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AWE Laser Transport Mirror Refurbishment

Atomic Weapons Establishment · Central government

In brief

Atomic Weapons Establishment has announced plans to buy laboratory equipment work. This is an early notice: there is nothing to bid on yet, but it tells you a tender may follow.

It is a framework worth up to £1,000,000 excluding VAT: the most the buyer expects to spend across all suppliers, not one contract.

The contract runs for 4 years, starting 8 July 2026.

The buyer says it is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.

Built from the notice's own fields. Always check the official notice before you bid.

Can I win this?

Competition

Typical: a median of 3 bids per contract for laboratory equipment contracts in this region (from 28 awards in the last 12 months).

Framework

Winning puts you on a list of suppliers the buyer can call on; it does not guarantee work. The £1,000,000 is the most the buyer expects to spend across all suppliers over the framework's life, not one contract.

What the notice says

AWE is looking to contract for the refurbishment of laser transport mirrors of 500 x 350 x 80 mm and 351 nm, which have been in operation for over a decade and have degraded. There are approximately 50 such mirrors, and we know that at least 25 mirrors need to be recoated and repolished. We will not be able to inspect the remaining 25 mirrors until late summer 2026. AWE intends to create a single-supplier framework for the mirror refurbishment through a Competitive Flexible Procedure. We hope to launch the CFP in March 2026 and award the framework in early July 2026, then award the first call-offs for the recoating of the first batch of mirrors. Through this framework we will send mirror blanks / system mirrors to the winning supplier, for them to rework / recoat the mirrors and then send them back. We are undertaking this PME to gauge supplier interest, capability and cost.

How to bid

  1. Read the full notice on Find a Tender, including any tender documents it links to.
  2. Register your organisation on the Central Digital Platform (through Find a Tender) if you have not already. Suppliers need to be registered to take part in procurements under the Procurement Act 2023.
  3. Follow the submission instructions in the notice; it does not name an e-tendering portal.

Timeline

  1. Preliminary market engagement notice · UK2, notice 007006-2026

About the buyer

  1. LiBRTI Diagnostics

    UK Atomic Energy AuthoritySouth EastLaboratory and scientific equipment, Medical equipment and supplies

    Open8 days leftSuitable for SMEs

    £500kestimated
  2. MVDC - Parking Pay Terminals

    Mole Valley District CouncilSouth EastLaboratory and scientific equipment

    Open9 days leftSuitable for SMEs

    £315kestimated
  3. Kier Infrastructure - UXO Site Surveys

    Kier InfrastructureEast of England, South EastArchitecture and engineering, Laboratory and scientific equipment

    OpenNew9 days leftSuitable for SMEs

    £150kestimated
  4. 2026 WS3282950901 Maintenance, Repairs and Operations Goods (MRO) (Interim)

    Anglian Water Services LimitedNorth East, East Midlands, East of England, South EastUniforms, clothing and PPE, Security

    Open15 days leftFramework

    £14mframework ceiling
  5. Heating, Electrical, Mechanical and Decarbonisation Framework

    Eastern Procurement LimitedNorth East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, South East, South West, Wales, ScotlandEnergy and utilities, Construction

    Open22 days leftSuitable for SMEsFramework

    £1.06bnframework ceiling

From notice 007006-2026 on Find a Tender, first published 27 January 2026. We last checked for changes on 28 September 2026.