---
title: "Lipless Firing Needle Assemblies"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0416f0"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0416f0"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0416f0.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0416f0.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "MINISTRY OF DEFENCE"
published: "2023-11-08"
---

# Lipless Firing Needle Assemblies

Buyer: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0416f0

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## Summary

The Ministry of Defence has awarded a contract for the manufacture and supply of 400 modified Firing Needle Assemblies for the Challenger 2 main battle tank to Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Limited. The procurement process was initiated through a tender with the main procurement category being goods. The procurement method used was limited, with the contract awarded under a Single Source basis with RBSL for Technical Reasons. The contract was signed on 22nd September 2023, with a value of 578,898 GBP.

This tender presents an opportunity for businesses involved in manufacturing components for military equipment to compete. Companies with expertise in safety-critical components, particularly for main battle tanks, would be well-suited to participate. The Ministry of Defence, acting as the buying organisation, conducted the procurement process in stages, involving a standstill period for transparency. Businesses interested in supplying specialised military components should monitor such tenders for future opportunities in the defence sector.

## Notice

The manufacture and supply of quantity 400 modified Firing Needle Assemblies (FNA) for the L30A1 (120mm) gun of the Challenger 2 (CR2) main battle tank.

### Procurement Information

It is considered that this Contract can be placed under Regulation 16 (1) (a) (ii) of the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations on a Single Source basis with RBSL for Technical Reasons. The FNA is a safety critical internal component of the 120mm L30A1 CR2 gun and requires modification to the current design to prevent obturation failure. This modification is a safety requirement that must be fulfilled to ensure the safe functioning of the L30A1 CR2 Main Armament during operation. RBSL are the Design Authority (DA) and the Original Equipment manufacturer (OEM) for the CR2 and have been the sole supplier of FNAs throughout the life of the L30A1 gun. They have been involved in the development of the L30A1 Weapon System from its inception and possess technical information relating to the Weapon TVE Monitoring system, of which the FNA forms part of. In addition to the Firing Needle Assembly (FNA), the Weapons TVE Monitoring system consists of two interfacing units which interact with the Weapon: * Tube Vent Electrical Display Unit (TVEDU) * Tube Vent Electrical Contactor unit (TVECU) These two units are both procured and/or repaired through RBSL, and the Authority does not have access to the full technical information relating to their design specification. This information is required to ensure that the FNA is built to the correct standard as required to interact with the Weapon TVE Monitoring system and RBSL is the only supplier with this necessary technical information. Without the necessary technical information, there is the risk of misfires, causing a safety issue that would put the crew at risk during Operations. The Authority has adopted a 10 day standstill period by publishing a Voluntary Transparency Notice with the period ending at 17:00 on Thursday 3rd August 2023. No challenges were received during the standstill period.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/033122-2023 |
| 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 | Not specified |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 8 Nov 2023 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 21 Sep 2023 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £578,898 |

## Status

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

## 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 | RHEINMETALL BAE SYSTEMS LAND (RBSL |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 35 - Security, fire-fighting, police and defence equipment

### Codes

- 35411100 - Main battle tanks

## Release History

- 8 Nov 2023 at 21:55 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/033122-2023

## 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-0416f0. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0416f0.json.