Expired contract

Supply of (HVO) fuel to RRS Discovery August 2026

Details

Value
£349,314
Topic
Fuels
Published
31 July 2026

Tender description

Supply of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel to RRS Discovery (IMO No. 9588029), berthed at Southampton, UK. Estimated Quantity required: 210,000 litres. The quantity is an estimate; the final invoiced quantity will be confirmed by the Bunker Delivery Note and the actual density at the point of delivery. Delivery: By road tanker wagon (RTW), to be completed by 16th August 2026. Fuel must comply with the EN 15940 standard and must be derived from used cooking oil (UCO) feedstock only, with no palm oil, palm oil sludge, POME, or animal fats. Sulphur content must comply with MARPOL Annex VI and the applicable MCA requirements, with a maximum sulphur content of less than 5 mg/kg (5 ppm). Fuel must have a flash point of not less than 60 degrees Celsius, in line with SOLAS. The supplier must provide, at the time of bunkering, a copy of the fuel specification, fuel samples, and a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) to the Chief Engineer. A Bunker Delivery Note (BDN) must be provided in the MARPOL Annex VI format, stating quantity in metric tonnes, carrying the supplier's signed declaration that the fuel meets the fuel quality requirements of MARPOL Annex VI Regulation 18. The following sustainability documentation is required: proof of sustainability of the biofuel component, certified under either ISCC or RFAS Heat-Power-Marine (RSB is not required), a biofuel delivery statement, and the greenhouse gas emissions data (carbon intensity or emission factor) for the fuel. ## Contract award

Timeline

  1. Completed: Award published31 July 2026
    Current notice
  2. Completed: Award date31 July 2026
  3. Completed: Contract expiry date21 August 2026

About the buyer

National Oceanography Centre is one of the world's top oceanographic institutions, and a dedicated procurement team runs its purchasing. Contracts above threshold are advertised through Contracts Finder and Find a Tender. Much of its buying goes through pre-negotiated framework agreements and the Crown Commercial Service. A framework covers refit, maintenance and equipment support for research vessels including RRS Discovery and RRS James Cook. Just over 1,400 suppliers work with the centre, four in five of them based in the UK. The procurement team is currently implementing the Procurement Act 2023 across its processes.

£434bn was the total UK public sector procurement spend in FY 2025/26.

Over the past 5 years, most of National Oceanography Centre's contract awards have been in laboratory and precision equipment, construction work and software and information systems.

Relevant CPV codes

  • 09100000 · Fuels

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