Procurement Notice

On 7 April 2025, The Crown Estate announced that eligible bidders in its Floating Offshore Wind Leasing Round 5 had been invited to progress to the final stages of the tender process, with the commencement of Invitation to Tender Stage 2 (ITT2). This step represents a formal procurement milestone in which only bidders that successfully passed earlier phases are now being asked to submit detailed proposals for the three Celtic Sea floating offshore wind Project Development Areas. Alongside launching ITT2, The Crown Estate also published the list of ports that bidders had put forward in their ITT1 submissions to support integration activities during the construction phase, signalling an increased focus on supply chain and port readiness for upcoming projects in the Celtic Sea, including the Ocean Winds Celtic Sea development. This ITT2 launch builds on a structured sequence of Round 5 milestones. The process was framed by the publication of an Information Memorandum in December 2023, followed by a Bidders Day in Swansea in January 2024. A Concession Notice formally launching the Round 5 tender was issued on 28 February 2024, after which The Crown Estate reviewed Pre-Qualification Questionnaire responses in mid-2024 and started ITT1 in August 2024. Moving to ITT2 indicates that the tender has now narrowed to a smaller pool of qualified bidders and is approaching award decisions for seabed rights in the Celtic Sea, a key enabler for projects such as Ocean Winds Celtic Sea to progress from early development towards lease award and later-stage development activities.