---
title: "The Supply and In-Service Support Of the Soft Landing System (SLS)"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0341f2"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0341f2"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0341f2.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0341f2.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "MINISTRY OF DEFENCE"
published: "2022-05-31"
---

# The Supply and In-Service Support Of the Soft Landing System (SLS)

Buyer: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0341f2

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## Summary

The Ministry of Defence is engaging in a public procurement process for the supply and in-service support of the Soft Landing System (SLS), a safety equipment initiative classified under the CPV code 35113000. This tender is currently in the Award stage, with the contract being awarded to Forest Safety Group Ltd, reflecting an approximate value of £2.8 million ex VAT. The procurement process is structured as a limited procedure, negotiated without prior publication of a contract notice, and is governed by the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011. The awarded contract, signed on 31st May 2022, is for a duration of five years, with two optional extensions available. 

This procurement opportunity is well-suited for businesses specialising in safety equipment, maintenance services, and technical support, particularly those with capabilities in producing and maintaining fall bag systems. Companies that can demonstrate expertise in the specific technical requirements of the SLS, including interoperability in critical environments, will have a competitive edge. The contract's focus on thorough training and support further opens avenues for training service providers and those supplying related spare parts. Engaging with this contract could significantly enhance business growth for firms positioned within these specialised sectors.

## Notice

The provision of new and continued through-life support of existing fall bag Soft Landing Systems ("SLS") including repair, maintenance, spares provision, training and technical support.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

The Secretary of State for Defence intends to enter into a contract with Forest Safety Group Ltd ("Forest") for the continued through-life support of existing fall bag Soft Landing Systems ("SLS") including repair, maintenance, spares provision, training and technical support, together with the purchase of additional compatible SLS ("the Contract"). The duration of the new Contract will be five years together with two additional individual option years. The approximate value of the Contract is estimated to be PS2.8 million ex VAT including the full exercise of the option years. 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 regulations 16(1)(a)(ii) and 16(1)(b)(i) of the DSPCR 2011 for technical reasons and for the purchase of additional supplies. In respect of the existing supplies of SLS, Forest is the owner of several patents and design rights for the SLS and has exclusivity arrangements for certain materials used in the SLS. The Authority does not have sufficient rights in the information in the SLS to provide to an alternative supplier to manufacture new SLS equipment and undertake the repair, maintenance, training and subsequent safety certification of the new or existing supplies to the reasonable satisfaction of the Authority. Furthermore, as Design Authority only Forest has the accumulated expertise and technical know-how at its disposal required to undertake this work. This includes the intimate knowledge and understanding of the existing equipment used across the Authority's platforms and the extreme range of operating environments and climactic conditions in which they are deployed, and for which the SLS have been specifically designed (to include impermeability to Aviation Fuel and paints, oils & lubricants, flame retardancy and UV stability). In respect of the additional supplies, to obtain supplies from a different contractor would create disproportionate technical difficulties in the operation and maintenance of the existing equipment and potential unacceptable interoperability and compatibility risks between all such existing and new equipment both per platform and between platforms, especially considering the life-saving safety criticality of the equipment. Furthermore it would cause significant inconvenience and substantial duplication of costs for the Authority. It is also vital that end users are trained and fully competent in the use of a single system. It would be impracticable and inadvisable for users to be trained to use more than one system. An attempt to integrate and utilise different proprietary systems in the environments and conditions in which they are deployed could lead to mistakes and potentially pose a risk to life.

Options: 2 additional years on an annual basis (+1,+1)

### Procurement Information

The Secretary of State for Defence intends to enter into a contract with Forest Safety Group Ltd ("Forest") for the continued through-life support of existing fall bag Soft Landing Systems ("SLS") including repair, maintenance, spares provision, training and technical support, together with the purchase of additional compatible SLS ("the Contract"). The duration of the new Contract will be five years together with two additional individual option years. The approximate value of the Contract is estimated to be PS2.8 million ex VAT including the full exercise of the option years. 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 regulations 16(1)(a)(ii) and 16(1)(b)(i) of the DSPCR 2011 for technical reasons and for the purchase of additional supplies. In respect of the existing supplies of SLS, Forest is the owner of several patents and design rights for the SLS and has exclusivity arrangements for certain materials used in the SLS. The Authority does not have sufficient rights in the information in the SLS to provide to an alternative supplier to manufacture new SLS equipment and undertake the repair, maintenance, training and subsequent safety certification of the new or existing supplies to the reasonable satisfaction of the Authority. Furthermore, as Design Authority only Forest has the accumulated expertise and technical know-how at its disposal required to undertake this work. This includes the intimate knowledge and understanding of the existing equipment used across the Authority's platforms and the extreme range of operating environments and climactic conditions in which they are deployed, and for which the SLS have been specifically designed (to include impermeability to Aviation Fuel and paints, oils & lubricants, flame retardancy and UV stability). In respect of the additional supplies, to obtain supplies from a different contractor would create disproportionate technical difficulties in the operation and maintenance of the existing equipment and potential unacceptable interoperability and compatibility risks between all such existing and new equipment both per platform and between platforms, especially considering the life-saving safety criticality of the equipment. Furthermore it would cause significant inconvenience and substantial duplication of costs for the Authority. It is also vital that end users are trained and fully competent in the use of a single system. It would be impracticable and inadvisable for users to be trained to use more than one system. An attempt to integrate and utilise different proprietary systems in the environments and conditions in which they are deployed could lead to mistakes and potentially pose a risk to life.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/015180-2022 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Negotiated without publication of a contract notice |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 31 May 2022 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 30 May 2022 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £2,800,000 |

## 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 | FOREST SAFETY GROUP |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 35 - Security, fire-fighting, police and defence equipment
- 80 - Education and training services

### Codes

- 35113000 - Safety equipment
- 35113100 - Site-safety equipment
- 80550000 - Safety training services

## Release History

- 31 May 2022 at 10:53 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/015180-2022

## Notice URLs

- http://www.gov.uk/government/ministry
- http://www.gov.uk/government/ministry-of-defence
- https://www.forestgroupuk.co.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-0341f2. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0341f2.json.