ASH In-Service Support Transparency Notice

DEFENCE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPORT

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

Award

24 Jun 2026 at 09:47

Award

19 Mar 2026 at 17:16

Award

13 Feb 2026 at 15:25

Planning

30 Jan 2026 at 16:02

Summary of the contracting process

The public procurement contract for ASH In-Service Support was awarded by Defence Equipment and Support, a central government public authority based in Bristol, UK (BS34 8JH). The contract, intended for the MR Stealth and Performance Systems project, covers industry categories including Data Services and Security Software Packages, and is classified under defence security. The procurement stage is completed with a contract start date on 1st April 2026, and it is set to run until 31st March 2029, with the possibility of two one-year extensions. The award, valued at up to £2,857,548.41 (including VAT), was made through a direct procurement method due to unique technical requirements and significant risks involved with changing suppliers. EntServ UK Limited, a large-scale company stationed in Farnborough, UK, was selected as the supplier.

This contract creates significant business growth opportunities, particularly for large organisations specialising in software development and security. Businesses with expertise in data services and software packages, focused on threat detection or secure data handling, would find themselves well-positioned to compete for similar future contracts. The project involves sophisticated support and software services critical to national defence operations, underscoring a need for businesses capable of delivering high-security, high-reliability solutions. The specificity and tailored nature of the ASH system indicate that firms with a proven track record in complex IT solutions, especially in the public sector, would be ideally suited to compete for and fulfil such contracts.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

ASH In-Service Support Transparency Notice

Notice Description

The Protect Delivery Team, part of the Ministry of Defence, has awarded a contract to Entserv UK Limited for ASH In-Service Support. ASH is software for the electronic Render Safe Procedure (RSP) for Ordnance Munition & Explosives (OME). The contract is for a period of up to 5 years (3 years plus 2 options to extend by a year) with value of up to PS2,857,548.41(incl. VAT) including options.

Procurement Information

Reference 2026/S 000-013533 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. This is because a change in supplier would require a transfer of the disaster recovery servers and network link which would in turn require a new set of cyber security assurances and penetration testing. The ASH system would be unusable until this was complete as it would not be cyber secure. Due to the nature of the requirement this capability gap would introduce an unacceptable level of risk. Given the bespoke nature of the ASH system, the absence of alternative suppliers with the required technical expertise, and the significant operational and financial risks associated with transitioning to a new supplier, a direct award to Entserv UK Limited is the only viable option, there is no reasonable alternative.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-061363
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/059281-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details 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

48 - Software package and information systems

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support


CPV Codes

48731000 - File security software package

48732000 - Data security software package

48750000 - Storage media loading software package

48771000 - General utility software package

48782000 - Storage management software package

48783000 - Content management software package

72300000 - Data services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£2,278,374 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£2,381,290 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
£2,381,290 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
24 Jun 2026Yesterday
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
13 Feb 2026Expired
Award Date
13 Feb 20264 months ago
Contract Period
31 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2029 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
DEFENCE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPORT
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

ENTSERV

Further Information

Notice Documents

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.

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