---
title: "G-Alfea Sonobuoys"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0366bf"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0366bf"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0366bf.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0366bf.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "MINISTRY OF DEFENCE"
published: "2022-09-07"
---

# G-Alfea Sonobuoys

Buyer: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0366bf

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[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0366bf.json)

## Summary

The Ministry of Defence, acting as the buying organisation, has awarded a contract to Ultra Electronics Ltd for the purchase, modification, calibration, and testing of G-Alfea Sonobuoys. The procurement falls under the industry category of marker buoys, with a focus on goods. Located in Portsmouth, UK, the Royal Navy of the UK MoD is at the helm of this contracting process. This tender, in the 'award' stage, was initiated on 2022-09-07. The contract value is 491,700 GBP, with a 9-month term.

This procurement opportunity offers a chance for businesses that specialize in buoy marking services to engage. Given the nature of the tender process being limited and negotiated, businesses with specific technical expertise in sonobuoys and close ties to defence research programmes would be well-suited to compete. The Ministry of Defence's rationale for selecting Ultra Electronics Ltd underscores the technical complexities and interoperability requirements, creating a niche landscape for specific contractors with the necessary capabilities to excel in this competitive arena.

## Notice

The Royal Navy, part of the UK Ministry of Defence, intends to award a contract to Ultra Electronics Ltd for the purchase, modification, calibration and testing of 2 off G-ALFEA sonobuoys. The contract will have a term of 9 months. It is considered that this contract can be awarded using the negotiated procedure without prior publication of a contract notice pursuant to Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Article 32(2)(b)(ii)) for technical reasons. This is because Ultra Electronics Ltd sonobuoys are required for technical reasons and interoperability, as the existing systems have been provided by Ultras Electronics Ltd. Ultra Electronics Ltd represents the UK on the NATO NIAG SG90 Sonobuoy Digital Telemetry panel. These factors and their understanding of technology arising from the previous R&D contracts associated with the sonobuoy project within the Underwater Systems research programme all factor into the technical and interoperability justification. Ultra Electronics Ltd have also been awarded a contract by DE&S for a through life sonobuoys contract for RN and RAF. While this is a separate requirement with R&D elements, interoperability is key and the sonobuoys tested must be Ultra to ensure technical compatibility in the information gathered in the testing phase with both the NATO panel and the DE&S sonobuoy contract. Only Ultra Electronics Ltd have the technical information and knowledge required and no other contractor would have access to this information.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

The Royal Navy, part of the UK Ministry of Defence, intends to award a contract to Ultra Electronics Ltd for the purchase, modification, calibration and testing of 2 off G-ALFEA sonobuoys. The contract will have a term of 9 months. It is considered that this contract can be awarded using the negotiated procedure without prior publication of a contract notice pursuant to Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Article 32(2)(b)(ii)) for technical reasons. This is because Ultra Electronics Ltd sonobuoys are required for technical reasons and interoperability, as the existing systems have been provided by Ultras Electronics Ltd. Ultra Electronics Ltd represents the UK on the NATO NIAG SG90 Sonobuoy Digital Telemetry panel. These factors and their understanding of technology arising from the previous R&D contracts associated with the sonobuoy project within the Underwater Systems research programme all factor into the technical and interoperability justification. Ultra Electronics Ltd have also been awarded a contract by DE&S for a through life sonobuoys contract for RN and RAF. While this is a separate requirement with R&D elements, interoperability is key and the sonobuoys tested must be Ultra to ensure technical compatibility in the information gathered in the testing phase with both the NATO panel and the DE&S sonobuoy contract. Only Ultra Electronics Ltd have the technical information and knowledge required and no other contractor would have access to this information.

### Procurement Information

The Royal Navy, part of the UK Ministry of Defence, intends to award a contract to Ultra Electronics Ltd for the purchase, modification, calibration and testing of 2 off G-ALFEA sonobuoys. The contract will have a term of 9 months. It is considered that this contract can be awarded using the negotiated procedure without prior publication of a contract notice pursuant to Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (Article 32(2)(b)(ii)) for technical reasons. This is because Ultra Electronics Ltd sonobuoys are required for technical reasons and interoperability, as the existing systems have been provided by Ultras Electronics Ltd. Ultra Electronics Ltd represents the UK on the NATO NIAG SG90 Sonobuoy Digital Telemetry panel. These factors and their understanding of technology arising from the previous R&D contracts associated with the sonobuoy project within the Underwater Systems research programme all factor into the technical and interoperability justification. Ultra Electronics Ltd have also been awarded a contract by DE&S for a through life sonobuoys contract for RN and RAF. While this is a separate requirement with R&D elements, interoperability is key and the sonobuoys tested must be Ultra to ensure technical compatibility in the information gathered in the testing phase with both the NATO panel and the DE&S sonobuoy contract. Only Ultra Electronics Ltd have the technical information and knowledge required and no other contractor would have access to this information.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/025167-2022 |
| 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 | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 7 Sep 2022 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 6 Sep 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 | £491,700 |

## 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 | PORTSMOUTH |
| 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 | ULTRA ELECTRONICS |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation
- 63 - Supporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services

### Codes

- 34515100 - Marker buoys
- 63724310 - Buoy marking services

## Release History

- 7 Sep 2022 at 17:53 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/025167-2022

## Notice URLs

- https://contracts.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-0366bf. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0366bf.json.