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714923453 BBMF Lancaster Aircraft PDS

Defence Equipment and Support

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

27 Aug 2026 at 08:34

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
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

Defence Equipment and Support, part of the UK Ministry of Defence, procured post-design services for the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) Lancaster aircraft. The requirement covers ongoing aircraft maintenance and associated supporting activities for the sole flying Lancaster aircraft in Europe. Work is delivered in the United Kingdom. The services support the aircraft’s continued operation and require design activity on a unique legacy platform with historic significance for the Royal Air Force and Britain. The requirement includes technical responses, approved technical artefacts and information, manufacture of components, and project-management briefing packs. The work is therefore relevant to aircraft original equipment manufacturers, design organisations, approved maintenance providers and specialist aerospace engineering businesses with suitable Lancaster expertise.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded through a direct award under Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023, using the technical-reasons justification that only one supplier can provide the required services and that there are no reasonable alternatives. One lot was awarded to BAE Systems (Operations) Ltd on 18 March 2026. The award value is £3.5 million excluding VAT, or £4.2 million including VAT. The contract was signed on 14 August 2026 for the period from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029, with a maximum extension date of 31 December 2035. The contract value is £5 million excluding VAT, or £6 million including VAT. Renewal and option years cover further post-design support, emergent work and production.

This award demonstrates a continuing requirement for specialist support to a rare, safety-critical aircraft platform. A credible future competitor would need demonstrable technical expertise in Lancaster aircraft, ownership or reliable access to the relevant technical information, and the capability to perform post-design services without compromising airworthiness. The buyer’s stated rationale shows that original equipment manufacturer knowledge and status as a Design Approved Organisation under the Military Aviation Authority were central to supplier selection. Businesses would also need to handle technical assistance requests, produce and deliver approved artefacts and information to agreed schedules, support component manufacture, and provide disciplined project management with regular briefing packs. Aerospace organisations with legacy-aircraft, design-approval, maintenance and airworthiness experience would be best placed to build relevant capability.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

714923453 BBMF Lancaster Aircraft PDS

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/081568-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
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

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
£5,000,000 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
27 Aug 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
3 Feb 20267 months ago
Contract Period
14 Aug 2026 - 31 Mar 2029 2-3 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

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
Postcode Area
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) Limited

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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