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715890474 Thermoteknix EC - UK5

Defence Equipment and Support

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

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02 Oct 2026 at 15:00

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Defence Equipment and Support, part of the Ministry of Defence, is buying continued through-life support, maintenance and repair for the British Army’s in-service Thermal Clip-On Sight (TCOS), as well as additional sights and associated ancillaries. TCOS is a thermal sighting system fitted to existing equipment; the requirement is to sustain the assured capability and maintain commonality across the fleet, with additional units supporting growth towards the Army’s total fleet requirement. The contract covers the same in-service system, not a replacement capability. Delivery is in the United Kingdom. The procurement combines goods (telescopic sights, CPV 38633000) with associated support services. It is a single-lot requirement.

The procurement is complete and an award has been made to Thermoteknix Systems Ltd; the award is recorded as pending. The contract is due to run from 30 November 2026 to 30 November 2032, aligning with the planned end of the capability’s service life. The estimated award is £42 million excluding VAT (£50.4 million including VAT). This is a maximum estimate for potential orders, not guaranteed spending; the Authority may place no orders. The route was a direct award without competition: technical reasons were cited for support, maintenance and repair, and the additional systems were treated as repeat goods. The stated basis is that the incumbent is the equipment’s original manufacturer and design authority, with the technical information and expertise needed to support the existing capability and supply compatible units. The original capability contract was competitively awarded.

This award shows that the requirement depends on proprietary equipment knowledge, access to technical data and software, design authority, specialist tooling, engineering expertise and configuration control. A supplier seeking to compete for comparable support would need to demonstrate that it can maintain the existing assured capability to the required technical, safety and operational standards, while managing verification, validation, safety assurance and configuration. For additional equipment, compatibility with the in-service system and established support and assurance arrangements is central; alternatives that introduce separate training, maintenance or logistics would not meet the stated fleet-commonality rationale. The procurement therefore favours the original equipment manufacturer for this specific system, rather than a general thermal-optics supplier. The requirement is defence-related, with cyber risk assessed at Level 1 Foundational. Any future capability after this system’s planned service life is to be reassessed separately.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

715890474 Thermoteknix EC - UK5

Notice Description

Description of Procurement The Ministry of Defence (MOD) intends to award a contract to Thermoteknix Systems Ltd for the continued through-life support, maintenance and repair of the in-service Thermal Clip-On Sight (TCOS) capability, together with the provision of additional TCOS systems 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). Thermoteknix Systems Ltd designed and delivered the capability and is the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and Design Authority (DA) for the equipment currently in service. 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 it's planned Out of Service Date (OSD). Estimated Contract Value PS42,000,000 (estimated) Contract Duration The contract duration aligns with the current planned Out of Service Date (OSD) of the TCOS capability and is limited to sustaining the existing assured in-service capability during its remaining service life. 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.

Procurement Information

Justification for Direct Award The Authority intends to award the contract without prior competition in reliance upon: 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 TCOS systems and associated ancillaries. A. Single Supplier for Technical Reasons (Schedule 5, Paragraph 6) Thermoteknix Systems Ltd, as OEM and Design Authority, retains access to the technical data, software, design information, specialist tooling, engineering expertise and configuration knowledge necessary to support, maintain and repair the TCOS 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 are 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 transfer support activities to an alternative supplier would require extensive technical investigation, verification, validation, safety assurance, and configuration management activities, resulting in unacceptable technical, safety and operational risk. Accordingly, competition is absent for technical reasons and Thermoteknix Systems Ltd is considered the only supplier capable of providing support and maintenance for the existing assured capability to the required technical, safety and operational standards during its remaining service life. There are no reasonable alternatives. B. Additional Goods (Schedule 5, Paragraph 7) The contract also includes provision for the procurement of additional TCOS systems and associated ancillaries to support fleet management, growth towards the Total Fleet Requirement and operational requirements throughout the remaining life of the capability. Whilst alternative solutions may exist within the wider market, those solutions would constitute different platforms to the assured capability currently in service. Procuring alternative equipment would require Defence to introduce separate training, assurance, maintenance, and support arrangements, creating disproportionate technical difficulties in operation and maintenance and increasing complexity and logistical burden. Only Thermoteknix Systems Ltd is capable of supplying 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. The direct award is therefore limited to the procurement of additional units of the same in-service capability currently operated by Army personnel. 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 Additional Information Original contract competitively awarded under DSPCR. Thermoteknix Systems Ltd is the Original Equipment Manufacturer and Design Authority. Support activities require access to technical data, specialist knowledge and configuration control held by Thermoteknix Systems Ltd. Additional systems are required to support growth towards the Total Fleet Requirement while maintaining fleet commonality. Additional units must be the same as the assured capability currently in service. The direct award is limited to sustaining the existing assured capability until its planned OSD. The Cyber Risk Level associated with this project has been assessed as Level 1 Foundational. Risk Assessment Reference: RAR-TC4JQNC

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-077fec
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/093432-2026
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
SME

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
£42,000,000 £10M-£100M
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

THERMOTEKNIX SYSTEMS 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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