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715112450 - Ballistic Testing Services - Personal Armour

Defence Equipment and Support

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

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04 Aug 2026 at 16:36

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Defence Equipment and Support, for the Ministry of Defence, procured ballistic testing services for personal armour used by Armed Forces personnel. The service supports new equipment projects and the through-life support of existing personal armour. It covers comprehensive testing and evaluation of hard armour plates, soft armour fillers, helmets and other protective equipment, including assessment against safety, durability and performance requirements in varied conditions. Testing is carried out as required by programme needs, with the provider expected to maintain readiness and flexibility. The work is delivered in the United Kingdom, from a contractor-operated UK facility. This is a defence and security requirement for laboratory testing, test and evaluation of firearms and ammunition, and bullet-proof vest-related equipment.

The procurement is complete and the contract was awarded to Radnor Range Limited as a direct award for technical reasons, on the basis that it was considered the only supplier able to meet the requirement and that no reasonable alternative existed. The award value is £10,000,000 excluding VAT, or £12,000,000 including VAT. The five-year contract is scheduled to run from 11 January 2027 to 10 January 2032, with three optional 12-month renewal years extending the maximum period to 10 January 2035. One lot was awarded. A future contract signature milestone is scheduled for 18 December 2026. The requirement is above the relevant threshold and is subject to the defence and security regime.

This award shows that the Ministry of Defence requires a specialist UK ballistic testing capability for personal armour, with demand spanning hard plates, soft armour fillers and helmets and extending from new equipment development through operational support. A credible future competitor would need a UK-based facility, UKAS accreditation to ISO 17025 and demonstrated compliance with NATO AEP-2920. The buyer also values the technical expertise, accredited facilities, operational capability and capacity to deliver reliable results against recognised safety, durability and performance standards. Suppliers would need to support testing on an as-needed basis, remain ready to respond to changing programme requirements and provide impartial, consistent and defensible laboratory evidence for defence equipment decisions.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

715112450 - Ballistic Testing Services - Personal Armour

Notice Description

This Tender Notice outlines the Authority's intent to competitively assess, select and award a contract to deliver Ballistic Testing Services for Personal Armour to support new to service projects and ensure through life support of Personal Armour provided to its Armed Forces Personnel. The contract will have a headroom of PS10m (Inc VAT) and will be for 5 years with 3 x 1 optional years. The Ballistic Testing Service will serve as a dedicated platform to facilitate comprehensive testing and evaluation of Personal Armour systems. This service will encompass a wide range of protective equipment, including but not limited to Hard Armour Plates, Soft Armour Fillers, and Helmets. The testing process will ensure that these protective solutions meet established safety, durability, and performance standards under various conditions. By providing a structured and reliable pathway for ballistic testing, the service aims to support the development, validation, and certification of personal protective equipment, ensuring it meets operational requirements and offers optimal protection to users in diverse environments. For the provision of Ballistic Testing Services, it is a mandatory requirement that the contractor operates a facility located within the United Kingdom. This ensures accessibility, compliance with relevant UK regulations, and alignment with national security and operational standards. The ballistic testing will be conducted on an as-needed basis throughout the duration of the contract, with testing schedules determined by specific requirements or requests. The contractor must maintain readiness and flexibility to accommodate testing demands at any point during the contract period, ensuring timely and efficient service delivery to meet the needs of the programme. The Ballistic Testing Service competition mandates that participating laboratories must hold accreditation from the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to the ISO 17025 standard. This international standard specifies the general requirements for the competence, impartiality, and consistent operation of testing and calibration laboratories, ensuring the highest levels of quality and reliability in testing processes. Additionally, laboratories must demonstrate compliance with NATO AEP-2920, the Allied Engineering Publication that outlines the procedures and standards for evaluating the ballistic performance of personal armour systems. This dual requirement ensures that laboratories possess both the technical expertise and the operational capability to conduct ballistic testing to internationally recognised and NATO-specific standards, guaranteeing the accuracy, consistency, and credibility of the results. The competitive procurement will be managed in accordance with the Procurement Regulations 2024.

Procurement Information

It is considered that the direct award to the Supplier is permitted under Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023 relying on the direct award justification set out in paragraph 6 of Schedule 5 for technical reasons. "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 has concluded that competition is absent for technical reasons because only Radnor Range Ltd possesses the necessary combination of accredited ballistic testing capability, facilities, expertise and capacity required to deliver the services in accordance with the Authority's operational requirements. No alternative supplier or substitute solution has been identified that is capable of meeting the requirement for the services required. Accordingly, the Authority considers that a direct award is permitted under Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023 and Schedule 5, paragraph 6, as competition is absent for technical reasons.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06dbb2
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073873-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
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
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

35 - Security, fire-fighting, police and defence equipment

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

35815100 - Bullet-proof vests

73111000 - Research laboratory services

73432000 - Test and evaluation of firearms and ammunition

Notice Value(s)

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

Notice Dates

Publication Date
4 Aug 20262 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
11 Jan 2027 - 10 Jan 2032 Over 5 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
Additional Buyers

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
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

RADNOR RANGE LIMITED

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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