AWARD OUTCOME
What happened
The University of Exeter directly awarded Antarctic expedition logistics and operational support services to Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions LLC. The published contract record states that it was signed on 7 October 2026, runs to 7 April 2027, and is valued at £375,000.
Published outcomeOne active award and linked active contract are recorded for supplier Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions LLC, covering lot 1.
Market significanceThe buyer cited exclusive access, logistics and fuel for the Antarctic region relevant to its research project as the basis for a direct award.
AWARDED SUPPLIERS AND LOTS
1 supplier record analysed
Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions LLC
98% confidenceAward 1 · Lots 1 · 375000 GBP · active
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Award 1 names Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions LLC as its supplier; contract 1 is linked to award 1 and records a value of £375,000.
LIFECYCLE
Award or contract stage
Procurement status
99% confidenceComplete
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The tender status is recorded as "complete".
Award status
99% confidenceActive
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Award 1 has status "active".
Contract status
99% confidenceActive
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Contract 1 has status "active".
Contract signature
99% confidenceSigned on 7 October 2026
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Contract 1 includes dateSigned: 2026-10-07.
VALUES
Published values explained
Contract value
99% confidence£375,000 gross
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Contract 1 records amountGross of 375000 GBP and amount of 375000 GBP.
Value allocation
96% confidenceAllocated to the single contract linked to award 1
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The sole published contract is linked to award 1, which names one supplier and relates to lot 1.
TIMELINE
Procurement timeline
Transparency and contract award notices
98% confidence3 September 2026
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Release history records both a transparency notice and contract award notice on 3 September 2026.
Contract signed and starts
99% confidence7 October 2026
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Contract 1 records dateSigned and period startDate of 2026-10-07.
Contract end
99% confidence7 April 2027
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Contract 1 period endDate is 2027-04-07T23:59:59+01:00.
Contract details notice published
99% confidence9 October 2026
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The contract details notice is dated 2026-10-09.
SCOPE
What was awarded
Requirement
99% confidenceLogistics and operational support services for an Antarctic expedition
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The procurement title and description state this requirement.
Service category
98% confidenceSupporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services (CPV 63000000)
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The award item lists CPV 63000000 with this description.
Delivery location
99% confidenceAntarctica
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The award item delivery address is in Antarctica (AQ).
Lot structure
99% confidenceOne published lot (lot 1)
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Tender data contains one lot, ID 1; the award and contract are linked to it.
PROCEDURE
Procedure and competition
Procedure
99% confidenceDirect award
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The tender records procurementMethod "direct" and procurementMethodDetails "Direct award".
Direct-award rationale
99% confidenceThe buyer stated that the supplier offers exclusive access, logistics and fuel to the Antarctic region that is the focus of a research project.
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Published procurementMethodRationale contains this statement.
Rationale classification
98% confidenceSingle supplier for technical reasons
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The procurement method rationale classification is "singleSuppliersTechnicalReasons".
Competition information
99% confidenceNot supplied in the published notice.
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No bid count, bidder list, scoring or evaluation results are provided.
CONTRACT TERMS
Published contract terms
Term
99% confidence7 October 2026 to 7 April 2027
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Contract 1 period startDate and endDate.
Above-threshold status
99% confidenceAbove threshold
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Contract 1 records aboveThreshold: true.
Performance metrics
98% confidenceNo agreed metrics required
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Contract 1 states noAgreedMetricsRationale: "Not required."
COMMERCIAL VIEW
Commercial observations
Supply-market feature
96% confidenceThe published rationale indicates a location-specific capability requirement: access, logistics and fuel in the relevant Antarctic region.
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The buyer's direct-award rationale cites these capabilities.
Commercial transparency
98% confidenceA total contract value is published, but no pricing breakdown is available.
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Contract 1 provides a £375,000 value; no unit rates, cost categories or pricing schedule are supplied.
DATA QUALITY
Gaps and source limitations
Award and contract linkage
98% confidenceClear
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Contract 1 explicitly links to award 1, and both relate to lot 1.
Supplier identity
97% confidenceSource supplier identity is recorded under a GB-PPON identifier; Companies House matching is not applicable.
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Supplier verification status is "not_applicable" and the supplier is identified as a US entity in the source data.
Lot detail
99% confidenceLot 1 has no published title, description or individual lot value.
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The lot record contains null title, description and value fields.
Information not supplied in the published notice
99% confidenceBid count, evaluation results, pricing breakdown, extension terms and renewal options are not published.
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These fields are absent from the supplied procurement, award and contract data.
SOURCE DATA LIMITATIONS
Information not supplied in the published notice
- Information not supplied in the published notice: bid count, bidder identities, evaluation methodology, scores and award comparison.
- Lot 1 is identified but has no published title, description or standalone value.
- No published pricing breakdown, extension option or renewal provision is available.
- The supplier is a US entity recorded with a GB-PPON identifier; Companies House matching is not applicable.
MARKET THEMES
Relevant award themes
University of ExeterAntarctic Logistics and Expeditions LLCAntarctic expedition logisticsdirect awardAntarctica support services£375,000 contract
COMMON QUESTIONS
About this award
Who won the University of Exeter Antarctic expedition logistics contract?
Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions LLC is named as the supplier for award 1.
What is the value of the contract?
The linked contract records a gross value of £375,000.
Why was the contract directly awarded?
The buyer stated that the supplier offered exclusive access, logistics and fuel to the Antarctic region relevant to the research project.
When does the contract run?
The published contract period is 7 October 2026 to 7 April 2027.
ProcuraAxis award analysis supplements, but does not replace, the official award notice, contract data or procurement documents. “Awarded” does not by itself prove that a contract has been signed.