---
title: "Maritime Simulation Upgrade"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0782d8"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0782d8"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0782d8.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0782d8.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH"
published: "2026-10-07"
---

# Maritime Simulation Upgrade

Buyer: UNIVERSITY OF PLYMOUTH  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0782d8

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## Summary

The University of Plymouth is upgrading and enhancing its existing maritime simulation facilities in Plymouth. The work moves its Navi-Trainer Professional simulation environment from version 5.40 to version 6, with associated software licences, integration and commissioning. It also includes technical support, software maintenance and upgrades for the simulation system. The aim is to keep the university’s maritime training aligned with current standards, improve simulation capability and extend the operational life of its existing Wärtsilä equipment. Support covers online technical assistance, remote monitoring, updates, preventative maintenance visits and training support. The equipment supports maritime education and professional training, and the upgrade is funded through the Office for Students’ defence-related skills funding.

The procurement is complete, and the University of Plymouth selected Wärtsilä Voyage Oy for a direct award. The award is pending. Its value is £191,600 excluding VAT (£229,920 including VAT). The contract period runs from 1 January 2027 to 1 January 2030, with a possible two-year extension to the annual support programme. The award was recorded on 28 September 2026. The university used a single-supplier route, citing Wärtsilä’s exclusive intellectual property and technical control of its proprietary platform, licences and upgrade pathway, with no reasonable alternative compatible with the installed system. The requirement was procured as one lot; no separate evaluation criteria are stated.

This award shows a buyer requirement for specialist maritime simulator upgrades that preserve an installed proprietary training environment, rather than replacing the simulator estate. A credible supplier would need direct rights to the software, licences and upgrade pathway, and the ability to integrate and commission the new version with existing bridge simulators, instructor stations and related software. The selected supplier also needs to provide dependable ongoing support, including round-the-clock online technical assistance, priority response, remote monitoring, maintenance visits, training support and future software updates. Manufacturer-level product knowledge and compatibility with the university’s existing Wärtsilä infrastructure were decisive: a general simulator supplier without those rights and technical capabilities would not meet this specific requirement. The work is relevant to maritime simulation vendors and authorised platform providers with support capacity for professional education environments.»}

## Notice

The University of Plymouth requires the upgrade and enhancement of its existing maritime simulation facilities supplied by Wartsila Voyage Oy. The procurement will deliver an upgrade of the existing Navi-Trainer Professional simulation environment from version 5.40 to version 6, ensuring continued alignment with current maritime training standards and enhanced simulation capabilities. The procurement also includes a three-year Smart Support Agreement covering technical support, software maintenance and upgrades from 1 January 2027 to 31 December 2029. Support services include 24/7 online technical support, priority assistance, access to the knowledge base, remote software monitoring, software updates, annual preventative maintenance visits, training support, guaranteed response times and future software upgrades. This upgrade will maximise the value of the University's existing Wartsila simulation infrastructure, extend the operational life of the equipment, maintain compliance with evolving maritime training requirements and support the continued delivery of high-quality maritime education and professional training. This upgrade is part of the Office for Students Defence related skills funding.

### Procurement Information

The below justification set out in Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023 applies to this Direct Award; Single Supplier (5)The following conditions are met in relation to the public contract-- (a)due to a particular supplier having intellectual property rights or other exclusive rights, only that supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and (b)there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works. (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's maritime simulation suite is an existing Wartsila Voyage Oy installation comprising Navi-Trainer Professional simulators, instructor stations, Model Wizard software, bridge simulators and associated software licences. The requirement is for an upgrade of the existing proprietary simulation platform from version 5.40 to version 6 together with associated software licences, integration, commissioning and support services. The upgrade must be fully compatible with the University's existing Wartsila simulation infrastructure and software environment. The proprietary software, licences, source code, intellectual property rights and upgrade pathways are owned and controlled exclusively by Wartsila. No alternative supplier can lawfully provide the required software upgrades, licences, manufacturer-certified integration, maintenance or future support for the existing platform. Procuring an alternative system would require replacement of the University's existing simulator estate and associated retraining, resulting in disproportionate technical, operational and financial impacts. Accordingly, competition is absent for technical reasons and the contract can only be performed by Wartsila Voyage Oy.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/094808-2026 |
| 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 | 7 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 28 Sep 2026 |
| Contract period | 1 Jan 2027 - 1 Jan 2030 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £191,600 |
| 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 | Wartsila Voyage Oy |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

### Codes

- 34150000 - Simulators

## Release History

- 7 Oct 2026 at 14:34 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/094808-2026
- 7 Oct 2026 at 14:30 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/094803-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/094808-2026
  7th October 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/094803-2026
  7th October 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-0782d8. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0782d8.json.