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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

UKRI-4855 North Sea Late Cenozoic Environments

UK Research & Innovation · Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 29 Sept 2026, 23:55.

Opportunity overview

The British Geological Survey (BGS), acting on behalf of the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD), requires a marine coring capability and suitable vessel to operate in the North Sea Basin, offshore Denmark, for a scientific drilling, coring campaign for a period of 90 days (estimated) between May and September 2026. This scientific coring project seeks to extend our understanding of Earth’s dynamics during the last 50 ice ages and the warmer periods between them. The North Sea Basin is an area that was heavily impacted by these ice age cycles as climate fluctuated between fully glacial to warmer-than-present conditions. The continuous sediment accumulation found in this marine environment should be thought of as a ‘tape recorder’ that contain an almost complete record of glacial-interglacial episodes, providing insight on Europe’s past climate, ecology, and large river systems over the last ~3.3 million years. In this expedition, we aim to collect geological samples to gain insight into the baseline dynamics and thresholds for depositional and ecosystem regime shifts, as well as biodiversity turnover driven by rapid climate changes. This research will help us better understand the environmental responses to modern-day warming. The project requires a contractor to provide a suitable platform or vessel from which to drill one borehole 1200 metres below the sea floor from a water depth ranging between 28 metres and 60 metres For more information about this opportunity, please visit the Delta eSourcing portal at: https://ukri.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-title/5X56S85A5M To respond to this opportunity, please click here: https://ukri.delta-esourcing.com/respond/5X56S85A5M

Classification

  • CPV76320000 — Offshore drilling services
  • CPV76340000 — Core drilling

Lots

  • Lot UKRI-4855Value not stated

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
ocds-h6vhtk-050020
Status
planning
Above Threshold
Yes
Main Procurement Category
services

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Communication

Future Notice Date
7 Jul 2025, 00:59

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
UKRI-4855
Status
planning

Contract period

Ends
1 Oct 2026, 00:59
Starts
1 Dec 2025, 00:00

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
UKRI-4855
Related Lot
UKRI-4855

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
DK
Country
DK
Country Name
Denmark
Entry 2
Region
NL
Country
NL
Country Name
Netherlands

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Id
76320000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Offshore drilling services
Entry 2
Id
76340000
Scheme
CPV
Description
Core drilling

Planning and budget

Documents

Entry 1
Id
014119-2025
Format
text/html
Notice Type
UK2
Description
Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
Document Type
marketEngagementNotice
Published
9 Apr 2025, 19:05

Milestones

Entry 1
Id
engagement
Type
engagement
Status
scheduled
Due
1 Jul 2025, 00:59
Description
UKRI are seeking to engage with interested contractors prior to going to market, Contractors are encouraged to express their interest in the opportunity via the Delta esourcing portal. Following an expression of interest, contractors may be invited to further engagement activities to be completed in April and May 2025. To express interest in this opportunity, please go to: https://ukri.delta-esourcing.com/respond/5X56S85A5M

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Id
GB-PPON-PDQJ-7126-JDHG
Name
UK Research & Innovation

Roles

buyer

Address

Region
UKK14
Country
GB
Locality
Swindon
Postal Code
SN2 1FL
Country Name
United Kingdom
Street Address
Polaris House, North Star Avenue

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Id
publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Description
Public authority - sub-central government

Identifier

Id
PDQJ-7126-JDHG
Scheme
GB-PPON

Contact

Name
Commercial
Telephone
+44 1793442000

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · Swindon · UKK14 · SN2 1FL · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · DK · Denmark
  • Delivery location · NL · Netherlands

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. ocds-h6vhtk-050020-2025-04-09T19:05:12+01:00Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·