Notices of this kind (United Kingdom, open procedure, below the EU threshold) give a median of 26 days, half of them between 19 and 31 days, based on 2,111 notices of the last two years.
Fewer days than three in four comparable notices. Check the documents early and ask questions before the clarification deadline.
Uncrewed Ocean Surface Vehicle (USV)
Buyer: CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
Country: United Kingdom
Deadline: 23 Oct 2026, 12:00 (UTC+1)
Estimated value: €117,601
Procedure: Open procedure
Sector (CPV): Laboratory & precision equipment (38290000)
Aperlena: https://aperlena.com/en/t/uncrewed-ocean-surface-vehicle-usv-f85a6cb327
Official notice: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/093684-2026
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01
Summary
Machine-generated summary
The School of Physical, Chemical and Environmental Sciences (PACES) is procuring a modern uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) to support teaching, research and innovation in marine science, hydrographic surveying and marine robotics. The platform will enhance practical field teaching, giving students experience of autonomous survey technology used in industry, and should operate in coastal waters, ports, harbours, estuaries, inland waters and sheltered bays. It must be person-portable, of modular construction, transportable in the rear of a standard SUV or pickup, deployable without specialist lifting equipment by a small team, and suited to field courses, student projects and dissertations throughout the academic year, improving accessibility and inclusivity in survey operations.
02
Description
The School of Physical, Chemical and Environmental Sciences (PACES) seeks to procure a modern uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) to support teaching, research and innovation in marine science, hydrographic surveying and marine robotics.
The platform will significantly enhance practical field teaching by providing students with access to contemporary autonomous survey technology that reflects current industry practice. The acquisition aligns with the strategic direction of UK marine science, where autonomous systems are increasingly central to national marine research infrastructure and offshore operations. It will provide students with experience of the technologies and operational workflows that are now expected across the marine sector, improving graduate employability and strengthening links with industry.
The proposed system will expand the University's field teaching capability by increasing the number and diversity of environments in which practical survey exercises can be undertaken. In addition to coastal waters, the platform should be suitable for deployment in ports, harbours, estuaries, inland waters and sheltered bays, creating greater flexibility for undergraduate teaching and postgraduate research.
Its portability will also enable deployment during residential field courses and support independent student projects and dissertations, providing more authentic, hands-on learning opportunities throughout the academic year while improving accessibility and inclusivity by allowing students to participate in advanced survey operations without requiring access to crewed survey vessels. To maximise operational flexibility, the USV should be readily transportable by a small team and capable of deployment without specialist lifting equipment.
The platform must therefore be person-portable and of modular construction, enabling it to fit within the rear of a standard SUV or pickup vehicle for transportation between field sites.
The system should be designed for low maintenance and provide a minimum operational endurance of seven hours on a single battery charge, allowing uninterrupted operation throughout a full teaching or survey day. Hot-swappable battery carriages would be highly desired.
The School requires a platform capable of both remote operation from shore and teleconnected operation, providing safe and effective survey capability without personnel entering the water. The system should support the creation and execution of pre-programmed navigation tracks and permit real-time editing of survey parameters and data acquisition whilst underway. Compatibility with the University's existing NORBIT multibeam sonar system is considered very highly desirable/near-essential, allowing integration with existing survey equipment and reducing additional capital expenditure. Safety, environmental sustainability and regulatory compliance are fundamental requirements.
The platform should incorporate situational awareness and collision avoidance capabilities to support safe autonomous operations. It must produce zero direct emissions during operation, generate minimal underwater and airborne noise, and avoid pollution of the operating environment. To facilitate straightforward regulatory compliance and minimise operational burden, the vessel should have an overall length of less than 2.5 metres, enabling operation within the scope of the exemptions outlined in MGN 702(M) Amendment 1.
Lastly, we would consider an autocast sound-velocity profiler winch highly desirable, and the ability to add/remove other sensors ad hoc, cheaply, and with ease of compatibility as a strong basis for choosing the final vessel.
03
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Documents in English.
Official source
Source: Find a Tender Service (UK Cabinet Office / Crown Commercial Service)
The buyer has too few awards of its own in this sector, so this is the range of the last 117 awards for Laboratory & precision equipment in United Kingdom.
€2,834€5.1M
This notice
€117,601
Median award
€82,808
Middle half of past awards
€32,480 to €172,742
The estimate sits inside the usual range.
Award values as published by the official sources. Use them as a guide, not a rule: scope, lots and duration differ between contracts.
of the awards went to the three most frequent winners
25%
Based on 12 awards with a named winner over the last 3 years. Counted by award, not by value, because lot and framework amounts are not comparable.
Concentrated means the three most frequent winners took 65% or more of the awards; many suppliers, under 35% with at least ten different winners.
20262
One dot per award, on the day it was signed, sized by its value. A ring is an award with no published value.
This buyer has no award history in this sector yet. Usual winners, Laboratory & precision equipment - United Kingdom
Larger than 30% of the open notices in Laboratory & precision equipment across Europe.
smallestlargest
open now in Laboratory & precision equipment
2,274
median open notice
€240,398
Who wins in this market
Many suppliers
United Kingdom · Laboratory & precision equipment
different companies won awards here
102
of the awards went to the three most frequent winners
9%
buyers awarded contracts here
55
Based on 134 awards with a named winner over the last 3 years. Counted by award, not by value, because lot and framework amounts are not comparable.
Concentrated means the three most frequent winners took 65% or more of the awards; many suppliers, under 35% with at least ten different winners.