---
title: "UKRI-7480 Flotation for Orkney Passage moorings"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-078ebe"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078ebe"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078ebe.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078ebe.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "UK RESEARCH & INNOVATION"
published: "2026-10-23"
---

# UKRI-7480 Flotation for Orkney Passage moorings

Buyer: UK RESEARCH & INNOVATION  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078ebe

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078ebe)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078ebe.json)

## Summary

UK Research & Innovation (UKRI), through its Natural Environment Research Council, procured glass flotation spheres to provide buoyancy for oceanographic moorings in the Orkney Passage. The requirement was for bespoke spheres meeting specific requirements, rather than a general supply of marker buoys. The goods support the deployment and operation of oceanographic moorings. The procurement is classified as goods, with marker buoys as the associated product category. The purchasing organisation is UKRI, a central government research funder. The stated location is the Orkney Passage; no more specific delivery site is identified.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded to RS Aqua. UKRI used a direct award below the applicable threshold, without competition. There was one lot. The award is active, and the contract is active. The contract was signed on 22 October 2026 and runs from 23 October 2026 to 28 January 2027. Its value is £35,290 excluding VAT and £42,348 including VAT. The award record does not give a separate award date or an evaluation basis. The requirement was bespoke, for glass flotation spheres for oceanographic moorings in the Orkney Passage.

The purchase demonstrates a specialist requirement for glass flotation spheres engineered to provide buoyancy to oceanographic moorings, including bespoke specifications. Suppliers seeking to compete for comparable UKRI work would need to show they can supply suitable glass spheres and meet project-specific technical requirements for marine scientific equipment. Credibility would rest on relevant product expertise, reliable supply and the ability to support mooring applications; general buoy or marine-equipment experience alone may not establish fit unless it covers this flotation requirement. The selected supplier, RS Aqua, is an SME, showing that the scale of this single-lot goods contract was within the reach of a specialist small business. The procurement was handled by direct award without competition, so capability to satisfy UKRI’s defined requirement is commercially relevant alongside price.

## Notice

UKRI NERC have appointed a supplier to supply glass flotation spheres for providing buoyancy to oceanographic moorings for specific bespoke requirements.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100373-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - without competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 23 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 23 Oct 2026 - 28 Jan 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £35,290 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## 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 |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | RS Aqua Ltd |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

### Codes

- 34515100 - Marker buoys

## Release History

- 23 Oct 2026 at 11:32 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100373-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/100373-2026
  23rd October 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

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