AwardedAwarded 3 December 2025
Provision of Lead for Fixed Ballast, RRS Sir David Attenborough
UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) · Central government
In brief
UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) awarded this contract to Calder Industrial Materials Limited on 3 December 2025.
The notice gives a value of £2,000,000 excluding VAT.
The contract runs for 9 months, starting 16 December 2025.
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.
What the notice says
RRS Sir David Attenborough is an Ice class research ship that operates in the polar regions for UKRI research activities. The ship is very heavy towards the bow due to the ice strengthening. To correct the Ballast the ship requires 477 tonnes of lead ballast in the aft of the ship. The lead is to be inserted in man handleable blocks into a specially designed void space within the aft peak ballast tank.
The lead requires to be protected to prevent noise and vibration transmitting through the hull that would interfere with the acoustic equipment and create vibration.
Who won
| Winner | Value | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Calder Industrial Materials Limited (SME) 1 bid received | £1,933,519 | Awarded 18 November 2025 4 December 2025 to 30 September 2026 |
Values as the award notice gives them, excluding VAT where stated.
Timeline
- Tender notice · UK4, notice 067609-2025
- Contract award notice · UK6, notice 075478-2025
- Contract details notice · UK7, notice 083779-2025
About the buyer
UK Research & Innovation (UKRI)Last 12 months
Procurements
1898Awards
1735Suppliers it has used most
- Jisc Services Limited16 contracts
- DH Building Services (Oxford) Limited10 contracts
- Johnston Property Maintenance Ltd10 contracts
- Kongsberg Maritime AS10 contracts
- Clarivate Analytics (UK) Ltda9 contracts
- Life Technologies Ltd9 contracts
- Navigate Scaffolding Ltd9 contracts
- Softcat plc9 contracts
From notice 067609-2025 on Find a Tender, first published 22 October 2025, last updated 17 December 2025. We last checked for changes on 28 September 2026.