Defence Online

Type of document: Contract Notice
Country: United Kingdom
Publication Ref: 008118/S 000-2026
Nature of contract: Service contract
Procedure: Not specified
Regulation of procurement: Not applicable
Type of bid required: Not applicable

UKPGA UK4: Tender Notice

I) Contracting Authority/Entity
I.1) Name and addresses
Official name: Defence Equipment and Support
National registration number: PVRL-5831-GLMM

Postal address: MOD Abbey Wood
Town: Bristol
Region: Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
Postal code: BS34 8JH
Country: United Kingdom

Email: Laurella.Green134@mod.gov.uk

Internet address

I.3) Communication
Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted
Electronically
All submissions must be via the DSP

I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Public authority – central government

II) Object
II.1.1) Title
715112450 – Ballistic Testing Services – Personal Armour
Reference number: ocds-h6vhtk-056c18

II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
Special regime
DefenceSecurity

II.1.4) Short description
This Tender Notice outlines the Authority’s intent to competitively assess, select and award a contract to deliver Ballistic Testing Services for Personal Armour to support new to service projects and ensure through life support of Personal Armour provided to its Armed Forces Personnel.
The contract will have a headroom of £10m (Inc VAT) and will be for 5 years with 3 x 1 optional years.
The Ballistic Testing Service will serve as a dedicated platform to facilitate comprehensive testing and evaluation of Personal Armour systems. This service will encompass a wide range of protective equipment, including but not limited to Hard Armour Plates, Soft Armour Fillers, and Helmets. The testing process will ensure that these protective solutions meet established safety, durability, and performance standards under various conditions. By providing a structured and reliable pathway for ballistic testing, the service aims to support the development, validation, and certification of personal protective equipment, ensuring it meets operational requirements and offers optimal protection to users in diverse environments.
For the provision of Ballistic Testing Services, it is a mandatory requirement that the contractor operates a facility located within the United Kingdom. This ensures accessibility, compliance with relevant UK regulations, and alignment with national security and operational standards. The ballistic testing will be conducted on an as-needed basis throughout the duration of the contract, with testing schedules determined by specific requirements or requests. The contractor must maintain readiness and flexibility to accommodate testing demands at any point during the contract period, ensuring timely and efficient service delivery to meet the needs of the programme.
The Ballistic Testing Service competition mandates that participating laboratories must hold accreditation from the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to the ISO 17025 standard. This international standard specifies the general requirements for the competence, impartiality, and consistent operation of testing and calibration laboratories, ensuring the highest levels of quality and reliability in testing processes. Additionally, laboratories must demonstrate compliance with NATO AEP-2920, the Allied Engineering Publication that outlines the procedures and standards for evaluating the ballistic performance of personal armour systems. This dual requirement ensures that laboratories possess both the technical expertise and the operational capability to conduct ballistic testing to internationally recognised and NATO-specific standards, guaranteeing the accuracy, consistency, and credibility of the results.
The competitive procurement will be managed in accordance with the Procurement Regulations 2024.

II.1.7) Total value of the procurement
Value (including VAT)
10,000,000
Value (excluding VAT)
8,333,333.33
Currency
GBP

II.2) Description
II.2.1) Title
Contract/Lot No
1

II.2.2) CPV codes
Main CPV codes
35815100
38970000
44431000
73111000
73431000
73432000

II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code
UK – United Kingdom

II.2.5) Award Criteria
Quality
Name: PSQ
Weighting: PSQ to be assessed on a Pass/Fail basis for the Qualification and Technical Envelopes:

II.2.6) Estimated Value
Value (excluding VAT)
8,333,333.33
Currency
GBP

II.2.7) Contract dates (estimated)
Start
2026-07-29 00:00
End
2031-05-01 23:59
Duration
4 years 9 months 3 days
Possible extension
2034-05-01 23:59
Extended duration
7 years 9 months 3 days
This contract is subject to renewal
Yes
Description of renewals
Option 1: 5 Year Duration
Option 2: 5 Years (+1, +1, +1) these options can be taken in any combination (e.g. 1+1, 2+1,11+2)

II.2.11) Information about options
Options: Yes
Description of options
The Authority may procure repeated Balistic test services

III) Legal, economic, financial and technical information
III.1) Conditions for participation
III.1.1) Suitability to pursue the professional activity, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers
Particular suitability
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)

IV) Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.1) Type of procedure
Competitive flexible procedure

IV.1.10) Identification of the national rules applicable to the procedure
Information about national procedures is available at
This procurement will be conducted using the Competitive Flexible Procedure in accordance with Procurement Regulations 2024.
All compliant tenderers at the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) stage will be taken through to the ITT of the Competitive Flexible Procedure. The full requirement will be issued at the ITT stage and tenderers will be given appropriate time to respond with their initial tenders.
The Authority will complete a tender evaluation against the evaluation strategy which will be detailed at the ITT Stage. Following the evaluation of the tenders, each tender will be ranked in accordance with the evaluation methodology, the winning tenderer will be selected on the basis of the evaluation and award criteria detailed in the ITT.
The Authority reservesthe right to cancel the competition at any stage with no liability for tenderer costs and
expenses.

IV.2) Administrative information
IV.2.1) Tender period dates
Estimated award decision date
2026-07-29 23:59

IV.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
English

Deadline for requests to participate
2026-02-27 23:59

VI) Complementary information
Link to source/bidding documents

Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes

VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
2026-01-29 14:50