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In-Service Support for Ultrasonic NDT Equipment-UK 7

Defence Equipment and Support

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

05 Oct 2026 at 09:19

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

05 Aug 2026 at 15:23

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Defence Equipment and Support, acting for the Air Commodities Delivery Team within the Ministry of Defence, procured in-service support for its Epoch 600 ultrasonic flaw detector equipment. The work covers calibration and ad-hoc repair of detectors used for non-destructive testing of aircraft structures and components, supporting UK air-defence capability. This is specialist non-destructive testing equipment support, rather than a supply of new detectors. The service is delivered for the UK Ministry of Defence; the procurement identifies the delivery country as the United Kingdom.

The procurement is complete and the contract has been awarded to Evident Europe GMBH, the existing equipment manufacturer and design authority. Defence Equipment and Support used a below-threshold direct award without competition, relying on the stated risk of incompatibility and disproportionate technical difficulties if the supplier changed. The award date is not recorded. The contract was signed on 2 October 2026, with a recorded contract period from 5 October 2026 to 4 October 2027 and two one-year options, extending the possible end date to 4 October 2029. The contract value is £134,000 including VAT. There is one lot, covering the support service; no separate evaluation criteria are described.

For suppliers considering similar Ministry of Defence requirements, this award shows demand for continued calibration and responsive repair of Epoch 600 ultrasonic flaw detectors used in aircraft inspection. The buyer selected the original equipment manufacturer, which had supported the equipment for about 11 years and held the specialist technical knowledge, documentation, spare parts, skills and test equipment needed for the work. Those capabilities, together with proven familiarity with the installed detector fleet and its maintenance requirements, were central to the buyer’s justification for retaining the incumbent. A credible competitor would need to demonstrate equivalent access to technical information, parts and test facilities, and an ability to maintain compatibility with equipment already in service. The direct-award route also reflects the buyer’s stated concern that switching providers could make operation or maintenance disproportionately difficult.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

In-Service Support for Ultrasonic NDT Equipment-UK 7

Notice Description

DE&S Deca, on behalf of the Air Commodities Delivery Team and part of the UK Ministry of Defence (The Authority) Intends to Direct award a contract to Evident Europe GMBH to provide In service Support (ISS) the Epoch 600 Ultrasonic Flaw Detector equipment, which supports the UK Ministry of Defence's Air Defence capabilities. The contract is for 1 year plus 2 option years estimated to start October 2026. The contract is for calibration and ad-hoc repair of the current in-service Epoch 600 Ultrasonic Flaw Detector equipment. The Contract has a proposed Value of PS0.134M (Inclusive of VAT) The authority considers that the direct award of this non-competitive contract falls within the circumstances set out in the Procurement Act 2023 Sch. 5, Para. 7: 7. The public contract concerns the supply of goods, services or works by the existing supplier which are intended as an extension to, or partial replacement of, existing goods, services or works in circumstances where-- a) a change in supplier would result in the contracting authority receiving goods, services or works that are different from, or incompatible with, the existing goods, services or works; and b) the difference or incompatibility would result in disproportionate technical difficulties in operation or maintenance. This is because Evident Europe GMBH is the OEM of and design authority and have supported and the equipment for approximately 11 years and have the specialist skills, experience, knowledge and test equipment to continue with the support. No other contractor has access to the technical knowledge, documents, spares, skills and test equipment necessary to fulfil this requirement, and so by changing supplier there would be different/incompatible services with the existing goods and services resulting in disproportionate technical difficulties in operation and/or maintenance for the equipment in question. Therefore, only Evident Europe GMBH can provide the services required. Epoch 600 Ultrasonic Flaw Detector (UFD) equipment is used to carry out NDT inspections on various aircraft structures and components. There is an enduring requirement to provide support for UFD equipment. The In-Service Support for Epoch 600 UFD equipment, covering repair and calibration is currently provided through contract 702421455 with supplier Evident Europe GMBH. This contract expires on 30 Sep 2026.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06dcaf
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/093617-2026
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
Below threshold - without competition
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

CPV Codes

71632200 - Non-destructive testing services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£130,133 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
£129,822 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
5 Oct 2026Yesterday
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
5 Oct 2026 - 4 Oct 2027 6-12 months
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
FLINTSHIRE
Postcode
CH5 2LS
Postcode Area
Chester
Country
Wales
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLL Wales
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLL3 North Wales
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLL34 Flintshire and Wrexham
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Flintshire
Electoral Ward
Queensferry and Sealand
Westminster Constituency
Alyn and Deeside

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

Evident Europe GmbH

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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