---
title: "Mechanical Testing of Titanium Stabilised Austenitic Stainless Steel Grades"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06de1e"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06de1e"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06de1e.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06de1e.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "UK Fusion Energy Ltd"
published: "2026-08-06"
---

# Mechanical Testing of Titanium Stabilised Austenitic Stainless Steel Grades

Buyer: UK Fusion Energy Ltd  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06de1e

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## Summary

UK Fusion Energy Ltd commissioned mechanical testing services for titanium-stabilised austenitic stainless-steel grades. The work sits within lot 4 of the Materials Testing Framework for STEP’s VIVS mechanical tests and covers technical testing and test evaluation. It relates to materials used in the STEP programme, with the buying organisation based at Culham Campus in Abingdon. The requirement is a specialist materials-testing service rather than the supply of steel or general engineering work. Businesses relevant to this opportunity are laboratories, engineering test houses and technical service providers able to carry out controlled mechanical tests on titanium-stabilised austenitic stainless-steel grades and provide test and evaluation outputs for a fusion-energy programme.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded on 4 August 2026 to Altrad Babcock Ltd. The award is for £98,183 excluding VAT, or £117,819 including VAT. The contract period runs from 7 August 2026 to 24 December 2026. It was a competitive, selective procurement under the Materials Testing Framework, using a below-threshold award under the framework rather than an open tender. The award relates to lot 4, described as VIVS mechanical tests for mechanical testing of titanium-stabilised austenitic stainless-steel grades. UK Fusion Energy Ltd is the buyer. A contract signature milestone was scheduled for 6 August 2026.

For a supplier assessing future demand, this award demonstrates a defined requirement for specialist mechanical testing of titanium-stabilised austenitic stainless-steel grades within UK Fusion Energy Ltd’s STEP programme. A credible competitor would need practical laboratory and engineering capability in mechanical testing, the ability to handle this specific stainless-steel material family, and the competence to produce reliable technical test and evaluation results. Experience supporting advanced engineering, energy or fusion-related materials work would help demonstrate understanding of the operating context, provided it is backed by relevant testing evidence. The route to market is a selective award under a materials-testing framework, so suppliers should also be prepared to qualify for and operate through comparable framework arrangements.

## Notice

Under lot 4 of the Materials Testing Framework for STEP - VIVS Mechanical Tests. This work is for Mechanical Testing of Titanium Stabilised Austenitic Stainless Steel Grades.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/074872-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - award under framework |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 6 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 4 Aug 2026 |
| Contract period | 7 Aug 2026 - 24 Dec 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £98,183 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | UK Fusion Energy Ltd |
| Locality | ABINGDON |
| Postcode area | Oxford |
| Postcode | OX14 3DB |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire |
| ITL 3 | TLJ14 Oxfordshire CC |
| Local authority | South Oxfordshire |
| Electoral ward | Sandford & the Wittenhams |
| Westminster constituency | Didcot and Wantage |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | Altrad Babcock Ltd |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services
- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 71632000 - Technical testing services
- 73430000 - Test and evaluation

## Release History

- 6 Aug 2026 at 15:28 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/074872-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/074872-2026
  6th August 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/api/1.0/ocdsReleasePackages/ocds-h6vhtk-05699a
- 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-06de1e. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06de1e.json.