Tender

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement

DEFENCE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPORT

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Tender

21 Jan 2026 at 19:25

PlanningUpdate

16 Dec 2025 at 15:02

Planning

08 Dec 2025 at 13:26

Summary of the contracting process

The public procurement process for the title "UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement" is being conducted by Defence Equipment and Support, a department within the UK Ministry of Defence based in Bristol, UK. This tender focuses on the supply and maintenance of 60 new Airbus A330-299 compatible LD6/ALF Unit Load Devices (ULDs), with vital deadlines including an enquiry period ending on 6th February 2026 and a submission period concluding on 16th February 2026. The procurement is currently in the Tender stage, with an open procedure, and carries a significant value of £283,000. The contract period is set from 19th March 2026 to 18th March 2029, with options for extension. Key industry categories include aircraft equipment and repair services related to aircraft, thereby specifying the sectoral focus of the procurement.

The tender offers an excellent opportunity for businesses specialising in aerospace equipment and maintenance services to expand their operations by engaging with a central government buyer. Companies with expertise in manufacturing and servicing aircraft components, including SMEs, can benefit from this contract. The submission involves electronic applications via a detailed online portal. Notably, the selection criteria emphasise technical compliance (60%) and competitive pricing (40%), suggesting that businesses demonstrating quality and cost-efficiency stand a solid chance of success. Additionally, there is an opportunity for attendance at an industry day at RAF Brize Norton, providing potential bidders with insights into the equipment conditions, which will support their tender propositions. This engagement indicates a proactive approach to facilitating informed bid submissions, enhancing opportunities for interested parties to form substantial business partnerships with the government.

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Notice Title

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement

Notice Description

Supply of x60 New, ready to use Airbus A330-299 compatible LD6 /ALF Unit Load Devices (ULDs) by 15 Jun 26. Through life maintenabce to ULD devices owned by the authority.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: The Authority intends to include 1+1 Option Years

Planning Information

For the Preliminary Market Engagement Notice (PME) the Authority would like to understand the following to deterine if it is able to run a Tender for this requirement. Please consider answering the following questions: 1. If the Authority was to award a Contract in early March, are you able to provide up to x60 new ready to use Airbus A330-200 compatible LD6 / ALF Unit Load devices (ULDs by 15 Jun 26) for the Authority's purhcase. 2. Are you able to repair and provide throughlife maintenance for the aboce purchased ULDs? 3. Are you able to provide repairs and maintainance for ULDs that you do not own or were not purchased from you? 4. Are you intrested in attending an Industry day on 13 January 2026 to view ULD devices that need repairs to suppor the Tender process. Details below: The Authority intends to hold an industry day on 13 January 2026 at RAF Brize Norton, for the viewing of the current Unit Load Devices that require repairing. This industry day will inform part of your Tender proposal and provide you with the data to draft your proposal for the repair component of the Tender. if you would like to attend please provide the following details. Name of Attendees(Max 2 per company): Company Name: Nationaility: If you have security Clearance: Please note the Authority reserves the right to refuse attendance to any individual, company, or parties, change or cancel the industry day at any point. Any dates provided for industry day, Tender and Contract Award are indicative only and subject to change or withdrawal at any stage of the process. The Authority will bore no costs for the booking of any travel, hotel arrangements or catering for this industry day, or the possibility of claiming back the costs if the date gets rearranged or cancelled. Please let us know in advance if there are any accessibility needs, and we will do our best to accommodate but may not be able to do so as the location is a working RAF Base.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05f0c8
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/005545-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Planning, Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

50 - Repair and maintenance services


CPV Codes

34741000 - Aircraft equipment

50210000 - Repair, maintenance and associated services related to aircraft and other equipment

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£236,000 £100K-£500K
Lots Value
£236,000 £100K-£500K
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
21 Jan 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
16 Feb 2026Expired
Future Notice Date
19 Jan 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
19 Mar 2026 - 18 Mar 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
2026-02-27

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEFENCE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPORT
Contact Name
Rachel Wod
Contact Email
example.example@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
TLJ14 Oxfordshire CC

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

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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