Award

714923453 BBMF Lancaster Aircraft PDS Contract Award Notice

DEFENCE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPORT

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

18 Mar 2026 at 10:24

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

03 Feb 2026 at 09:32

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The public procurement process involves Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), a central government authority based in Bristol, as the buyer, awarding a contract to BAE Systems (Operations) Ltd. The UK's Ministry of Defence requires the provision of Post Design Services (PDS) for the Lancaster Aircraft, specifically for the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF). The procurement method is a direct award due to technical reasons, primarily because BAE Systems is the original Equipment Manufacturer and Design Approved Organisation for the Lancaster Aircraft. The contract's award date is set for 18 March 2026, with a standstill period ending on 27 March 2026. The services fall under the 'Aircraft maintenance services' category and are scheduled to begin on 1 April 2026, with a potential end date of 31 March 2029. Located in the United Kingdom, this contract serves the aviation industry and is crucial for maintaining the nation's single flying Lancaster aircraft in Europe.

This contract signifies substantial business growth opportunities for large enterprises, especially those equipped with technical expertise in aircraft maintenance and design services. Firms possessing the requisite know-how, like BAE Systems, which has exclusive technical information and experience with the Lancaster Aircraft, stand to benefit. Opportunities for business expansion lie in executing PDS activities and potentially extending services, given the contract includes renewal options for additional years. Enterprises anticipating collaboration with government defence contracts will find this direct procurement method advantageous, facilitating long-term engagements and contributing to the preservation of significant historical assets like the Lancaster Aircraft, a key component of RAF heritage.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

714923453 BBMF Lancaster Aircraft PDS Contract Award Notice

Notice Description

Provision of Post Design Services (PDS) for the Lancaster Aircraft, along with associated supporting activities.

Procurement Information

There is a requirement to contract for the Post Design Services (PDS) of the BBMF Lancaster aircraft. The BBMF Delivery team, part of DE&S in the UK Ministry of Defence ("the Authority"), intends to award a 5-year contract to BAE Systems (Operations) Ltd for the PDS of the BBMF Lancaster aircraft, with further options for extension. The estimated contract value is 3.5M 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, which reads:- (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, and (b)there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works. The Authority submits that this justification applies because, due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, and there being no alternatives, only BAE Systems are able to provide the services required. The BBMF Lancaster is the sole flying Lancaster aircraft in Europe, and as such BAE Systems has the required technical expertise necessary to fulfil the Authority's requirement and owns the relevant technical information relating to the Lancaster, without which the PDS activities cannot be conducted. BAE Systems operates as the original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and as the MAA Design Approved Organisation (DAOS) for the Lancaster, which is a critical requirement from the MAA for any Company completing design activities on the Lancaster. There would also be a serious risk to airworthiness of a single legacy platform with significant importance to the history of the RAF and Britain.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0614fc
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/024433-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award 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

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£3,500,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
18 Mar 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
3 Feb 20262 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
Pending
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

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

BAE SYSTEMS (OPERATIONS

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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