Notice Information
Notice Title
144000
Notice Description
The 13 Pounder is a ceremonial gun and carries out 18 musical drives and Royal Salutes annually. They are used as part of the enduring OP BRIDGE (a Royal death and funeral ceremony) and carry significant Royal and Government interest. The 13pdr is over 100 years old having entered service in 1904 as a horse drawn artillery piece and was first issued in 1946 as a saluting gun to the then Riding Troop, later renamed as The King's Troop RHA (Royal Horse Artillery). Its principal function being to provide Royal Salutes and its secondary function is as a hearse for State Funerals. There are qty 9 of the 13pdr guns and a George gun. The George gun has received no modification as it does not get fired, its sole purpose is to carry the coffin at state funerals. The breech block and carrier components, last refurbished in 1967, have worn and are no longer providing a secure fit, with significant "play" between the parts. Due to the age of the gun there is a lack of historical documentation, technical drawings and material specifications for the parts and the supply of parts have been found lacking, many of the parts being obsolete. The breeches are wearing out and starting to crack on the 13pdr which increases the chances of a misfire. If this occurred during a high-profile public show it would be damaging to defence reputation and require time consuming misfire drills to be conducted. This repair procedure would allow the breeches to be brought up to standard again, giving confidence that the equipment will function, safely, as intended. This notice is not a request for expressions of interest so please do not apply to be invited to tender. This notice advises that the Authority has decided to negotiate a contract with the named supplier on a single source basis, and is published for reasons of transparency. If you are interested in becoming a sub-contractor for this requirement, you should apply directly to the supplier named above.
Lot Information
Lot 1
The 13 Pounder is a ceremonial gun and carries out 18 musical drives and Royal Salutes annually. They are used as part of the enduring OP BRIDGE (a Royal death and funeral ceremony) and carry significant Royal and Government interest. The 13pdr is over 100 years old having entered service in 1904 as a horse drawn artillery piece and was first issued in 1946 as a saluting gun to the then Riding Troop, later renamed as The King's Troop RHA (Royal Horse Artillery). Its principal function being to provide Royal Salutes and its secondary function is as a hearse for State Funerals. There are qty 9 of the 13pdr guns and a George gun. The George gun has received no modification as it does not get fired, its sole purpose is to carry the coffin at state funerals. The breech block and carrier components, last refurbished in 1967, have worn and are no longer providing a secure fit, with significant "play" between the parts. Due to the age of the gun there is a lack of historical documentation, technical drawings and material specifications for the parts and the supply of parts have been found lacking, many of the parts being obsolete. The breeches are wearing out and starting to crack on the 13pdr which increases the chances of a misfire. If this occurred during a high-profile public show it would be damaging to defence reputation and require time consuming misfire drills to be conducted. This repair procedure would allow the breeches to be brought up to standard again, giving confidence that the equipment will function, safely, as intended. This notice is not a request for expressions of interest so please do not apply to be invited to tender. This notice advises that the Authority has decided to negotiate a contract with the named supplier on a single source basis, and is published for reasons of transparency. If you are interested in becoming a sub-contractor for this requirement, you should apply directly to the supplier named above.
Procurement Information
Babcock (SPC Contract) do not currently have the technical experience to do this task, the equipment to conduct the investigation of material specification requirements or the repairs. They would have to sub-contract to a supplier which would not provide a value for money solution. There are no known Service Sources or extant Framework Arrangements available and due to the value of the required work being more than 50% of the value of the previous contract, it is not possible to add to this to the existing contract. The original contract providing the breech repair scheme valued at PS67k and the repairs themselves valued at PS144k. Regulation 16(1)(a)(ii)(c) - Technical reasons Advance Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) have specialist expertise in machining, casting, welding, additive manufacturing, composites, designing for manufacturing, testing, and training and have completed work in support of the 13pdr previously. Going out to another contractor would potentially mean repeating the trials process that AMRC have already conducted or using the AMRC report which is impractical and could cause some questions over liability if the repairs were not successful. Given the age of the equipment and how niche this item is, it is necessary to use specific know-how and tools which AMRC have at their disposal. There is also the element of safety and reputation given that these guns are used to fire and are fired in public and / or on special occasions. The gun misfiring could cause injury and / or reputational damage. Regulation 16(1)(d)(ii) - Repetition of Works or Services AMRC have recently compiled a breech repair scheme as tasked by DE&S and therefore have the knowledge to confidently complete this repair. This contract will be a follow on contract from this previous work and the desire is for the same contractor to carry out the remaining necessary work in the interest of consistency, saving of time and value for money. This work conforms to the basic project with which the original contract was awarded and is within the required five years of the original contract. The original contract was awarded by the non-competitive negotiated procedure and notice was given of this additional work now required. The value of this additional work is over the required (50%) threshold to be able to extend the original contract.
Notice Details
Publication & Lifecycle
- Open Contracting ID
- ocds-h6vhtk-04e1e4
- Publication Source
- Find A Tender Service
- Latest Notice
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/005151-2025
- Current Stage
- Award
- All Stages
- Award
Procurement Classification
- Notice Type
- Award Notice
- Procurement Type
- Standard
- Procurement Category
- Services
- Procurement Method
- Limited
- Procurement Method Details
- Negotiated without publication of a contract notice
- Tender Suitability
- Not specified
- Awardee Scale
- Large
Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)
- CPV Divisions
75 - Administration, defence and social security services
-
- CPV Codes
75221000 - Military defence services
Notice Value(s)
- Tender Value
- Not specified
- Lots Value
- Not specified
- Awards Value
- Not specified
- Contracts Value
- £144,000 £100K-£500K
Notice Dates
- Publication Date
- 14 Feb 20251 years ago
- Submission Deadline
- Not specified
- Future Notice Date
- Not specified
- Award Date
- 14 Feb 20251 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
Buyer & Supplier
Contracting Authority (Buyer)
- Main Buyer
- MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
- Contact Name
- Vincent Onakpome
- Contact Email
- vincent.onakpome100@mod.gov.uk
- Contact Phone
- Not specified
Buyer Location
- Locality
- BRISTOL
- Postcode
- BS34 8JH
- 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
Further Information
Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)
View full OCDS Record for this contracting process
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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