- 1. Encourage innovation in the development of Lithium in an economic, sustainable, and scalable fusion energy fuel cycle
- 2. Encourage innovation in the development of Lithium in an economic, sustainable, and scalable fusion energy fuel cycle.
- 3. Encourage innovation in the development of Lithium in an economic, sustainable, and scalable fusion energy fuel cycle.
- 4. Encourage innovation in the development of Lithium in an economic, sustainable, and scalable fusion energy fuel cycle.
- 5. Encourage innovation in the development of Lithium in an economic, sustainable, and scalable fusion energy fuel cycle.
- 6. Encourage innovation in the development of Lithium in an economic, sustainable, and scalable fusion energy fuel cycle.
Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
Culham Science Centre
Abingdon
OX14 3DB
Contact
Suleiman Deen
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UKJ14 - Oxfordshire
National registration number
N/A
Internet address(es)
Main address
http://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-atomic-energy-authority
Buyer's address
https://uk.eu-supply.com/ctm/Company/CompanyInformation/Index/72814
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
Other activity
Fusion Research
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
SBRI: UKAEA Fusion industry challenges prototype development
Reference number
T/VT043/23
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 73110000 - Research services
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
This is a Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) competition funded by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA).
This funding programme will support the UK’s leadership in economic, sustainable, and scalable fusion energy.
The aim of this competition is to encourage innovation in the development of Lithium in an economic, sustainable, and scalable fusion energy fuel cycle.
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
Value excluding VAT: £7,410,371
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 14784000 - Lithium
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKJ14 - Oxfordshire
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
A pre-commercial activity under SBRI. The aim of this competition is to encourage innovation in the development of Lithium in an economic, sustainable, and scalable fusion energy fuel cycle.
Your project can focus on one or more of the following:
Isotopic Enrichment
- Technologies that can enrich the proportion of the minor isotope Lithium-6.
- Enrichment will be essential to the fuel sustainability of many fusion power designs and, where it is not essential, can add value by boosting Tritium production. This will enable the commissioning and re-start of other fusion power plants.
- Lithium enrichment represents a front-end fuel cycle service that will be demanded by fusion reactor operators around the world.
Examples of performance measures that would constitute an improvement over existing Lithium enrichment technologies include:
- product quality, for example, maximum enrichment level (percentage), purity and product form (metal or compound)
- economics, for example, production rate, capital cost, energy and resource consumption or value of co-products
- environmental and worker protection, for example, hazards, waste production, obstacles to licensing such as the Minamata Convention
Tritium Extraction
Technologies that can extract Tritium from a Lithium breeding material and make it available, fast and efficient enough to fuel the ongoing Deuterium-Tritium (DT) reaction.
Performance parameters relevant to a fusion energy plant’s fuel cycle system include:
- rate of extraction
- continuous operation
- availability of recovered Tritium
- energy cost
- Conversion and Manufacturing
Technologies or techniques that can convert Lithium from the form available in existing supply chains into either:
- a form suitable for an isotopic enrichment process
- a form required by the Tritium breeding system of a fusion energy plant
Aspects relevant to a sustainable and competitive supply chain include:
- raw material input forms for example, Lithium Chloride, Carbonate, Hydroxide
- product output forms, for example, suitability for a variety of enrichment processes or breeding systems
potential to recycle Lithium, for example, use of recycled Lithium from other sectors in fusion, or recycling of Lithium after its use in a fusion energy plant
two.2.5) Award criteria
Quality criterion - Name: Proposed idea or technology / Weighting: 10
Quality criterion - Name: Technical project summary / Weighting: 20
Quality criterion - Name: Current state of the art and intellectual property / Weighting: 15
Quality criterion - Name: Project plan and methodology / Weighting: 15
Quality criterion - Name: Technical team and expertise / Weighting: 15
Quality criterion - Name: Commercial potential / Weighting: 15
Cost criterion - Name: Costs and value for money / Weighting: 10
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
two.2.14) Additional information
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Award of a contract without prior publication of a call for competition in the cases listed below
- The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the regulations
Explanation:
This was a pre-commercial procurement activity lead by Innovate UK. All information relating to the tender can be found here: https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/1572/overview/b46f6801-18ac-401d-b654-a540f79f9171
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
four.2) Administrative information
four.2.9) Information about termination of call for competition in the form of a prior information notice
The contracting authority will not award any further contracts based on the above prior information notice
Section five. Award of contract
Title
Encourage innovation in the development of Lithium in an economic, sustainable, and scalable fusion energy fuel cycle
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
12 October 2023
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 21
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Bangor University
Bangor
LL57 2DG
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UKL12 - Gwynedd
The contractor is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot: £1,164,578
Section five. Award of contract
Title
Encourage innovation in the development of Lithium in an economic, sustainable, and scalable fusion energy fuel cycle.
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
12 October 2023
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 21
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Frazer-Nash Consultancy Ltd
Leatherhead
KT22 7NL
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UKJ2 - Surrey, East and West Sussex
The contractor is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot: £1,498,332
Section five. Award of contract
Title
Encourage innovation in the development of Lithium in an economic, sustainable, and scalable fusion energy fuel cycle.
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
12 October 2023
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 21
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
University of Bristol
Bristol
BS81QU
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UKK11 - Bristol, City of
The contractor is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot: £726,383
Section five. Award of contract
Title
Encourage innovation in the development of Lithium in an economic, sustainable, and scalable fusion energy fuel cycle.
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
12 October 2023
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 21
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
University of Bristol
Bristol
BS81QU
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UKK11 - Bristol, City of
The contractor is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot: £1,237,502
Section five. Award of contract
Title
Encourage innovation in the development of Lithium in an economic, sustainable, and scalable fusion energy fuel cycle.
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
12 October 2023
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 21
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh
EH8 9YL
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UKM75 - Edinburgh, City of
The contractor is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot: £1,497,970
Section five. Award of contract
Title
Encourage innovation in the development of Lithium in an economic, sustainable, and scalable fusion energy fuel cycle.
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
12 October 2023
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 21
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
University of Manchester
Manchester
M13 9PL
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UKD33 - Manchester
The contractor is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot: £1,285,606
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
UK Atomic Energy Authority
Culham Science Centre
Abingdon
OX14 3DB
Country
United Kingdom
Internet address
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-atomic-energy-authority
six.4.2) Body responsible for mediation procedures
UK Atomic Energy Authority
Culham Science Centre
Abingdon
OX14 3DB
Country
United Kingdom
Internet address
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-atomic-energy-authority
six.4.3) Review procedure
Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures
VI.4.2)Body responsible for mediation procedures
VI.4.3)Review procedure
Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures:
Precommercial procurement activity not subject to Public Contract Regulations 2015.
six.4.4) Service from which information about the review procedure may be obtained
UK Atomic Energy Authority
Culham Science Centre
Abingdon
OX14 3DB
Country
United Kingdom
Internet address
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-atomic-energy-authority