular chemistry and functional materials. Please refer to the tender pack attached in the eSourcing portal for the full specification, contract terms and related documents.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/057745-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 18 Jun 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 15 May 2026 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 17 Jun 2026 |
| Contract period | 5 Jul 2026 - 31 Jan 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £400,000 |
| Lots value | £400,000 |
| Awards value | £395,240 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Pending |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | UK RESEARCH & INNOVATION (UKRI) |
| Locality | SWINDON, WILTSHIRE |
| Post town | Swindon |
| Postcode | SN2 1FL |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK7 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire |
| ITL 3 | TLK71 Swindon |
| Local authority | Swindon |
| Electoral ward | Rodbourne Cheney |
| Westminster constituency | Swindon North |
| Delivery location | TLJ14 Oxfordshire CC |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | CADINOX |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 44 - Construction structures and materials; auxiliary products to construction (except electric apparatus)

### Codes

- 44615000 - Pressure vessels

## Release History

- 18 Jun 2026 at 15:23 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/057745-2026
- 20 Apr 2026 at 09:05 - TenderUpdate - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/035469-2026
- 9 Apr 2026 at 13:12 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/032436-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/057745-2026
  18th June 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/035469-2026
  20th April 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/032436-2026
  9th April 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://ukri2.my.salesforce-sites.com/ProSpend__CS_ContractPage?SearchType=Projects&uid=a1MTm00000AjZANMA3&searchStr=&sortStr=Recently+Published&page=1&filters=&County=
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.ukri.org/

## 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-067f17. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-067f17.json.