---
title: "Palladium Silver Membranes Tensile and Fatigue Testing"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-078e68"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078e68"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078e68.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078e68.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd"
published: "2026-10-23"
---

# Palladium Silver Membranes Tensile and Fatigue Testing

Buyer: UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078e68

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## Summary

UK Fusion Energy Ltd commissioned specialist mechanical testing of palladium-silver membrane assemblies to produce design data for their use in hydrogen purification systems for the STEP fuel cycle. The work covers slow strain rate tensile testing and strain-controlled fatigue testing under representative operating conditions, with in-situ hydrogen permeation testing where required. The supplier is responsible for providing suitably equipped laboratory facilities, equipment and technical staff, as well as collecting, analysing and reporting results. Testing takes place at elevated temperatures in pressurised gaseous hydrogen, with outputs including mechanical properties, performance characteristics and comprehensive reports to support engineering assessment, design development and future qualification of the membrane technology. The delivery location is given as the United Kingdom.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded to Darvick Ltd on 22 October 2026. The awarded value is £143,500 excluding VAT (£172,200 including VAT). The contract period runs from 1 April to 16 September 2027. This was a single-lot services procurement, described as below threshold. The available process information does not set out a specific procedure or evaluation criteria. The award is active. The procurement required testing and reporting on palladium-silver membrane assemblies, including tensile and fatigue performance under conditions relevant to hydrogen purification; permeation testing was also required where applicable. The contract milestone records a scheduled signature date of 6 November 2026.

For this buyer’s future membrane-testing requirement, credible suppliers will need specialist laboratory capability for safe operation at 400–500 °C in gaseous hydrogen at pressures up to 10 bar. Relevant expertise includes slow strain rate tensile testing, strain-controlled fatigue testing and, where needed, in-situ hydrogen permeation measurements during mechanical loading. The work also calls for technical staff able to analyse mechanical properties and membrane performance, and to produce comprehensive, engineering-ready reports covering methodology, raw and processed data, analysis, observations and conclusions. Suppliers need to demonstrate suitable equipment, quality assurance, full traceability and testing to recognised industry standards or agreed procedures. The successful award shows demand for a focused technical testing service supporting development and qualification of palladium-silver membranes for hydrogen purification, rather than general-purpose laboratory testing.

## Notice

he scope of this procurement is to appoint a suitably qualified supplier to undertake a programme of mechanical testing on palladium-silver membrane assemblies to generate design data that supports their application in hydrogen purification systems for the STEP fuel cycle. The supplier shall provide the specialist facilities, equipment, technical expertise, and personnel necessary to conduct slow strain rate tensile (SSRT) testing and strain-controlled fatigue testing under representative operating conditions. Testing shall be carried out at elevated temperatures between 400 degC and 500 degC in gaseous hydrogen at pressures of up to 10 bar. Where required, the supplier shall also undertake in-situ hydrogen permeation testing before and during mechanical loading to assess membrane performance under operational conditions. The supplier shall be responsible for collecting, analysing, and reporting all test data, including the mechanical properties and performance characteristics of the membrane assemblies, and shall provide comprehensive test reports containing the test methodology, raw and processed data, analysis, observations, and conclusions suitable for engineering assessment and future design activities. All testing shall be undertaken using appropriately equipped laboratory facilities capable of safely operating under elevated temperatures and pressurised hydrogen environments, in accordance with recognised industry standards or agreed test procedures, with appropriate quality assurance and full traceability throughout the programme. The outputs from this procurement will provide STEP-relevant mechanical property data to support the development, qualification, and future deployment of palladium-silver membrane technology for hydrogen purification applications.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100222-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Not Specified |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - unknown |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 23 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 22 Oct 2026 |
| Contract period | 1 Apr 2027 - 16 Sep 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £143,500 |
| 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 | UK Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd |
| Locality | ABINGDON |
| Postcode area | Oxford |
| Postcode | OX14 3DB |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire |
| ITL 3 | TLJ14 Oxfordshire CC |
| Local authority | South Oxfordshire |
| Electoral ward | Sandford & the Wittenhams |
| Westminster constituency | Didcot and Wantage |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

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

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services
- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 71600000 - Technical testing, analysis and consultancy services
- 71632000 - Technical testing services
- 73100000 - Research and experimental development services
- 73110000 - Research services

## Release History

- 23 Oct 2026 at 07:46 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100222-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100222-2026
  23rd October 2026 - Contract award 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-078e68. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078e68.json.