---
title: "UKRI-6281 Transport of APA Shipping Frame Assemblies from Europe to USA"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-078cb4"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078cb4"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078cb4.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078cb4.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Planning"
buyer: "UK RESEARCH & INNOVATION"
published: "2026-10-21"
---

# UKRI-6281 Transport of APA Shipping Frame Assemblies from Europe to USA

Buyer: UK RESEARCH & INNOVATION  
Current stage: Planning  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078cb4

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## Summary

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is preparing a procurement for international freight transport of specialist scientific equipment: DUNE Anode Plane Assemblies (APAs) secured in purpose-built shipping frame assemblies. Each assembly combines a frame holding two fragile detector units, shock- and vibration-absorbing supports, and a base frame. Most APAs are made and assembled at STFC Daresbury Laboratory in the UK; some are tested at CERN. Shipments will travel from the UK or CERN to Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois, USA, for storage before onward transport and installation at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota. The requirement is freight transport agency services for scientific equipment, serving the international DUNE neutrino-science and proton-decay experiment.

This is at the planning stage: UKRI is undertaking preliminary market engagement to shape the specification, and there is no invitation to tender yet. The buyer expects a call-off contract over four years, from 4 January 2027 to 3 January 2031, with about 68 shipments anticipated; the level of spend is not guaranteed. The stated estimated value is £1,462,000 excluding VAT and £1,754,400 including VAT. UKRI asks interested suppliers to complete a questionnaire to indicate market appetite; its stated closing time is 14:00 UK time on 2 November 2026. One lot is planned. The procurement is expected to use a framework agreement, but the planned procedure and how bids will be evaluated have not been set out.

This requirement is likely to suit freight forwarders and specialist transport operators able to manage international movements from the UK or CERN to the United States. Suppliers should be prepared to handle large, fragile scientific detector equipment in dedicated shipping assemblies, protecting it from shock and vibration during transport and handling. Experience coordinating complex, long-distance shipments and managing the risks of damage to high-value, schedule-critical research equipment would be relevant to the buyer’s stated concern: any damage to the APAs could seriously affect project costs and timing. The anticipated shipment volume and four-year call-off arrangement point to a need for sustained operational capacity, while the absence of guaranteed spend means suppliers should assess the commercial fit of variable demand. UKRI is seeking market feedback now to inform the forthcoming specification.

## Notice

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is undertaking Preliminary Market Engagement to inform the development of a forthcoming procurement for the international transportation of specialist scientific equipment. Interested suppliers are invited to review the accompanying information and complete the market engagement questionnaire The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is an international experiment for neutrino science and proton decay studies. The Long Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) is the facility required for DUNE and once it is completed, it will comprise the world's highest-intensity neutrino beam (at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory ('FNAL'), Batavia, Illinois) and the infrastructure necessary to support massive, cryogenic far detectors installed deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility ('SURF'), 1300m underground, in Lead, South Dakota. The DUNE Anode Plane Assemblies (also named 'APAs') are the main detectors of the DUNE Horizontal Drift Experiment. They are built as large stainless-steel frames onto which prestressed copper-beryllium wires are winded in 4 layers. The APAs represent the detector part of the DUNE TPC. Most of the APAs are produced and assembled in the UK at STFC Daresbury Laboratory (DL), some are tested at CERN, therefore, they must be transported long distances from either the UK or CERN to Fermilab in the US where they are stored waiting for final transport and installation at SURF laboratory. The APAs are very complex and fragile detectors. If they would be damaged during their transport, the impacts on the cost and schedule could have serious consequences on the DUNE project. To mitigate this risk, two APAs are transported inside a transport frame (also named APA Shipping Frame 'ASF'). The ASF is installed on wire rope absorbers (WRAs') intended to dampen the shocks and vibrations from the transport and handling, and finally mounted on a base frame (BF). The ASF, WRAs and BF form the ASF Assembly. The Contracting Authority, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) are looking to engage with suppliers before the full requirement is published for the marketplace to submit bid submissions. The contract is expected to be on a call off basis and there is no guarantee of the level of spend through this contract. However, it is anticipated approximately 68 shipments are required during the 4 year duration. We would like you to complete the following questionnaire to help us understand the marketplace interest - https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=juC3i6TajkqSfvyjjbBLfsxoERpCeehLn8lp5URh6C9UODcyTklFQk5YVk9PWVdBRE9VSkNERzEwNS4u

### Planning Information

Please can interested parties complete the following questionnaire. This will be reviewed to understand the marketplace appetite and help shape the specification - https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=juC3i6TajkqSfvyjjbBLfsxoERpCeehLn8lp5URh6C9UODcyTklFQk5YVk9PWVdBRE9VSkNERzEwNS4u
The questionnaire will close at 1400hrs UK time on 02 Nov 2026.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099410-2026 |
| Notice type | UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Not specified |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 21 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 4 Jan 2027 - 3 Jan 2031 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £1,462,000 |
| 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 | UK RESEARCH & INNOVATION |
| Locality | SWINDON, WILTSHIRE |
| Postcode area | Swindon |
| Postcode | SN2 1FL |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK7 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire |
| ITL 3 | TLK71 Swindon |
| Local authority | Swindon |
| Electoral ward | Rodbourne Cheney |
| Westminster constituency | Swindon North |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 63 - Supporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services

### Codes

- 63521000 - Freight transport agency services

## Release History

- 21 Oct 2026 at 12:09 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099410-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099410-2026
  21st October 2026 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=juC3i6TajkqSfvyjjbBLfsxoERpCeehLn8lp5URh6C9UODcyTklFQk5YVk9PWVdBRE9VSkNERzEwNS4u
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.ukri.org/

## 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-078cb4. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078cb4.json.