Award

PROVISION AND SUPPORT OF A BODY ARMOUR LOAD CARRIAGE SYSTEM (BALCS)

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE/DE&S

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

24 Apr 2026 at 10:37

Award

07 Mar 2024 at 15:27

Summary of the contracting process

The Ministry of Defence/DE&S, headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom, has been actively involved in the provision and support of a Body Armour Load Carriage System (BALCS) for the Air Defence Environment. The procurement process, marked as ongoing as of April 2026, follows a "negotiated without publication of a contract notice" method, due to exclusive rights and technical reasons surrounding the equipment. This contract, awarded to Level Peaks Associates Ltd., involves the supply of protective and safety clothing, with specific focus areas including flying clothing and anti-ballistic garments. The contract signed on 24th March 2026 is valued at approximately £11.13 million and continues to be active.

This tender offers an established market for businesses involved in manufacturing protective gear and logistics support services. Although limited in competitive opportunity, primarily due to intellectual property rights and technical requirements, it showcases significant investment in military-grade protective clothing. Suppliers with existing relationships or capabilities in defence industry standards, particularly those experienced with military aviation requirements and through-life Integrated Logistics Support, are well-positioned to leverage potential subcontracting opportunities. Companies aiming to enhance their presence in defence equipment supply chains may find strategic partnership or support roles beneficial, given the highly specialised nature of the contract.

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Notice Title

PROVISION AND SUPPORT OF A BODY ARMOUR LOAD CARRIAGE SYSTEM (BALCS)

Notice Description

The provision of continuing support of the Body Armour Load Carriage System (BALCS) for the Air Defence Environment

Lot Information

Lot 1

1. The Air Commodities Delivery Team (ACDT) within Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), part of the UK Ministry of Defence, ("the Authority") intends to award a Contract to Level Peaks Associates Ltd (LPA) ("the Contractor") for the provision of continuing support of the Body Armour Load Carriage System (BALCS) for the Air Defence Environment. 2. The contract will be for a maximum of seven (7) years. The estimated contract value is circa PS11M. 3. The purpose of the Contract is to procure, upgrade and maintain the current equipment provided by a through life Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) solution including but not limited to Servicing, Post Design Services & Maintenance.

Options: Two (2) costed 1-year options, which will follow the initial five (5) year contract period.

Procurement Information

1. The Air Commodities Delivery Team (ACDT) within Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), part of the UK Ministry of Defence, ("the Authority") intends to award a Contract to Level Peaks Associates Ltd (LPA) ("the Contractor") for the provision of continuing support of the Body Armour Load Carriage System (BALCS) for the Air Defence Environment. 2. The contract will be for a maximum of seven (7) years. The estimated contract value is circa PS11M. 3. The purpose of the Contract is to procure, upgrade and maintain the current equipment provided by a through life Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) solution including but not limited to Servicing, Post Design Services & Maintenance. 4. In accordance with regulation 4 of the Defence and Security Public Contracts (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (SI 2019/697) this procurement falls to be regulated under the provisions of the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011 as amended (in particular by SI 2019/697 and SI 2020/1450). Prior publication of a contract notice in the Official Journal of the European Union is no longer appropriate. It is considered that the award of the contract without prior publication of a contract notice in the UK e-notification service (in accordance with the relevant legislation) is lawful in accordance with regulation 16(1)(a)(ii) of the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011 for technical reasons. 5. LPA possesses the relevant technical knowledge and holds the sole distribution rights for the provision of BALCS related equipment to the UK Ministry of Defence. The Authority has insufficient rights to pass the necessary data and information to a third party to undertake the requirement, hence LPA is the only economic operator that can provide continued support including to required Military Aviation Authority (MAA) airworthiness standards and certification of the safety and interoperability of the equipment necessary for through-life maintenance.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-04467a
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/037503-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Negotiated without publication of a contract notice
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

18 - Clothing, footwear, luggage articles and accessories

35 - Security, fire-fighting, police and defence equipment


CPV Codes

18132000 - Flying clothing

18143000 - Protective gear

35113400 - Protective and safety clothing

35815000 - Garments for anti-ballistic protection

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£20,280,833 £10M-£100M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
24 Apr 2026Today
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
7 Mar 20242 years ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE/DE&S
Additional Buyers

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
BRISTOL
Postcode
N/A
Post Town
Bristol
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK5 West of England
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK52 Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
South Gloucestershire
Electoral Ward
Stoke Park & Cheswick
Westminster Constituency
Filton and Bradley Stoke

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
2
Supplier Names

LEVEL PEAKS

LEVEL PEAKS ASSOCIATES

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts.

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