Provision of Autonomous Underwater Glider Platforms

Procurement reference

2026PRNOC-1111

Procurement description

The National Oceanography Centre intends to directly award a contract for the supply of autonomous underwater glider platforms and associated equipment to support oceanographic research and operational programmes. This direct award will be made under Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023, relying on the justification in Schedule 5, paragraph 7 for extensions or partial replacements from the existing supplier. Under this provision, the public contract concerns the supply of goods by the existing supplier which are intended as an extension to, or partial replacement of, existing goods in circumstances where (a) a change in supplier would result in the contracting authority receiving goods that are different from, or incompatible with, the existing goods, and (b) the difference or incompatibility would result in disproportionate technical difficulties in operation or maintenance.

The requirement is to obtain a small number of buoyancy‑driven underwater glider platforms with associated ancillary equipment for deployment, recovery and operational use. The goods must remain fully compatible with NOC's established command and control systems, data handling arrangements and maintenance processes to ensure continuity of operations and to avoid disproportionate technical, operational and financial impacts that would arise from introducing an alternative platform. The procurement will include delivery to NOC's facilities in Southampton, appropriate testing and acceptance prior to handover, and standard warranty arrangements commencing on acceptance. This is a pre‑award transparency notice; a separate UK6 Contract Award Notice will be published following completion of the award.

National Oceanography Centre

Teledyne Instruments Inc. d/b/a Teledyne Webb Research

Procedure type

Direct award

Description of how these justifications apply

This direct award is made in reliance on Schedule 5, paragraph 7 of the Procurement Act 2023. The proposed contract concerns the supply of goods by the existing supplier which are intended as an extension to, and partial replacement of, existing autonomous underwater glider platforms currently operated by the National Oceanography Centre.

The existing platforms are integrated into established operational, command and control, data handling, maintenance, and training arrangements. A change of supplier would result in the contracting authority receiving goods that are different from, and incompatible with, the existing platforms and supporting infrastructure. This incompatibility would require significant changes to operational systems, software, data processing workflows, spares, tooling, and staff training.

The resulting differences would give rise to disproportionate technical difficulties in operation and maintenance, including increased operational risk, loss of continuity in research capability, and additional cost and time to implement and validate alternative systems. These impacts would be beyond what could reasonably be justified for the scope and value of this requirement.

The direct award is therefore necessary to ensure continuity of operations, compatibility with existing systems, and the effective delivery of NOC's research and operational objectives, in accordance with the conditions set out in Schedule 5, paragraph 7.

Direct award justification

Additional repeat extension partial replacement

Description of risks to contract performance

There is a risk that changes in manufacturing costs, component availability, or supplier input pricing during the contract period could result in adjustments to the overall contract value, particularly where specialist components or sub‑assemblies are subject to market volatility.

There is a risk that delays arising from export controls, customs processes, shipping constraints, or bonded warehouse arrangements could result in additional costs related to storage, logistics, insurance, or revised delivery arrangements.

There is a risk that issues identified during testing and acceptance may require remedial work, reconfiguration, or replacement of components, which could lead to variations in scope and associated changes to contract value.

There is a risk that changes in operational or research requirements during the delivery period could necessitate agreed modifications to the configuration, delivery sequencing, or acceptance arrangements, potentially impacting the overall contract price.

There is a risk that fluctuations in exchange rates between contract signature and payment milestones could affect the total contract cost where pricing is denominated in a foreign currency.