Scope
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.
Total value (estimated)
- £8,333,333.33 excluding VAT
- £10,000,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 29 July 2026 to 1 May 2031
- Possible extension to 1 May 2034
- 7 years, 9 months, 4 days
Description of possible extension:
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)
Options
The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid.
The Authority may procure repeated Balistic test services
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 35815100 - Bullet-proof vests
- 38970000 - Research, testing and scientific technical simulator
- 44431000 - Cover plates
- 73111000 - Research laboratory services
- 73431000 - Test and evaluation of security equipment
- 73432000 - Test and evaluation of firearms and ammunition
Contract locations
- UK - United Kingdom
Participation
Particular suitability
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
Submission
Submission type
Requests to participate
Deadline for requests to participate
27 February 2026, 11:59pm
Submission address and any special instructions
All submissions must be via the DSP
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Award decision date (estimated)
29 July 2026
Award criteria
| Name | Description | Type |
|---|---|---|
| PSQ | PSQ to be assessed on a Pass/Fail basis for the Qualification and Technical Envelopes: |
Quality |
Weighting description
PSQ to be assessed against the following criteria and within the following envelopes:
Qualification Envelope (All elements are Pass/Fail):
Preliminary SI Basic Information
Confirmation of CDP SI Basic Information
PART 2A: Associated Persons
PART 2B: List of all intended sub-contractors
Part 3 - Financial Assessment
Insurance
Data Protection
Technical Envelope (All elements are Pass/Fail):
Electronic Trading
Defence and Security Questions
Equality
Quality Assurance
Test Laboratories & Standards
UK Facility...
Other information
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Competitive flexible procedure
Special regime
Defence and security
Competitive flexible procedure description
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.
Contracting authority
Defence Equipment and Support
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PVRL-5831-GLMM
MOD Abbey Wood
Bristol
BS34 8JH
United Kingdom
Email: Laurella.Green134@mod.gov.uk
Website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/defence-equipment-and-support
Region: UKK12 - Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
Organisation type: Public authority - central government