---
title: "Drive System Upgrade"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-077cea"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-077cea"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077cea.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077cea.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult"
published: "2026-09-29"
---

# Drive System Upgrade

Buyer: Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-077cea

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-077cea)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077cea.json)

## Summary

Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult procured an upgrade to the ACS6000 drive system on the 3MW drive train at its Nautilus facility in Blyth. The work replaces the existing control platform with ABB’s latest USU-26 system and replaces hardware to improve spare-part availability and address lifecycle issues with ageing components. The requirement combines specialist drive-system engineering with the supply and installation of replacement control equipment and hardware. It is focused on maintaining and upgrading a specific ABB drive system within an offshore renewable energy test facility, rather than supplying general mechanical spares. The buying organisation is Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, a public undertaking.

The procurement is complete and was awarded to ABB Limited through a direct award, justified on the basis that ABB manufactured the equipment and had the specific knowledge needed to upgrade the ageing 3MW drive electronics. The award date was 29 September 2026 and the gross awarded value is £605,848.80. The contract period runs from 12 October 2026 to 30 September 2028. There was one lot, covering the drive-system upgrade. The stated evaluation basis is the technical reason for using a single supplier; no separate scoring criteria are described. A contract signature was scheduled for 9 October 2026. The procurement was for goods, with the work carried out on the drive train at the Nautilus facility in Blyth.

For suppliers assessing future demand from Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, this award shows a requirement for specialist upgrades to installed drive systems, including control-platform replacement and hardware renewal to maintain spare-part support and overcome ageing-component lifecycle constraints. A credible competitor would need demonstrated technical capability with the relevant drive technology, detailed knowledge of legacy drive electronics and the ability to deliver compatible replacement controls and hardware. The direct award rationale makes the manufacturer’s system-specific expertise central to this purchase, so a supplier seeking to compete when a comparable requirement returns would need to show equivalent expertise and a technically viable upgrade route. The requirement is tied to a 3MW drive train in a renewable-energy test facility, indicating the need to work on critical, established equipment rather than provide generic parts alone.

## Notice

The purpose of this direct award is to contract ABB limited to carry out an upgrade to the ACS6000 drive system on the 3MW drive train located within the Nautilus facility in Blyth, the upgrade in inclusive of two key elements: Replacement of the existing control platform with ABB's latest USU-26 system Hardware replacement to improve spare part availability, removing life cycle issues with the currently aging components

### Procurement Information

The equipment within the drive unit was manufactured by ABB, and currently there are no other companies who have the specific knowledge of the aging electronic drives of both 3MW, and are able to provide an upgrade to the system.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/092066-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 29 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 29 Sep 2026 |
| Contract period | 12 Oct 2026 - 30 Sep 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £605,848 |
| 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 | Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult |
| Locality | GLASGOW |
| Postcode area | Glasgow |
| Postcode | G1 1RD |
| Country | Scotland |
| ITL 1 | TLM Scotland |
| ITL 2 | TLM3 West Central Scotland |
| ITL 3 | TLM32 Glasgow City |
| Local authority | Glasgow City |
| Electoral ward | Anderston/City/Yorkhill |
| Westminster constituency | Glasgow East |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | ABB Limited |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

### Codes

- 34320000 - Mechanical spare parts except engines and engine parts

## Release History

- 29 Sep 2026 at 17:01 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/092066-2026
- 29 Sep 2026 at 16:56 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/092065-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/092066-2026
  29th September 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/092065-2026
  29th September 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- 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-077cea. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077cea.json.