Section one: Contracting authority/entity
one.1) Name and addresses
Ministry of Defence
Bristol
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UK - United Kingdom
Internet address(es)
Main address
https://des.mod.uk/what-we-do/army-procurement-support/soldier-training-special-projects/
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Ministry or any other national or federal authority
one.5) Main activity
Defence
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
Procurement of Wire Insulation Piercing Probes (WIPPs)
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 38552000 - Electronic meters
two.1.3) Type of contract
Supplies
two.1.4) Short description
Procurement of Wire Insulation Piercing Probes (WIPPs)
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
Value excluding VAT: £375,000
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UK - United Kingdom
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
Procurement of Wire Insulation Piercing Probes (WIPPs)
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: Yes
Description of options
2 Option Years
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Negotiated without a prior call for competition
- No tenders or no suitable tenders/requests to participate in response to restricted procedure
- The products involved are manufactured purely for the purpose of research, experiment, study or development
Explanation:
The Special Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search, Exploitation & Countermeasures (SEEC) Delivery Team, as part of the UK Ministry of Defence (“MOD”), intends to award a contract to Thales UK Ltd for the procurement of Wire Insulation Piercing Probes (WIPPs). These ancillaries are used in conjunction with a Long-Range Wire Diagnostic Tool (LRWDT). This contract will be for the procurement of WIPPs over a fixed 5-year term, with options to extend by a further 2 years to cover any emergent requirements. The contract will run to 2030 with an expected value of £450,000 over the full seven years. This value is inclusive of an initial procurement of 620 sets of banana-end WIPPs (x6 per set). The contract is for the procurement of WIPPs only, there is no requirement for in-service support.
The WIPPs have been in-service with the UK Armed Forces since 2021 as an ancillary that attaches to the LRWDT. The WIPPs have been developed and modified specifically for UK military use. The Intellectual Property for the WIPPs are held by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) - Warwick Test Supplies Limited. The OEM has an exclusivity agreement with the Contractor – Thales UK Ltd. Thales UK Ltd have been granted an exclusive licence to use the relevant technical information relating to the WIPPs (which is necessary to manufacture the WIPPs) by the OEM. Therefore, Thales UK Ltd are the only company with the technical know-how to undertake the manufacture of the WIPPs.
The UK Armed Forces are trained in the operation of WIPPs. Introducing a new system and operating two systems in parallel would introduce an unacceptable additional training requirement and an unacceptable risk to safety. The WIPPs are specifically designed and modified to be interoperable with the LRWDT. Accordingly, Thales UK Ltd is the only Contractor which can deliver this requirement.
It is therefore considered that this contract can be awarded to Thales UK Ltd using the negotiated procedure without prior publication of a contract notice pursuant to Regulation 16(1)(a)(ii) of the UK Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011 for technical reasons.
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: No
Section five. Award of contract/concession
Contract No
708203450
Title
Procurement of Wire Insulation Piercing probes
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract/concession
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
11 March 2024
five.2.2) Information about tenders
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor/concessionaire
Thales UK Limited
Reading
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UK - United Kingdom
The contractor/concessionaire is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot/concession (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot/concession: £375,000
five.2.5) Information about subcontracting
The contract/lot/concession is likely to be subcontracted
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
Ministry of Defence
Bristol
Country
United Kingdom