--- title: "Shipwright Support Contract" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06b08f" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06b08f" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06b08f.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06b08f.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Award" buyer: "ROYAL NAVY MUSEUMS" published: "2026-06-09" --- # Shipwright Support Contract Buyer: ROYAL NAVY MUSEUMS Current stage: Award OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06b08f [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06b08f) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06b08f.json) ## Summary The Royal Navy Museums, operating under the central government of the United Kingdom, awarded a direct contract titled "Shipwright Support Contract" in June 2026 for the conservation of HMS Victory's port side frames. This contract falls under the services industry category, specifically repair and maintenance, and takes place in multiple regions across the United Kingdom, including Portsmouth, where the Royal Navy Museums are located. The urgency of the tender aimed to mitigate a 9-month delay in the conservation project by awarding the contract directly to T NIELSEN & CO LIMITED, a firm with proven experience in maritime conservation. The contract was awarded under Section 43 of the Procurement Act 2023, with the work scheduled to commence in June 2026 and complete by the end of July 2026. This tender presents an exceptional opportunity for businesses specializing in maritime conservation and repair, especially those with the capability to deliver high-quality craftsmanship on historic ships. The requirement for direct expertise in traditional shipbuilding and the tight deadlines underscore the suitability for established firms in the sector. Although the contract was directly awarded to T NIELSEN & CO LIMITED due to its extensive experience with HMS Victory and capability of immediate execution, similar opportunities may encourage shipwright companies to strengthen their portfolio and relationships within the historic ship restoration domain to compete in future tenders. ## Notice The HMS Victory Conservation Project ('the project') is currently anticipating a 9-month delay to the conservation of the port side frames. To partially offset this delay, the project is seeking to exploit an opportunity to procure, on a short-term basis, a shipwright support contract. To this end, the project is aiming to direct award a fixed term contract to to provide 3 shipwrights for 5.5 weeks to complete frame conservation works on the port side of the ship. This work is estimated to cost PS42,230 (PS35,750 (ex VAT) + PS6,480 Contingency representing 1 weeks work. This direct award action can be justified under the Procurement Act 2023 under Section 43 and Schedule 5, Regulation 7(a)(b). ### Procurement Information Quality - T Nielsen are uniquely positioned to provide the required services due to previous experience working on HMS Victory both in undertaking high quality repair work to the ship's hull and in delivering detailed surveys and design work. This experience has enabled T Nielsen to develop a thorough understanding of the ship in general and the conservation requirements of this project in particular. Time - The aim is for T Nielsen to begin work during w/c 22 June, this would recover 3 months of a 6-month delay to port side conservation work. If a full procurement process were to be pursued, the opportunity to save this time would be lost. Onboarding and mobilising a new contractor unfamiliar with the ship would add time to the delivery timelines. T Nielsen can begin immediately and deliver the work to NMRNO's stipulated timeframe. Risk - NMRNO has a preexisting and long-standing working relationship with T Nielsen and therefore joint risk management can be more effectively implemented than with a newly employed organisation. In addition, T Nielsens is a well-established specialist in traditional shipbuilding, rigging and restoration with a worldwide reputation for working with historic timber ships. The current team has not only worked on Victory, but has a breadth of experience working across the historic ships sector both nationally and internationally including work on other RNM historic vessels including HMS Trincomalee. Contracting another organisation, not in possession of this prior knowledge and experience, would present an additional level of risk to quality. Health & Safety - Due to the long-standing relationship between NMRNO and T Nielsen, NMRNO's health and safety expectations and requirements are fully understood and shared and ongoing health and safety management will prove more effective. T Nielsen is specialist organisation with a worldwide reputation and unlike other boatyards, having delivered large scale maritime conservation projects, are accustomed to the safety requirements of a project of this scale and reputation. As the contracting authority, NMRN Operations are required to comply with the Procurement Act 2023, including the legislation governing the use of direct award. The Procurement Act 2023 allows a contracting authority to award a contract directly if there is specific justification. This contracted support will be undertaken through a direct award under Section 43 of the Procurement Act 2023. The justification is permitted under Schedule 5, 7(a)(b): ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/054132-2026 | | Notice type | UK5 - Transparency Notice | | Procurement type | Standard | | Procurement category | Services | | Procurement method | Direct | | Procurement method details | Direct award | | Tender suitability | Not specified | | Awardee scale | SME | | All stages | Award | ## Dates | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication date | 9 Jun 2026 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | 9 Jun 2026 | | Contract period | 21 Jun 2026 - 31 Jul 2026 | | Recurrence | Not specified | ## Values | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Tender value | Not specified | | Lots value | Not specified | | Awards value | £35,750 | | 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 | ROYAL NAVY MUSEUMS | | Locality | PORTSMOUTH | | Post town | Portsmouth | | Postcode | PO1 3NH | | Country | England | | ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) | | ITL 2 | TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight | | ITL 3 | TLJ31 Portsmouth | | Local authority | Portsmouth | | Electoral ward | Charles Dickens | | Westminster constituency | Portsmouth South | | Delivery location | Not specified | ## Supplier | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Number of suppliers | 1 | | Supplier names | T NIELSEN | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 50 - Repair and maintenance services ### Codes - 50000000 - Repair and maintenance services ## Release History - 9 Jun 2026 at 09:44 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/054132-2026 ## Documents - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/054132-2026 9th June 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender ## Notice URLs - http://www.royalnavymuseums.org.uk - http://www.tnielsen.co.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-06b08f. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06b08f.json.