Award

708071451

  • Ministry of Defence

F15: Voluntary ex ante transparency notice

Notice identifier: 2025/S 000-041945

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-0563b3

Published 22 July 2025, 11:55am



Section one: Contracting authority/entity

one.1) Name and addresses

Ministry of Defence

MOD Abbey Wood, Elm 1b

Bristol

BS34 8JH

Contact

Hayley Williams

Email

Hayley.Williams138@mod.gov.uk

Country

United Kingdom

Region code

UK - United Kingdom

Internet address(es)

Main address

http://des.mod.uk/

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

708071451

Reference number

708071451

two.1.2) Main CPV code

  • 73433000 - Test and evaluation of military vehicles

two.1.3) Type of contract

Services

two.1.4) Short description

Land Environment Operating Centre Testing, Trialing & Advice

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: £4,000,000

two.2) Description

two.2.3) Place of performance

NUTS codes
  • UK - United Kingdom

two.2.4) Description of the procurement

Testing, Trialing & Advice

two.2.5) Award criteria

Price

two.2.11) Information about options

Options: No

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 procedure without publication of a contract notice

  • No tenders or no suitable tenders/requests to participate in response to negotiated procedure with prior publication of a contract notice
  • The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason:
    • absence of competition for technical reasons

Explanation:

The Specialist Vehicle and Uncrewed Land Systems (SVULS) Project Team, part of the UK Ministry of Defence, intends to extend Contract 708071451 for the provision of Testing, Trialing and Advice with UTAC Limited for the testing, advice, and trialling of Land Environment (LE) wheeled vehicles by 18 months from September 25. The contract will have a nil value increase due to an underspend from the original estimated maximum value of £4M. Therefore the expected spend for this extension period is £2m to meet the original value of £4M.

The original VTN was publish 1st June 2023 for the Contract being completed through the award of the contract without prior publication of a contract notice in the UK e-notification service which is lawful in accordance with Regulation 16(1)(a)(ii) of the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011 for technical reasons. This VTN is under the same grounds for the same rationale provided from the suitably qualified and experienced personnel (SQEP) from the SVULS Engineering team conducting analysis of the market capabilities and concluded that UTAC are still the sole economic operator with the necessary expertise, facilities, infrastructure, and capacity to conduct the full scope of required work.

four.1.3) Information about a framework agreement

The procurement involves the establishment of a framework agreement

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

70871451

Title

Trialing, Testing & Advice

A contract/lot is awarded: Yes

five.2) Award of contract/concession

five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract

13 September 2023

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

UTAC UK Limited

Millbrook,

Bedford,

MK45 2JQ

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)

Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot/concession: £4,000,000

Total value of the contract/lot/concession: £4,000,000

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

Defence, Equipment & Support (DE&S)

MOD Abbey Wood

Bristol

BS34 8JH

Country

United Kingdom