Award

E7 Mission Crew Trainer Sustainment

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

01 May 2025 at 09:57

Award

28 Nov 2024 at 09:45

Summary of the contracting process

The UK Ministry of Defence, based in Bristol, has engaged in a procurement process for the sustainment services of the E7 Mission Crew Trainer at RAF Lossiemouth, categorised under "Training and simulation in military electronic systems." This contract, valued at £4,547,354.78, was awarded to Plexsys Interface Products UK Ltd through a limited procurement method without prior publication, which was justified due to the unique technical expertise required. The procurement process was marked as complete on 1st May 2025, following the contract signing on 9th April 2025. The contract includes initial services spanning three years with options for an additional three years, ensuring ongoing functionality of crucial training equipment.

This tender offers significant opportunities for businesses specialising in military and defence training solutions, particularly those equipped to handle sophisticated electronic systems. Despite the restricted competition, smaller enterprises with deep technical capabilities or innovative partnerships could explore subcontracting opportunities under larger SMEs, such as Plexsys, expanding their footprint in the defence sector. This contract underlines an ongoing demand for specialised services and presents a chance for businesses with advanced technological assets to position themselves as key suppliers in future competitive tenders within this niche.

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Notice Title

E7 Mission Crew Trainer Sustainment

Notice Description

Contract to provide sustainment services for the E7 Mission Crew Trainer.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The Contractor shall be required to provide sustainment services for the E7 Mission Crew Trainer.

Options: Option Years (Years 4-6)

Procurement Information

The E7 Acquisition Project Team, part of the UK Ministry of Defence, has awarded a 3-year contract to Plexsys Interface Products UK Ltd for the maintenance of the current Mission Crew Trainer software and hardware located in RAF Lossiemouth. This contract has been awarded with an additional 3 option years. It is considered that this contract has been placed 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. This is because Plexsys Interface Products UK Ltd are the only company to have access to the Mission Crew Trainer source code/data and other necessary technical information to enable it to meet the RAF's synthetic training needs and provide the maintenance required throughout the contracting period. To be successful in maintaining the functionality of the equipment, the supplier must have suitable experience and detailed knowledge of the system including both hardware and software which is only available within Plexsys. It is critical that the Mission Crew Trainer device remains fully operational and contracting with another contractor would pose a high risk to its critical functionality, thereby jeopardising the training of rear crew. For these reasons, Plexsys Interface Products UK Ltd is the only supplier able to meet the requirement

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-04c0a7
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/018311-2025
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

80 - Education and training services


CPV Codes

80660000 - Training and simulation in military electronic systems

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£15,513,354 £10M-£100M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
1 May 20259 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
28 Nov 20241 years ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Cancelled
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
des-airistar-e7-cm@mod.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
BRISTOL
Postcode
N/A
Post Town
Not specified
Country
Not specified

Major Region (ITL 1)
Not specified
Basic Region (ITL 2)
Not specified
Small Region (ITL 3)
Not specified
Delivery Location
TLM5 North Eastern Scotland

Local Authority
Not specified
Electoral Ward
Not specified
Westminster Constituency
Not specified

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

PLEXSYS INTERFACE PRODUCTS

Further Information

Notice URLs

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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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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