This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

21 May 2026 at 12:53

Award

19 Sep 2025 at 07:03

Summary of the contracting process

The Ministry of Defence has awarded a contract to Kärcher Futuretech GmbH for a Personal Equipment Decontamination Capability. This contract, valued at approximately £4,267,986.96, involves the supply and support of Vacuum Decontamination Modules (VDM 265) over a period of five years, with options to extend for an additional two years. The procurement was conducted via a direct award method, due to technical reasons outlined under the Procurement Act 2023, as Kärcher’s VDM 265 is considered the only equipment suitable for the task. This contract, commencing on 14 January 2026, and potentially extending until 2033, will see the delivery and support operations based in the United Kingdom, specifically managed from the MOD's location in Bristol.

This tender offers significant opportunities for businesses specialising in military equipment decontamination and maintenance solutions, especially those with the capability to support highly specialised and sensitive equipment. While this contract was directly awarded to Kärcher Futuretech GmbH due to the unique requirements of the equipment, companies with similar technological capabilities and expertise in developing robust, sensitive decontamination solutions can aim to position themselves for future opportunities in this sector. The defence and security industry category indicates a robust demand for advanced technical solutions, and businesses that can innovate or enhance decontamination technology are well-positioned to compete in this niche market.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

715300450 -PEDC-TN

Notice Description

5 year Contract (with 2 Option years) for Procurement and Support of a Personal Equipment Decontamination Capability.

Procurement Information

1. The Protect Delivery Team, part of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), intends to award a contract to Karcher Futuretech Gmbh (Karcher) for: i) the supply of Vacuum Decontamination Module 265 (VDM 265), ii) refurbishment of existing VDMs; and iii) on-going maintenance, support and training on use. The contract will be for a maximum term of eight years (an initial five-year period with options to extend by an additional two years) and have an estimated maximum value of PS4,267,986.96 (Inc VAT). 2. It is considered that this contract can be awarded under section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023 because the direct award justification specified in paragraph 6 of Schedule 5 (technical reasons) applies. 3. This is because Karcher's VDM 265 is considered to be the only decontamination equipment capable of removing entrapped contaminants from sensitive military equipment without a substantial risk of causing damage; there is no reasonable alternative. As the manufacturer of the VDM 365, only Karcher has the technical drawings, tools, information and expertise to be able to maintain, support and provide training on use of this vital piece of safety equipment.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-059db9
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/047109-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products


CPV Codes

33191110 - Autoclaves

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£3,556,655 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
£3,556,655 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
21 May 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
19 Sep 20259 months ago
Contract Period
14 Jan 2026 - 31 Mar 2031 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
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
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

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

KÄRCHER FUTURETECH

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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.

