---
title: "Detailed design and build of a scaled down Fast Acting Low Conductance (FALCON)"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06e5f6"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06e5f6"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e5f6.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e5f6.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Tender"
buyer: "United Kingdom Fusion Energy Ltd"
published: "2026-08-17"
---

# Detailed design and build of a scaled down Fast Acting Low Conductance (FALCON)

Buyer: United Kingdom Fusion Energy Ltd  
Current stage: Tender  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06e5f6

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## Summary

United Kingdom Fusion Energy Ltd is procuring services to provide the detailed design and manufacture of a scaled-down Fast Acting Low Conductance (FALCON) valve prototype for the STEP Prototype Powerplant. The prototype is intended to safeguard proposed exhaust vacuum pumping technology against disruption-mitigation events or sudden, massive air ingress. The scope covers everything within the vacuum gate or isolation-valve casing, including the casing, actuation mechanism and seals needed to maintain valve operation and the vacuum integrity of the process gas line. The valve must be capable of reaching its defined closed position within 37.5 milliseconds. The work combines pressure-control valve manufacture, engineering design and research-and-development design and execution. Delivery is in the United Kingdom.

The procurement has reached tender: the buyer invited offers through an open procedure. The tender is above threshold and has an estimated value of £200,000 excluding VAT, or £240,000 including VAT. The enquiry deadline was 14 September 2026 at 12:00. Offers were due by 18 September 2026 at 12:00, with electronic submission allowed in English. The planned award decision date is 2 October 2026. The single lot has a contract period from 16 October 2026 to 16 October 2027. Evaluation is weighted 60% technical quality, 30% commercial price and 10% social value. This is a services procurement covering the complete prototype design-and-build requirement.

This opportunity suits engineering and manufacturing businesses able to design and build specialist fast-acting valve prototypes for demanding vacuum and process-gas applications. Relevant capability includes mechanical and detailed engineering design, manufacture of valve casings and actuation systems, and development of seals that preserve vacuum integrity while supporting rapid isolation. Suppliers will need the technical capacity to achieve a defined closing response of 37.5 milliseconds and to integrate the prototype as a complete assembly rather than supplying an isolated component. Experience in pressure-control, isolation or safety valves, vacuum systems, disruption mitigation, or research-and-development hardware would be directly relevant. The requirement is identified as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises, and includes social-value evaluation alongside technical quality and price.

## Notice

The scope of this work is to provide the detailed design and manufacture of a scaled down Fast Acting Low Conductance valve (FALCON) prototype which will be used to safeguard the proposed exhaust vacuum pumping technology against Disruption mitigation or sudden massive air ingress events for the STEP Prototype Powerplant (SPP). The scope of work includes the detail design and build of a scaled down prototype, which includes everything within the Vacuum Gate/Isolation valve casing (including the casing itself), mainly the actuation mechanism and the seals required to maintain both the operation of the isolation valve and the vacuum integrity of the process gas line. The fast-acting nature of the valve requires it to reach its defined 'close' position within 37.5 ms. For more information about this opportunity, please visit the eSourcing portal at: https://ukfe.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Abingdon:-Pressure-reducing%2C-control%2C-check-or-safety-valves./3YG29X64DB To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://ukfe.delta-esourcing.com/respond/3YG29X64DB

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078272-2026 |
| Notice type | UK4 - Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Tender |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 17 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 18 Sep 2026 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 16 Oct 2026 - 16 Oct 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £200,000 |
| Lots value | £200,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | United Kingdom 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 |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 42131140 - Pressure-reducing, control, check or safety valves
- 71320000 - Engineering design services
- 73300000 - Design and execution of research and development

## Release History

- 17 Aug 2026 at 16:38 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078272-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078272-2026
  17th August 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://ukfe.delta-esourcing.com/
- https://ukfe.delta-esourcing.com/respond/3YG29X64DB
- https://ukfe.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Abingdon:-Pressure-reducing%2C-control%2C-check-or-safety-valves./3YG29X64DB
- 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-06e5f6. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06e5f6.json.