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715890481 Theon Sensors S.A. Enabling Contract EC - UK 5

Defence Equipment and Support

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

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02 Oct 2026 at 14:58

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Defence Equipment and Support, part of the Ministry of Defence, is procuring continued through-life support, maintenance and repair for the British Army’s Designated Marksman Thermal Imager (DMTI), formerly known as the Sniper In-Line Low Light System (SILLS) Long Wave Infrared thermal sight. The requirement also covers additional units of the same assured equipment and associated ancillaries, as needed to support fleet management, growth towards the total fleet requirement and operational needs. This is a specialist defence equipment requirement focused on sustaining an existing, bespoke capability and maintaining fleet commonality, rather than introducing a replacement system. Delivery is in the United Kingdom.

The procurement is complete and the contract has been awarded to Theon Sensors S.A. The award is pending, with contract signature scheduled for 30 November 2026; the contract period runs from 30 November 2026 to 30 November 2032. The estimated award value is £9 million excluding VAT (£10.8 million including VAT); this is a maximum for potential orders, not guaranteed spending. The single-lot contract was awarded by direct award without competition. The stated basis is that Theon is the original equipment manufacturer and design authority, with the proprietary technical data, software, tooling and configuration knowledge needed to support the existing system and supply compatible additional units. The requirement is limited to the capability’s remaining planned service life.

This outcome shows that the buyer’s requirement depends on continuity with a bespoke, assured in-service defence system, rather than supplying an alternative thermal sight. A credible supplier for comparable work would need access to the system’s proprietary technical data and software, specialist tooling and engineering expertise, and detailed design and configuration knowledge. It would also need to demonstrate that it can maintain the established assurance and safety arrangements, carry out support, maintenance and repairs, and supply additional units fully compatible with the existing fleet. The buyer’s rationale identifies certification and safety-case work, operational risk, equipment availability and the burden of running separate training, maintenance and logistics arrangements as key considerations. The stated requirements therefore favour the original equipment manufacturer and design authority; a different platform would not meet the same continuity requirement.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

715890481 Theon Sensors S.A. Enabling Contract EC - UK 5

Notice Description

Description of Procurement The Ministry of Defence (MOD) (the "Authority") intends to award a contract to Theon Sensors S.A. for the continued through-life support, maintenance and repair of the Sniper In-Line Low Light System (SILLS) Long Wave Infrared (LWIR) Thermal Sight capability, now referred to as the Designated Marksman Thermal Imager (DMTI), together with the provision of additional equipment and associated ancillaries as required during the contract period. The original contract for this capability was awarded following a competitive procurement conducted under the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations (DSPCR). Theon Sensors S.A. designed and delivered the bespoke solution and is the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and Design Authority (DA) for the capability. The proposed direct award is limited to sustaining the existing assured in-service capability, including the procurement of additional units of the same assured capability, until its planned Out of Service Date (OSD). Estimated Contract Value PS9,000,000 Ex VAT (estimated) Contract Duration The contract duration aligns with the current planned Out of Service Date (OSD) of the SILLS capability and is limited to sustaining the existing assured in-service capability, including the provision of additional units and associated ancillaries as required, during its remaining service life.

Procurement Information

Justification for Direct Award The Authority intends to award the contract without prior competition in accordance with Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023, relying on: Schedule 5, Paragraph 6 of the Procurement Act 2023 (Single supplier: technical reasons) for support, maintenance and repair services; and Schedule 5, Paragraph 7 of the Procurement Act 2023 (Additional or repeat goods, services or works) for the procurement of additional SILLS LWIR Thermal Sight units and associated ancillaries. Single Supplier for Technical Reasons (Schedule 5, Paragraph 6) Theon Sensors S.A., as OEM and Design Authority, is the only supplier with access to the technical data, software, design information, specialist tooling engineering expertise and configuration knowledge necessary to support, maintain and repair the SILLS LWIR capability currently in service with the British Army. The continued provision of support and maintenance services requires access to proprietary technical information specialist knowledge and design understanding that is not available to alternative/third-party suppliers. The Authority requires continued support of the existing assured capability throughout its remaining service life. Any attempt to use an alternative supplier would require significant assurance, certification and safety case activities, resulting in additional cost, delays, reduced equipment availability and increased operational risk. Accordingly, due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, only Theon Sensors S.A. can supply the services, and there is no reasonable alternative to those services that would meet the Authority's requirement for the support and maintenance of the existing assured capability during its remaining service life. Additional Goods (Schedule 5, Paragraph 7) The contract includes provision for the procurement of additional SILLS LWIR Thermal Sight units and associated ancillaries to support fleet management, growth towards the Total Fleet Requirement and operational requirements throughout the remaining life of the capability. For technical reasons set out above, only Theon Sensors S.A. has access to the information necessary to supply additional units that are the same in-service, assured solution to the existing assured capability and fully compatible with the established support, maintenance and assurance arrangements. Whilst alternative solutions may exist within the wider market, those solutions would constitute platforms that are different from the bespoke assured capability currently in service. Procuring a different solution would require the Authority to concurrently operate separate training, assurance, maintenance and support arrangements for both the existing assured capability and the alternative solution. Procuring an alternative solution would therefore result in disproportionate technical difficulties in operation and maintenance, including increased complexity and logistical burden. The advertised contract value is the maximum estimated value of all potential orders that may be placed under the contract during its term. It does not represent a guaranteed level of expenditure. The Authority reserves the right not to place any orders under the contract and is not obliged to spend the full advertised value, or any value, during the lifetime of the contract. Future Procurement Strategy This direct award does not seek to establish a replacement capability or meet any future requirement beyond the current capability planned service life. Upon reaching the planned Out of Service Date, the Authority intends to reassess its future requirement and determine the appropriate procurement strategy, including competition where appropriate. 9. Additional Information * Original contract competitively awarded under DSPCR. * Theon Sensors S.A. is the OEM and Design Authority. * Support activities require access to technical data, specialist knowledge and configuration control held by Theon. * Additional systems are required to support growth towards the Total Fleet Requirement while maintaining fleet commonality. * Additional units must be the same, assured capability currently in service. * The direct award is limited to sustaining the existing assured capability until its planned OSD, including through-life support and the procurement of additional units and associated ancillaries as required The Cyber Risk Level associated with this project has been assessed as Level 1 Foundational. Risk Assessment Reference: RAR-PDNNK9N

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-077fea
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/093429-2026
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
SME
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

38 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)

CPV Codes

38633000 - Telescopic sights

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£9,000,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
2 Oct 20264 days ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
30 Nov 2026 - 30 Nov 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
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

THEON SENSORS S.A.

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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