Award

715727467 - Protector RWS PDS Contract - October 2026 / UK5

DEFENCE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPORT

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

21 Jan 2026 at 11:18

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Planning

19 Dec 2025 at 12:30

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process for the Post Design Services Technical Support for the M151 Protector Remote Weapon Station (RWS) has been completed by Defence Equipment and Support, a central government public authority based in Bristol, United Kingdom. This procurement falls under the industry category of Technical Support Services and is associated with the CPV code 71356300. The contract involves the provision of support for an armoured vehicle-mounted weapon system designed by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, Norway. The contract duration is set from 1st October 2026 to 30th September 2030, regulated under the Procurement Act 2023. This direct award contract was necessitated by intellectual property considerations and the exclusivity of technical resources, leading to Thales UK Limited being awarded due to their unique capability to fulfil the contract requirements.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in defence technology and technical support services, particularly those with experience in remote weapon systems and vehicle integration. While Thales UK Limited was the selected provider due to their exclusive rights and capabilities, businesses possessing or developing similar capabilities could position themselves to compete in future tenders within this domain. Moreover, entities with unique technical expertise or innovative solutions in defence equipment could forge strategic partnerships to enhance their competitiveness in similar government procurement exercises, particularly within the Defence and Security regime.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

715727467 - Protector RWS PDS Contract - October 2026 / UK5

Notice Description

This opportunity is for the Post Design Services Technical Support for the M151 Protector Remote Weapon Station (RWS) which is an autonomous vehicle mounted weapon for remote operation of either the 7.62mm General Purposes Machine Gun (GPMG), or 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun (HMG), or 40mm Grenade Machine Gun (GMG) platform which can be mounted on a variety of armoured vehicles. It is designed and manufactured by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, Norway (OEM). The contract is expected to last continue for 4 years until 30th of October 2030. The CPV code for this procurement is 71356300 - Technical support services

Procurement Information

This Procurement falls to be regulated under the provisions of the Procurement Act 2023 (PA 2023). It is considered this Contract be placed under Chapter 3, Section 41 - Direct Award Specials Cases (1)(a) of the Procurement Act 2023 (PA 2023). This is for Technical Reasons in accordance with: 1. Schedule 5 paragraph 5. The following conditions are met in relation to the public contract: (a)due to a particular supplier having intellectual property rights or other exclusive rights, only that supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and (b)there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works 2. Schedule 5 paragraph 6. The following conditions are met in relation to the public contract: (a)due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, only a particular supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, an (b)there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works. Through access to the only up to date drawing pack and technical information, licences from the Design Authority under ITAR and EAR regulations, along with the specialist knowledge and expertise necessary to mitigate potential risks to integration, operation and support, it is considered that TUKL/KDA are the only economic operator able to provide the services needed to meet the contractual requirement, while having the capability to manage and mitigate the various technical risks that are likely to be encountered during the performance of the Contract. For all these reasons, the Procurement Strategy is to place a single source Contract with TUKL.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05fa4e
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/005189-2026
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

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

CPV Codes

71356300 - Technical support services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£1,500,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£1,600,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
21 Jan 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
28 Feb 20265 days to go
Award Date
21 Jan 20261 months ago
Contract Period
30 Sep 2026 - 30 Sep 2030 4-5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEFENCE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPORT
Contact Name
Joe Parker
Contact Email
joe.parker234@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

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

THALES

Further Information

Notice Documents

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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