---
title: "The provision of Ocean Bottom Seismograph (OBS)"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06f219"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06f219"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f219.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f219.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH"
published: "2026-09-04"
---

# The provision of Ocean Bottom Seismograph (OBS)

Buyer: UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06f219

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## Summary

The University of Plymouth procured six ocean-bottom seismographs (OBS), associated equipment and specialist operational and technical support for the Antarctic Canyon Experiment (ACE). The requirement supports a long-term marine geophysical research programme in Antarctica and covers experimental planning, design, mobilisation, deployment, recovery, equipment management, shipping, sea-going technical operations and data acquisition. The work combines research and development services with precision scientific instrumentation. The buyer is the University of Plymouth, and delivery and field operations are centred on Antarctica. The requirement is intended for a supplier able to provide both Antarctic-capable OBS equipment and the specialist expertise needed to operate and manage the instruments in a challenging marine research environment.

The procurement is complete and was awarded through a direct award to Ocean-Bottom Instrumentation Consortium. The University justified using a single supplier because competition was absent for technical reasons and no reasonable alternative could provide the required combination of instrumentation, submarine-canyon deployment experience, technical expertise, logistics and availability. The award date was 1 September 2026. The awarded value is £408,296 excluding VAT, or £489,955.20 including VAT. The contract period runs from 17 September 2026 to 30 September 2027. The award is above the applicable threshold. A standstill period ends on 15 September 2026, with contract signature scheduled for 17 September 2026. There is one lot and one awarded supplier.

This procurement demonstrates demand for specialist oceanographic instrumentation and technical delivery in Antarctic marine research. A credible future competitor would need access to six ocean-bottom seismographs suitable for Antarctic deployment, together with the capacity to mobilise, ship, deploy, recover and manage them during a long-term field programme. Relevant capability includes experimental planning and design, scientific data acquisition, sea-going technical operations and experience working in submarine canyons or similarly demanding marine environments. Suppliers would also need reliable equipment availability and logistics that align with a defined research programme, as well as the technical personnel to support operations from preparation through recovery. The requirement favours an integrated instrumentation-and-services provider rather than an equipment-only supplier.

## Notice

The University of Plymouth requires the provision of Ocean Bottom Seismographs (OBS), associated equipment, and specialist operational and technical support services to support the ACE Project in Antarctica. The requirement includes the mobilisation, deployment, recovery and management of six OBS units for a long-term marine geophysical research programme, together with specialist expertise in experimental planning, design, implementation and data acquisition. Funding relevant to this notice benefits from European Research Council (ERC) grant funding under Project 101169829 - Antarctic Canyon Experiment (ACE)

### Procurement Information

The below justification set out in Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023 applies to this Direct Award; Single Supplier (6) The following conditions are met in relation to the public contract-- (a)due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, only a particular supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and (b)there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works. The University of Plymouth requires the hire of six Ocean Bottom Seismometers (OBS) and associated specialist technical services for the Antarctic Canyon Experiment (ACE). The requirement includes not only the provision of Antarctic-capable OBS equipment, but also specialist support for experimental design, mobilisation, deployment, recovery, equipment shipping and sea-going technical operations. The Ocean-Bottom Instrument Consortium (OBIC) has been identified as the only supplier able to provide the required combination of OBS instrumentation, specialist technical expertise, submarine canyon deployment experience, logistical capability and equipment availability for the required project period. Alternative providers were considered; however, none could demonstrate the full combination of technical capability, operational support and availability necessary to meet the scientific and logistical requirements of the project. Several suppliers confirmed they were unavailable within the required timeframe or unable to provide the necessary support arrangements. The University has therefore concluded that competition is absent for technical reasons and that no reasonable alternative supplier exists. Accordingly, OBIC is the only supplier capable of meeting the University's requirements. Funding relevant to this notice benefits from European Research Council (ERC) grant funding under Project 101169829 - Antarctic Canyon Experiment (ACE)

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083836-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award 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 | 4 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 1 Sep 2026 |
| Contract period | 17 Sep 2026 - 30 Sep 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £408,296 |
| 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 | UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH |
| Locality | PLYMOUTH, DEVON |
| Postcode area | Plymouth |
| Postcode | PL4 8AA |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK4 Devon |
| ITL 3 | TLK41 Plymouth |
| Local authority | Plymouth |
| Electoral ward | Drake |
| Westminster constituency | Plymouth Sutton and Devonport |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | Ocean-Bottom Instrumentation Consortium |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 38 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 38000000 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
- 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

## Release History

- 4 Sep 2026 at 11:34 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083836-2026
- 4 Sep 2026 at 11:31 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083834-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083836-2026
  4th September 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083834-2026
  4th September 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/about-us/university-structure/service-areas/procurement

## 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-06f219. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06f219.json.