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-059db9-2026-05-21T13:53:18+01:00",
    "date": "2026-05-21T13:53:18+01:00",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-059db9",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PHVX-4316-ZVGZ",
            "name": "Ministry of Defence",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PHVX-4316-ZVGZ"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "MOD Abbey Wood",
                "locality": "Bristol",
                "postalCode": "BS34 8JH",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKK12"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "bruce.bawden101@mod.gov.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence",
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment",
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "description": "Public authority - central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PLMX-1136-WDRW",
            "name": "Karcher Futuretech GmbH",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PLMX-1136-WDRW"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Alfred-Schefenacker-Str. 1",
                "locality": "Schwaikheim",
                "postalCode": "71409",
                "country": "DE",
                "countryName": "Germany",
                "region": "DE"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "chiara.hassfeld@karcher.com"
            },
            "roles": [
                "supplier"
            ],
            "details": {
                "scale": "large",
                "vcse": false,
                "publicServiceMissionOrganization": false,
                "shelteredWorkshop": false
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PHVX-4316-ZVGZ",
        "name": "Ministry of Defence"
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "715300450",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "715300450 -PEDC-TN",
        "description": "5 year Contract (with 2 Option years) for Procurement and Support of a Personal Equipment Decontamination Capability.",
        "status": "complete",
        "procurementMethod": "direct",
        "procurementMethodDetails": "Direct award",
        "procurementMethodRationale": "1. The Protect Delivery Team, part of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), intends to award a contract to Karcher Futuretech Gmbh (Karcher) for: i) the supply of Vacuum Decontamination Module 265 (VDM 265), ii) refurbishment of existing VDMs; and iii) on-going maintenance, support and training on use. The contract will be for a maximum term of eight years (an initial five-year period with options to extend by an additional two years) and have an estimated maximum value of PS4,267,986.96 (Inc VAT). 2. It is considered that this contract can be awarded under section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023 because the direct award justification specified in paragraph 6 of Schedule 5 (technical reasons) applies. 3. This is because Karcher's VDM 265 is considered to be the only decontamination equipment capable of removing entrapped contaminants from sensitive military equipment without a substantial risk of causing damage; there is no reasonable alternative. As the manufacturer of the VDM 365, only Karcher has the technical drawings, tools, information and expertise to be able to maintain, support and provide training on use of this vital piece of safety equipment.",
        "specialRegime": [
            "defenceSecurity"
        ],
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "status": "complete"
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "conflictOfInterest",
                "documentType": "conflictOfInterest",
                "description": "Not published"
            }
        ],
        "procurementMethodRationaleClassifications": [
            {
                "id": "singleSuppliersTechnicalReasons"
            }
        ]
    },
    "awards": [
        {
            "id": "1",
            "title": "Personal Equipment Decontamination Capability",
            "status": "active",
            "value": {
                "amountGross": 4267986.96,
                "amount": 3556655.8,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "mainProcurementCategory": "goods",
            "aboveThreshold": true,
            "suppliers": [
                {
                    "id": "GB-PPON-PLMX-1136-WDRW",
                    "name": "Karcher Futuretech GmbH"
                }
            ],
            "items": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "additionalClassifications": [
                        {
                            "scheme": "CPV",
                            "id": "33191110",
                            "description": "Autoclaves"
                        }
                    ],
                    "deliveryAddresses": [
                        {
                            "region": "UK",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        },
                        {
                            "region": "UK",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        }
                    ],
                    "relatedLot": "1"
                }
            ],
            "contractPeriod": {
                "startDate": "2025-10-01T00:00:00+01:00",
                "endDate": "2031-10-01T23:59:59+01:00",
                "maxExtentDate": "2033-10-01T23:59:59+01:00"
            },
            "hasRenewal": true,
            "renewal": {
                "description": "2 Option Years to extend the Contract to 2033"
            },
            "hasOptions": true,
            "options": {
                "description": "2 Option Years to extend the Contract to 2033"
            },
            "relatedLots": [
                "1"
            ],
            "documents": [
                {
                    "id": "057932-2025",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK5",
                    "description": "Transparency notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/057932-2025",
                    "datePublished": "2025-09-19T08:03:39+01:00",
                    "format": "text/html"
                }
            ],
            "milestones": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "type": "futureSignatureDate",
                    "dueDate": "2025-10-01T23:59:59+01:00",
                    "status": "scheduled"
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "language": "en",
    "contracts": [
        {
            "id": "1",
            "awardID": "1",
            "status": "active",
            "period": {
                "startDate": "2026-01-14T00:00:00+00:00",
                "endDate": "2031-03-31T23:59:59+01:00",
                "maxExtentDate": "2033-03-31T23:59:59+01:00"
            },
            "hasRenewal": true,
            "renewal": {
                "description": "Extensions are to be taken up by the Authority if required"
            },
            "hasOptions": true,
            "options": {
                "description": "Options to extend by the Authority if required"
            },
            "value": {
                "amountGross": 4267986.96,
                "amount": 3556655.8,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "aboveThreshold": true,
            "dateSigned": "2026-01-14T00:00:00+00:00",
            "agreedMetrics": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "title": "3 KPIs based on delivery and in-service support",
                    "observations": [
                        {
                            "id": "frequency",
                            "period": {
                                "durationInMonths": 3
                            }
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ],
            "documents": [
                {
                    "id": "047109-2026",
                    "documentType": "contractNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK7",
                    "description": "Contract details notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/047109-2026",
                    "datePublished": "2026-05-21T13:53:18+01:00",
                    "format": "text/html"
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}