---
title: "CHC/646 COBRA - Bottle Reconditioning"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0344de"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0344de"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0344de.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0344de.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "MINISTRY OF DEFENCE"
published: "2022-06-09"
---

# CHC/646 COBRA - Bottle Reconditioning

Buyer: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0344de

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[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0344de.json)

## Summary

The Ministry of Defence has awarded the contract for "CHC/646 COBRA - Bottle Reconditioning" to AMETEK Airtechnology Group Ltd, with an effective start date of 22nd March 2022. This procurement falls under the repair and maintenance services of tanks within the UK services industry. The procurement method was a limited award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition, justified by technical reasons as AMETEK is the only supplier capable of fulfilling the contract requirements. The procurement process is marked as complete.

This contract presents a unique opportunity for businesses involved in specialised maintenance services, particularly those with capabilities in fire safety equipment and aerospace support. Companies that can demonstrate the necessary technical expertise, particularly in reconditioning equipment for defence applications, and those with strong ties or certifications linked to the UK Ministry of Defence may find themselves well-positioned to engage in similar contracts in the future. The estimated value of the awarded contract is £297,706, which underlines the potential for growth in this niche sector.

## Notice

Notice of CHC/646 COBRA - Bottle Reconditioning contract award to AMETEK Airtechnology Group Ltd, effective contract start date 22nd March 2022. This follows the publication of a single source justification, F15: Voluntary ex ante transparency notice, published on the FTS dated 28th January 2022, link as follows; https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/002622-2022 Contract Award Notice also published on Contracts Finder, link as follows: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/c44babad-2d70-455a-b1d8-6c8b782b1c9e

### Lot Information

Lot 1

The requirement is for the reconditioning of COBRA Fire Extinguisher Bottles which have exceeded their ten-year life span, to support the Cobra Ballistic Fuel Tank Fire Suppression system and sustain the operational capability.

### Procurement Information

Negotiated procedure without publication of a contract notice - The products involved are manufactured purely for the purpose of research, experiment, study or development - The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason: absence of competition for technical reasons The Secretary of State for Defence (the 'Authority') intends to enter into a contract with AMETEK Aerospace and Defense ('AMETEK') for the reconditioning of COBRA Fire Extinguisher bottles to support the COBRA Ballistic Fuel Tank Fire Suppression System, onboard the UK Chinook Fleet. The proposed contract term is placed on an interim basis and the contract value is estimated to be PS0.4M. 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. AMETEK are the original equipment manufacturers and Design Authority of the COBRA Fire Extinguisher Bottles on the UK Chinook aircraft. As such, the reconditioning of these bottles can only be carried out by AMETEK as AMETEK exclusively holds the relevant skills, technical data, proprietary information (including drawing and design information) and know-how that are needed to meet the requirement. AMETEK 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 AMETEK. The aforementioned skills, technical data, drawing and design information are necessary for the performance of the requirement. Furthermore, only AMETEK holds the level of certification (under the Authority's 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 Equipment. 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 AMETEK hold.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/015929-2022 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 9 Jun 2022 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 22 Mar 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 | £297,706 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Cancelled |
| 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 | AMETEK AIRTECHNOLOGY GROUP |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 50 - Repair and maintenance services

### Codes

- 50514100 - Repair and maintenance services of tanks

## Release History

- 9 Jun 2022 at 16:20 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/015929-2022

## Notice URLs

- https://des.mod.uk/
- https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/c44babad-2d70-455a-b1d8-6c8b782b1c9e
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/002622-2022

## 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-0344de. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0344de.json.