---
title: "CEFAS26-130 Cefas Research Vessel"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-077e81"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-077e81"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077e81.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077e81.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SCIENCE"
published: "2026-10-01"
---

# CEFAS26-130 Cefas Research Vessel

Buyer: CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SCIENCE  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-077e81

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## Summary

The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, intends to procure a replacement research vessel to support its work at sea. This is a shipbuilding requirement: the vessel must provide research-vessel infrastructure for future delivery of Cefas’s activities at sea. The procurement is intended to secure a vessel that can be designed, built and supported using sovereign UK shipbuilding capability, reflecting the stated national security purpose. Delivery is described as within the United Kingdom. The earlier market engagement for the replacement vessel has concluded, and the approach contemplated in that earlier engagement will not be taken forward.

This is at planning stage: Cefas and Defra have set out an intention to run a competitive procurement, but there is no invitation to tender yet. The intended competition is outside the Procurement Act 2023, as Defra considers the contract exempt on national security grounds. Participation is expected to be restricted to shipyards meeting UK eligibility requirements, which are to be set out in the procurement documents. The stated estimated value is £115 million including VAT. The planned contract period runs from 1 September 2027 to 31 March 2033. A further notice is expected on 1 December 2026; this is the buyer’s indicative publication date, not a bid deadline. The process is organised as a single lot. The market engagement associated with the earlier procurement approach has concluded.

The requirement is most relevant to UK shipyards able to design, build and support a research vessel, and to firms with the capacity to deliver complex vessel infrastructure over a multi-year contract. Defra says eligibility will be limited to shipyards satisfying UK requirements, with the detailed conditions to be set out in future procurement documents. Suppliers should therefore assess whether they can meet those UK eligibility conditions and demonstrate the sovereign shipbuilding capability needed to protect the national security interests identified by the buyer. The earlier market engagement has ended and the previous procurement approach will not proceed; this is a revised route to market. Specialist vessel designers, marine engineering and shipbuilding businesses, and potential delivery partners with relevant vessel construction and support capability are the supplier types best placed to monitor the forthcoming competition.

## Notice

1. The purpose of this notice is to inform the market that the market engagement described in Prior Information Notice (PIN) 2024/S 000-028748 relating to the procurement of a replacement Cefas research vessel has concluded, and that the procurement approach contemplated in connection with that notice will not be progressed. 2. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), acting through its executive agency, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) issued PIN 2024/S 000-028748 in September 2024 in relation to the procurement of 'Cefas Research Vessel Infrastructure to Support Future Delivery at Sea'. Since that time, the Government has published further policy and guidance on the protection of national security through public procurement. 3. In June 2026, the Cabinet Office published Procurement Policy Note 025, Protecting the UK's National Security through Public Procurement. Having consulted the National Shipbuilding Office, Defra has determined that, in the interests of national security, and the availability of the sovereign UK shipbuilding capability required to design, build and support vessels carrying out such functions in times of need, the contract for the replacement Cefas research vessel should not be subject to the Procurement Act 2023. The contract is accordingly an exempted contract under paragraph 25 of Schedule 2 to that Act. 4. Defra therefore intends to conduct a competitive procurement designed to protect the national security interests identified above. Participation will be limited to shipyards satisfying the UK eligibility requirements to be specified in the procurement documents. 5. This notice is published voluntarily for transparency and market-notification purposes, to inform organisations that expressed an interest in, or may otherwise have been interested in, the opportunity described in PIN 2024/S 000-028748 of the conclusion of that market engagement and of Defra's revised procurement approach. 6. We request that all future communications are sent to ResearchVesselProcurement@cefas.gov.uk

### Planning Information

1. The purpose of this notice is to inform the market that the market engagement described in Prior Information Notice (PIN) 2024/S 000-028748 relating to the procurement of a replacement Cefas research vessel has concluded, and that the procurement approach contemplated in connection with that notice will not be progressed. 
2. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), acting through its executive agency, the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) issued PIN 2024/S 000-028748 in September 2024 in relation to the procurement of ‘Cefas Research Vessel Infrastructure to Support Future Delivery at Sea’. Since that time, the Government has published further policy and guidance on the protection of national security through public procurement. 
3. In June 2026, the Cabinet Office published Procurement Policy Note 025, Protecting the UK's National Security through Public Procurement. Having consulted the National Shipbuilding Office, Defra has determined that, in the interests of national security, and the availability of the sovereign UK shipbuilding capability required to design, build and support vessels carrying out such functions in times of need, the contract for the replacement Cefas research vessel should not be subject to the Procurement Act 2023. The contract is accordingly an exempted contract under paragraph 25 of Schedule 2 to that Act.
4. Defra therefore intends to conduct a competitive procurement designed to protect the national security interests identified above. Participation will be limited to shipyards satisfying the UK eligibility requirements to be specified in the procurement documents.
5. This notice is published voluntarily for transparency and market-notification purposes, to inform organisations that expressed an interest in, or may otherwise have been interested in, the opportunity described in PIN 2024/S 000-028748 of the conclusion of that market engagement and of Defra's revised procurement approach.
6. We request that all future communications are sent to ResearchVesselProcurement@cefas.gov.uk

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/092783-2026 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 1 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 1 Dec 2026 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 1 Sep 2027 - 31 Mar 2033 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £115,000,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENT, FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE SCIENCE |
| Locality | LOWESTOFT |
| Postcode area | Norwich |
| Postcode | NR33 0HT |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLH East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLH6 Suffolk |
| ITL 3 | TLH63 East Suffolk |
| Local authority | East Suffolk |
| Electoral ward | Kirkley & Pakefield |
| Westminster constituency | Lowestoft |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

### Codes

- 34500000 - Ships and boats

## Release History

- 1 Oct 2026 at 11:55 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/092783-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/092783-2026
  1st October 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://defra-family.force.com/s/Welcome
- 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-077e81. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077e81.json.