Award

714928467 - AESAS 2026 - Provision of Aircraft Engineering Support and Airfield Services at Royal Naval Air Stations Yeovilton and Culdrose

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

16 Sep 2025 at 13:21

Planning

22 May 2025 at 09:21

Summary of the contracting process

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) in the United Kingdom has concluded a procurement procedure under the title "AESAS 2026 - Provision of Aircraft Engineering Support and Airfield Services at Royal Naval Air Stations Yeovilton and Culdrose". This contract, with a value of £13,267,000, was directly awarded to SERCO LIMITED, taking advantage of the provision under the Procurement Act 2023 that allows for direct awards. The procurement, classified in the services category, is critical to the operations at RNAS Yeovilton and RNAS Culdrose. The contract is set to start on 1st April 2026 and will initially last for one year, with the possibility of extension through until 31st March 2028. Due to the contract's strategic importance, the award phase is already complete, while planning for future related procurement is under consideration.

This procurement represents substantial business growth opportunities in the defence sector, especially for businesses with capabilities in aircraft maintenance and engineering support. The contract was awarded without competition due to SERCO's existing expertise, deeply integrated operations, and maintained relationships at Yeovilton and Culdrose, indicating a high entry barrier for new entrants. However, businesses possessing similar expertise or seeking partnerships with the chosen supplier may find fruitful opportunities due to the strong technical and operational requirements of the services involved. Given the direct and specific nature of the contract, larger organisations with existing defence sector ties may benefit most, particularly those prepared to develop or further enhance specialised airfield service capabilities in support of national defence objectives.

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Notice Title

714928467 - AESAS 2026 - Provision of Aircraft Engineering Support and Airfield Services at Royal Naval Air Stations Yeovilton and Culdrose

Notice Description

The Royal Navy, part of the UK Ministry of Defence, intends to award a 1 + 1 year contract with a value of PS13,267,000 to Serco for the Air Engineering Support and Airfield Services (AESAS). As a covered procurement, this procurement falls to be regulated under the provisions of the Procurement Act 2023. In the circumstances, the authority may award this public contract directly in accordance with section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023. The applicable direct award justification is that set out in paragraph 7 of Schedule 5 of the Act. This justification applies because the AESAS contract concerns the supply of services by the existing supplier which are intended as an extension to existing services in circumstances where: a change in supplier would result in the contracting authority receiving services that are different from, or incompatible with, the existing services. Namely, a different supplier would lack Serco's (i) deeply embedded operational expertise and established relationships at Yeovilton and Culdrose, and (ii) suitably trained and experienced staff. And b. the difference or incompatibility would result in disproportionate technical difficulties in operation and/or maintenance. In particular, the difference in service provided by a different supplier would result in: i. unacceptable risks to performance and safety resulting from the need to rebuild critical trust and operational knowledge; ii. the contracting authority needing to invest additional resources in order to retrain staff, modify existing systems, and/or purchase additional equipment; iii. a risk to the continued readiness and support to MCT aircraft, which is critical to national defence; iv. significant adjustments to the Contractor's Quality Management System, resulting in operational inefficiencies and increased costs; v. disruption to coordination and maintenance of ground support and equipment provision at RNAS Yeovilton; and vi. increase in lead times in returning airframes to flying operations at RNAS Culdrose and reduction in overall numbers of available aircraft in the forward fleet.

Procurement Information

The Royal Navy, part of the UK Ministry of Defence, intends to award a 1 + 1 year contract with a value of PS13,267,000 to Serco for the Air Engineering Support and Airfield Services (AESAS). As a covered procurement, this procurement falls to be regulated under the provisions of the Procurement Act 2023. In the circumstances, the authority may award this public contract directly in accordance with section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023. The applicable direct award justification is that set out in paragraph 7 of Schedule 5 of the Act. This justification applies because the AESAS contract concerns the supply of services by the existing supplier which are intended as an extension to existing services in circumstances where: a change in supplier would result in the contracting authority receiving services that are different from, or incompatible with, the existing services. Namely, a different supplier would lack Serco's (i) deeply embedded operational expertise and established relationships at Yeovilton and Culdrose, and (ii) suitably trained and experienced staff. And b. the difference or incompatibility would result in disproportionate technical difficulties in operation and/or maintenance. In particular, the difference in service provided by a different supplier would result in: i. unacceptable risks to performance and safety resulting from the need to rebuild critical trust and operational knowledge; ii. the contracting authority needing to invest additional resources in order to retrain staff, modify existing systems, and/or purchase additional equipment; iii. a risk to the continued readiness and support to MCT aircraft, which is critical to national defence; iv. significant adjustments to the Contractor's Quality Management System, resulting in operational inefficiencies and increased costs; v. disruption to coordination and maintenance of ground support and equipment provision at RNAS Yeovilton; and vi. increase in lead times in returning airframes to flying operations at RNAS Culdrose and reduction in overall numbers of available aircraft in the forward fleet.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-051cd9
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/056981-2025
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

50 - Repair and maintenance services


CPV Codes

50211100 - Aircraft maintenance services

50212000 - Repair and maintenance services of helicopters

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£12,200,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£13,267,000 £10M-£100M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
16 Sep 20255 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
1 Dec 2025Expired
Award Date
16 Sep 20255 months ago
Contract Period
31 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
eliot.murton100@mod.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
PORTSMOUTH
Postcode
PO2 8BY
Post Town
Portsmouth
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ31 Portsmouth
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Portsmouth
Electoral Ward
Nelson
Westminster Constituency
Portsmouth North

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

SERCO

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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