---
title: "Defence Air Weapon Safety Support (DAWSS)"
ocid: "ocds-b5fd17-79c16c4e-1510-44b0-bf2b-ccd4f0492852"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-79c16c4e-1510-44b0-bf2b-ccd4f0492852"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-79c16c4e-1510-44b0-bf2b-ccd4f0492852.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-79c16c4e-1510-44b0-bf2b-ccd4f0492852.json"
source: "Contracts Finder"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "MINISTRY OF DEFENCE"
published: "2026-04-28"
---

# Defence Air Weapon Safety Support (DAWSS)

Buyer: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-b5fd17-79c16c4e-1510-44b0-bf2b-ccd4f0492852

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## Summary

The Ministry of Defence has concluded a procurement process for the "Defence Air Weapon Safety Support (DAWSS)" in the technical assistance services category. This process utilised a limited negotiated procedure without prior publication, justified under the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations due to technical reasons. Lockheed Martin UK Ampthill was awarded the contract valued at £6,003,000, with the contract period set from 11th July 2025 to 11th July 2029. The project is located in the East of England, aiming to leverage existing expertise in air weapon safety, with prior involvement from Lockheed Martin UK Ampthill, who have amassed over 50 years of relevant technical knowledge in this domain.

This tender provides substantial business opportunities for companies with extensive experience in defence technical services, particularly those capable of meeting high standards in air weapon safety support. Firms that can build a comparable knowledge base, though challenging, could eventually compete in similar contracts. However, SMEs and VCSEs perhaps would find it difficult to compete, given the specialised requirements outlined. Companies already possessing a comprehensive understanding of defence systems and qualified personnel might explore partnership or subcontracting opportunities to expand their footprint within the Defence sector.

## Notice

It is considered that the contract can be placed using the negotiated procedure without prior publication of a contract notice pursuant to Article 28(1)(e) of Directive 2009/81/EC (Regulation 16(1)(a)(ii) of the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011) for technical reasons. The Technical reasons being that LMUKA are deemed to be the only competent and viable organisation within the UK market to carry out the technical work needed to meet the requirements. LMUKA have successfully met the requirement for the last 50 years and throughout this period LMUKA has built up a significant knowledge base, both in Suitably Qualified Experienced Personnel (SQEP) working the programme, and in auditable documentation, processes and retained data. It would take a significant period (10 years or more) for another organisation to build a comparable knowledge base.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Contracts Finder |
| Latest notice | https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/895a418a-e072-4f9d-b7af-2e7ea3266a8b |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Negotiated procedure without prior publication (above threshold) |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 28 Apr 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 11 Mar 2025 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 11 Mar 2025 |
| Contract period | 10 Jul 2025 - 11 Jul 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £6,003,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £6,003,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | MINISTRY OF DEFENCE |
| Locality | BRISTOL |
| Post town | Bristol |
| Postcode | BS34 8JH |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK5 West of England |
| ITL 3 | TLK52 Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire |
| Local authority | South Gloucestershire |
| Electoral ward | Stoke Park & Cheswick |
| Westminster constituency | Filton and Bradley Stoke |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | LOCKHEED MARTIN UK AMPTHILL |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

### Codes

- 71356200 - Technical assistance services

## Release History

- 28 Apr 2026 at 06:14 - AwardUpdate - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/895a418a-e072-4f9d-b7af-2e7ea3266a8b
- 11 Mar 2025 at 08:19 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/895a418a-e072-4f9d-b7af-2e7ea3266a8b

## Documents

- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/895a418a-e072-4f9d-b7af-2e7ea3266a8b
  28th April 2026 - Awarded contract notice on Contracts Finder
- https://contracts.mod.uk/go/305254260195840FCAB8
  Opportunity Notice
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/612d7717-ff18-46d9-9f7f-c2af2bd75058
  n/a

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-b5fd17-79c16c4e-1510-44b0-bf2b-ccd4f0492852. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-b5fd17-79c16c4e-1510-44b0-bf2b-ccd4f0492852.json.