Award

Ask AI about this notice

Summarise, research or assess it with AI

View Markdown

Share this notice

Send this contract to a colleague

Chesterfield Gas Cylinders

Defence Equipment and Support

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

25 Sep 2026 at 09:59

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Defence Equipment and Support is buying minor redesign of aircraft cylinder specifications, post-design support and associated spare parts for an aircraft cylinder upgrade. The requirement covers fire extinguishers and their supporting design and technical work. It combines the supply of compliant components with ongoing engineering support rather than being a purchase of spare parts alone. The equipment is airworthiness-critical, and the work relates to maintaining its configuration, quality and compatibility with aircraft systems. The procurement is intended for the Ministry of Defence’s Support Capabilities and Commodities Team. The data does not identify a delivery or work location, so the opportunity’s geographic footprint cannot be established from the stated requirement.

The procurement is complete and the contract has been awarded to Chesterfield Special Cylinders Ltd, although the award is recorded as pending and a future contract signature is scheduled. The award value is £1,997,450 excluding VAT (£2,396,940 including VAT). The contract period runs from 31 October 2027 to 30 April 2028. Defence Equipment and Support used a direct award, relying on a single-supplier justification for technical reasons. The stated basis is that the supplier is the approved design organisation and original equipment manufacturer, with the design licence, drawings, product knowledge, reliability data and specialist tooling. The buyer says alternatives would create significant cost, airworthiness, safety and interoperability risks. One lot is recorded; no separate award date is stated.

For suppliers who did not win, this award shows that the Ministry of Defence buys aircraft-cylinder redesign, post-design services and associated spares as a joined requirement. The route used here favoured the incumbent equipment manufacturer and approved design organisation, rather than an open competition. To be credible for comparable work with this buyer, a competitor would need to demonstrate authorised design responsibility, access to the relevant licences and technical drawings, detailed equipment knowledge and in-service reliability evidence. Specialist manufacturing tooling, controlled production processes and the ability to maintain configuration and quality would also matter. Suppliers would need to address aircraft airworthiness, safety and interoperability requirements, including how any proposed alternative parts or design changes could gain the necessary approvals without creating operational risk.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

Chesterfield Gas Cylinders

Notice Description

CSC is the sole economic operator capable of delivering PDS activities due to its role as the approved Design Organisation (DO) and OEM, holding the design licence, technical drawings, product knowledge, and in-service reliability data for the equipment. Any alternative supplier would require licences from both CSC and the air system OEMs, incur significant additional costs, and need to demonstrate suitability as a DO. An option to separate spare parts procurement from the PDS function was considered and rejected by the MoD Engineering Authority due to significant airworthiness, safety, and interoperability risks. The air system Design Organisation specifies exact part numbers that are manufactured exclusively by CSC to approved drawings and processes, making CSC the only supplier capable of providing compliant spares. CSC also holds the specialist tooling required to manufacture these components and ensure configuration and quality control. Introducing an alternative supplier would require costly and complex aircraft design revalidation, part requalification, and approval activities, with no guarantee of acceptance by the air system DO. This would create unacceptable safety and operational risks, including potential aircraft grounding, while imposing disproportionate cost and technical burden on the Authority.

Procurement Information

The Support Capabilities and Commodities Team within National Armaments Director Group (NADG), part of the UK Ministry of Defence (the "Authority"), intends to award a contract to Chesterfield Specialist Cylinders Limited ("CSC") (the "Contractor") for minor specification redesign, Post Design Services (PDS) and associated procurement of spares relating to the uplift of aircraft cylinder specifications. The total value of the contract is PS1,997,450.00 Ex VAT. CSC currently supplies the goods and services in question to the Authority under a contract valued at PS797,500 that is due to expire in October 2027 and is being extended for 6 months until April 2028. The Authority sent a request for information ("RFI") to market participants as a means of gauging interest in alternative delivery mechanisms but received no responses. In accordance with Section 41(1)(a) of the Procurement Act 2023 (the "Act"), the Authority intends to rely on the Single Supplier direct award justification, as set out in Paragraph 6 of Schedule 5 of the Act, to award this additional requirement directly to CSC. CSC is the sole economic operator capable of delivering this requirement due to its role as the approved Design Organisation (DO) and Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), holding the design licence, technical drawings, product knowledge, and in-service reliability data for the equipment. CSC also holds the specialist tooling required to manufacture these components and ensure configuration and quality control. Given the complexity, age, and airworthiness-critical nature of the equipment, there is no alternative supplier that could acquire the necessary expertise, design authority, trend history, and regulatory approvals within acceptable timescales without unacceptable safety, interoperability, and operational risks to the armed forces, including potential aircraft grounding.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-077a27
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/090832-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

CPV Codes

35111300 - Fire extinguishers

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£1,997,450 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
25 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Oct 2027 - 30 Apr 2028 6-12 months
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

Chesterfield Special Cylinders Limited

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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.

Loading OCDS record...