Planning

UK1 - Project OLCHAR

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Planning

06 Mar 2026 at 15:36

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

06 Mar 2026 at 15:35

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Ministry of Defence is initiating preliminary market engagement for Project OLCHAR, aimed at developing a sovereign Fuzing System with an Electronic Safe & Arm Device (ESAD) for armed uncrewed systems. This procurement process falls under the category of 'goods' with a noteworthy projected value of £2,400,000. Potential suppliers need to act promptly, with key dates being 24th and 30th March 2026 for supplier engagement and completion of a request for information questionnaire, respectively. The process is currently in the planning stage, indicating the early phase before tender issuance, with anticipated procurement activities aligned with Dynamic Market Readiness Levels 1 and 2. Located in London at the Ministry of Defence's Main Building, the engagement provides an opportunity for suppliers to interact face-to-face, fostering direct communication about the requirements.

This tender opens substantial opportunities for businesses specialising in design and safety systems for defence applications, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community, and social enterprises (VCSEs). With the Ministry aiming to retain full intellectual property rights, companies capable of providing innovative, platform-agnostic solutions are ideally positioned to benefit. Participating suppliers can leverage the procurement process to showcase their capability in contributing to advanced defence technology development. The dynamic market approach further encourages a competitive environment that may lead to future collaborations and contracts, promising growth for those involved in advanced electronic systems and safety technologies.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

UK1 - Project OLCHAR

Notice Description

The Authority is undertaking preliminary market engagement to understand and assess the availability and maturity of industry's capability of contributing to the development of a sovereign, safe by design Fuzing System incorporating an Electronic Safe & Arm Device (ESAD), intended for use across a range of armed uncrewed systems. The requirement concerns a common, platform agnostic safety and arming solution over which the Ministry of Defence will retain full intellectual property rights to enable future manufacture, modification and competitive integration.

Planning Information

The Authority will conduct this preliminary market engagement through a combination of a request for information (RFI) questionnaire (which will be available until 17:00 30 March 2026) and a face to face supplier engagement session on 24 March 2026. Suppliers wishing to attend the session must register via a Microsoft Forms registration link (https://forms.office.com/e/FsyzvHQcWb) by 17:00 19 March 2026. Attendance will be limited to two representatives per organisation. There are 16 spaces available for the in- person sessions. These will be allocated on a first come first served basis. The sessions will be 30 minutes long (max) and will be held at Army Headquarters. Suppliers that apply for the in-person sessions will be made aware of their timeslot by 12:00 20 March 2026. The questions and answers will be recorded from each session and, for complete openness and transparency, shall be made available via the Defence Sourcing Portal (DSP) Project OLCHAR Opportunity Listing as an attachment by 17:00 26 March 2026. Suppliers do not have to attend the session on the 18 March 2026 in order to submit a response. To respond to this notice, please complete the below linked MS Forms questionnaire by 17:00 30 March 2026. https://forms.office.com/e/GudffESMNy Participation is voluntary and does not form part of any future competition. Responses will be reviewed to identify areas of clarity, challenge and potential flexibility within the emerging requirement, and the Authority may seek clarification from respondents where appropriate. Supporting material is available for download through the Project OLCHAR DSP opportunity listing, including further detail on the emerging requirement. Suppliers should note that any subsequent procurement activity may be conducted via the Commercial X Dynamic Market, and organisations interested in future participation are encouraged to register and familiarise themselves with the applicable Dynamic Market Readiness Levels (DRLs). It is anticipated that this requirement will fall within the DRLs 1 and 2. Applications to the Dynamic Market need to be completed on the Defence Sourcing Portal (DSP) https://contracts.mod.uk/esop/ogc-host/public/mod/web/login.html. 1. On the home page, click 'view DSP opportunities' 2. make sure you’re in the 'current opportunities tab' 3. click the 'filters' drop down and select 'project info' 4. in the 'value' field type 'commercial x' and click 'search' You should be able to access the ‘PQQ’ event that we are using for the applications. There is also downloadable content available in the opportunity listing providing further information about the Dynamic Market. To complete applications you need to have a profile completed on the Central Digital Platform (https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Search) so that you can share your company details as part of the application process.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-066483
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020551-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

22 - Printed matter and related products

CPV Codes

22314000 - Designs

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£2,000,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
6 Mar 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
1 Apr 20263 weeks to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
29 Apr 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1A 2EU
Post Town
South West London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

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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