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WECDIS & Combat System Interface Unit (WIU CSIU)

Defence Equipment and Support

This public procurement record has 4 releases in its history.

Award

28 Sep 2026 at 13:56

UK5 - Transparency Notice
PlanningUpdate

24 Sep 2026 at 11:26

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
PlanningUpdate

14 Sep 2026 at 11:15

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Planning

22 Jun 2026 at 12:42

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Defence Equipment and Support, for the Ministry of Defence’s National Armaments Director Group, is procuring replacement Warship Electronic Chart Display and Information (WECDIS) Interface Units and Combat System Interface Units for Royal Navy platforms. The requirement covers design, manufacture, installation and assurance of the two interfaces, which must connect with the upgraded WECDIS and the existing navigation and combat-system architecture, including ECPINS and WAIS. This is navigation equipment and associated installation work. Delivery is in the United Kingdom. The interfaces are intended to provide an obsolescence recovery solution while remaining compatible with equipment already supplied and supported across the affected Royal Navy platforms.

The procurement has been awarded directly to OSI Maritime Systems Ltd; the award is recorded as pending. The authority selected a direct award under section 41 and paragraph 6 of Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023, citing a single supplier’s technical reasons. The authority concluded that OSI alone has the intellectual property, drawings, design knowledge, safety assurance evidence and expertise needed for compatibility, and that there are no reasonable alternatives. The awarded value is £15 million including VAT (£12.5 million excluding VAT). The two-year contract period runs from 1 April 2027 to 31 March 2029, with signature scheduled by 15 March 2027. There is one lot. The authority considered the existing supplier’s support package but did not proceed with it on value-for-money grounds.

This award demonstrates demand for specialist naval navigation and combat-system interface equipment, where integration with an established Royal Navy platform architecture is central. A credible supplier for a comparable future requirement would need proven capability in designing and manufacturing interface units, installing them on naval platforms, and providing the assurance evidence required for safe operation. Experience integrating with WECDIS, ECPINS and WAIS, and access to the relevant intellectual property, technical drawings and system knowledge, were decisive here. Suppliers would also need to meet the authority’s technical and operational requirements while maintaining interoperability with installed systems. The direct award route shows that compatibility and system-specific expertise can outweigh a broader support offer when alternatives cannot meet those requirements. The work spans both equipment supply and specialist installation and assurance.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

WECDIS & Combat System Interface Unit (WIU CSIU)

Notice Description

The National Armaments Director Group, part of the Ministry of Defence, intends to award a contract for the design, manufacture, installation and assurance of a replacement Warship Electronic Chart Display and Information (WECDIS) Interface Unit (WIU) and Combat System Interface Unit (CSIU) (together the Interfaces) to OSI Maritime Ltd (OSI). The contract will be for a term of two years and have an estimated value of PS15m (inc VAT). 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 (single supplier - technical reasons) applies. This is because the WIU and CSIU are required to interface with an upgraded WECDIS being procured from OSI (and which was the subject of a separate transparency notice 2025/S 000-074667 published on 18 November 2025 and both Interfaces need to be integrated into the wider architecture of systems currently installed on Royal Navy platforms, all of which are supplied, supported and assured by OSI. These include the Electronic Chart Precise Integrated Navigation System (EPCIS) and Warship Automatic Identification System (WAIS). Only OSI has the necessary intellectual property rights, technical drawings and expertise to design, manufacture, install and assure replacement Interfaces which are compatible with existing Royal Navy architecture. There are no reasonable alternatives. The current CSIU/WIU supplier has been approached to ensure continuity of supply, but the equipment support package which includes an update to the WIU/CSIU component, does not offer value for money and will therefore not be progressed. The Authority considered alternative procurement approaches prior to selecting the proposed route to market. Following assessment of the available options, OSI Maritime Ltd was identified as the only viable supplier capable of delivering the requirement whilst maintaining compatibility with the existing ECPINS, WECDIS and WAIS architecture and meeting the Authority's technical, operational and safety requirements.

Procurement Information

The contract is being awarded directly under Section 41 of, and paragraph 6 of Schedule 5 to, the Procurement Act 2023 (single supplier - technical reasons). The Authority has determined that only OSI Maritime Ltd possesses the intellectual property rights, technical drawings, design knowledge, safety assurance evidence and specialist expertise necessary to design, manufacture, install and assure replacement Warship Interface Units (WIU) and Combat System Interface Units (CSIU) that are compatible with the existing navigation and combat system architecture fitted to Royal Navy platforms. The WIU and CSIU are required to interface with OSI supplied WECDIS, ECPINS and WAIS systems already installed across the affected platforms. The Authority assessed alternative procurement approaches and concluded that there are no reasonable alternatives capable of meeting the technical, operational, interoperability and safety requirements of the requirement whilst maintaining compatibility with the existing architecture. The current supplier was considered; however, the available support solution did not provide value for money and would not deliver the required obsolescence recovery solution. Accordingly, OSI Maritime Ltd is the only supplier capable of delivering the requirement and the direct award is justified on technical grounds.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ba08
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/091457-2026
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
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

51 - Installation services (except software)

CPV Codes

34933000 - Navigation equipment

51240000 - Installation services of navigating equipment

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£12,500,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£12,500,000 £10M-£100M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
28 Sep 20263 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
1 Dec 20262 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Apr 2027 - 31 Mar 2029 2-3 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
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

OSI Maritime Systems

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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