---
title: "CHC/645 Flat Panel Trainer"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-02f046"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-02f046"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02f046.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02f046.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "MINISTRY OF DEFENCE"
published: "2021-10-26"
---

# CHC/645 Flat Panel Trainer

Buyer: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-02f046

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-02f046)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02f046.json)

## Summary

The Ministry of Defence in the United Kingdom has successfully completed a tender process for the contract titled "CHC/645 Flat Panel Trainer." This procurement falls under the services category, specifically focusing on repair and maintenance services for the Chinook Flat Panel Trainer used at RAF Benson. The contract period extends over three years, with an estimated value of £0.66 million. This procurement was conducted through a limited method of negotiation without prior publication of a contract notice, which was deemed necessary due to technical reasons. The contract was awarded to Thales UK Limited, a company recognised for its expertise and proprietary rights regarding the technology in question.

This contract presents significant opportunities for businesses, particularly in the engineering and defence sectors. Companies that specialise in high-tech maintenance, repairs, and provisioning of spares, especially those with the capacity to meet rigorous military standards, could find future contracting opportunities with the Ministry of Defence. Given Thales' unique position and proprietary rights in this contract, other potential suppliers must possess the technical capabilities or certifications that align with Defence requirements to compete effectively in similar tenders.

## Notice

The Secretary of State for Defence (the 'Authority') intends to enter into a contract with Thales UK Ltd ("Thales") for the provision of repairs, spares and engineering support in respect of its existing Chinook Flat Panel Trainer (FPT), enabling its continued use at RAF Benson. The proposed contract term is 3 years and the contract value is estimated to be PS0.66M. In accordance with regulation 4 of The Defence and Security Public Contracts (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (SI 2019/697) this procurement falls to be regulated under the provisions of the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011 as amended (in particular by SI 2019/697 and SI 2020/1450). Prior publication of a contract notice in the Official Journal of the European Union is no longer appropriate. It is considered that the award of the contract without prior publication of a contract notice in the UK e-notification service (in accordance with the relevant legislation) is lawful in accordance with regulation 16(1)(a)(ii) of the DSPCR 2011 due to technical reasons. Thales are the original equipment manufacturers and Design Authority of the Digital Cockpit fitted on the UK Chinook aircraft. As such, the In Service support of the Flat Panel Trainer (including the provision of repairs and spares) together with the related Project Management, can only be carried out by Thales as Thales exclusively own the software rights and holds the relevant skills, technical data, proprietary information (including drawing and design information) and know-how that is needed to meet the requirement. Thales previously confirmed that it is not prepared to share or license the use of that proprietary information outside of the Company and the UK Ministry of Defence does not have a right to obtain the necessary documentation from Thales. The aforementioned skills, technical data, drawing and design information are necessary for the performance of the requirement. Furthermore, only Thales holds the level of certification (under the Authority's Design Approved Organisation (DAOS) and Maintenance Approved Organisation (MAOS) Schemes) necessary to carry out the activities that are required in order to meet the Military Aviation Authority's Regulatory Articles applicable to the Flat Panel Trainer. It is not possible for another company to obtain the relevant level of certification without access to the skills, knowledge and technical information that only Thales hold.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Support and maintenance of the FPT. Additional information: Cyber Risk Assessment rating: 'N/A'.

Options: Option to extend support by a further 2 years.

### Procurement Information

The Secretary of State for Defence (the 'Authority') intends to enter into a contract with Thales UK Ltd ("Thales") for the provision of repairs, spares and engineering support in respect of its existing Chinook Flat Panel Trainer (FPT), enabling its continued use at RAF Benson. The proposed contract term is 3 years and the contract value is estimated to be PS0.66M. In accordance with regulation 4 of The Defence and Security Public Contracts (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (SI 2019/697) this procurement falls to be regulated under the provisions of the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011 as amended (in particular by SI 2019/697 and SI 2020/1450). Prior publication of a contract notice in the Official Journal of the European Union is no longer appropriate. It is considered that the award of the contract without prior publication of a contract notice in the UK e-notification service (in accordance with the relevant legislation) is lawful in accordance with regulation 16(1)(a)(ii) of the DSPCR 2011 due to technical reasons. Thales are the original equipment manufacturers and Design Authority of the Digital Cockpit fitted on the UK Chinook aircraft. As such, the In Service support of the Flat Panel Trainer (including the provision of repairs and spares) together with the related Project Management, can only be carried out by Thales as Thales exclusively own the software rights and holds the relevant skills, technical data, proprietary information (including drawing and design information) and know-how that is needed to meet the requirement. Thales previously confirmed that it is not prepared to share or license the use of that proprietary information outside of the Company and the UK Ministry of Defence does not have a right to obtain the necessary documentation from Thales. The aforementioned skills, technical data, drawing and design information are necessary for the performance of the requirement. Furthermore, only Thales holds the level of certification (under the Authority's Design Approved Organisation (DAOS) and Maintenance Approved Organisation (MAOS) Schemes) necessary to carry out the activities that are required in order to meet the Military Aviation Authority's Regulatory Articles applicable to the Flat Panel Trainer. It is not possible for another company to obtain the relevant level of certification without access to the skills, knowledge and technical information that only Thales hold.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026841-2021 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Negotiated without publication of a contract notice |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 26 Oct 2021 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 23 Sep 2021 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £663,327 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | MINISTRY OF DEFENCE |
| Locality | BRISTOL |
| Post town | Not specified |
| Postcode | N/A |
| Country | Not specified |
| ITL 1 | Not specified |
| ITL 2 | Not specified |
| ITL 3 | Not specified |
| Local authority | Not specified |
| Electoral ward | Not specified |
| Westminster constituency | Not specified |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | THALES |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation
- 50 - Repair and maintenance services

### Codes

- 34740000 - Aircraft or spacecraft equipment, trainers, simulators and associated parts
- 50000000 - Repair and maintenance services

## Release History

- 26 Oct 2021 at 21:44 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026841-2021

## Notice URLs

- https://des.mod.uk

## 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-h6vhtk-02f046. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02f046.json.