---
title: "Watchkeeper In-Service Support 2024 - 2027"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0436c5"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0436c5"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0436c5.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0436c5.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "MINISTRY OF DEFENCE"
published: "2024-02-02"
---

# Watchkeeper In-Service Support 2024 - 2027

Buyer: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0436c5

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## Summary

The Ministry of Defence has awarded the contract for Watchkeeper In-Service Support 2024 - 2027 to Thales UK. This procurement falls under the goods category and utilised a limited procurement method without prior publication. The contract worth £90,000,000 was signed on 2nd February 2024. The main place of performance will be at Thales Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR) in Crawley, Sussex, United Kingdom.

This tender for Watchkeeper In-Service Support provides business growth opportunities for companies with expertise in unmanned aerial vehicles and military equipment maintenance. Businesses with technical knowledge and capabilities in service management, asset management, obsolescence management, training, and engineering would be well-suited to compete in this procurement. Suppliers like Thales UK, with large-scale capacities, are actively involved in meeting the contractual requirements stipulated by the Ministry of Defence.

## Notice

The Thales Watchkeeper is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for all weather, intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance (ISTAR) used by the British Army. Watchkeeper In-Service Support has been provided since the AV came into service in the 2010s.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Continued Watchkeeper Air Vehicle In-Service Support. 1 April 2024 - 31 March 2027. This consists of; - Provision of service management - Asset Management - Obsolescence Management - Training - Engineering and Safety - Management of the Sustainment Fleet

### Procurement Information

Short description of the contract or purchase(s): To extend the existing scope of the extant Watchkeeper In-Service Support (ISS) Contract UAS/00096 including delivery of continued Test and Evaluation (T & E) and activities to address known WK system obsolescence. Reason For Award of Contract: To enable the Watchkeeper Air Vehicle to operate at numerous Units of Action and Points of Presence in the UK and overseas for a further three-year period until 2027. Justification for Non-Competitive Decision: Technical Reasons 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. Thales UK (ISR) are the platform Design Authority Approved Organisation Scheme (DAOS) and Military Airworthiness Organisation Scheme (MAOS) accredited Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), in conjunction with other equipment OEMs within the supply chain. Therefore, only Thales have the technical documents and proprietary information (including software), equipment, infrastructure, skills, knowledge and authority (via the MAA) required in order to safely carry out this work. No other contractor would be able to safely perform this requirement as no other contractor would have access to the required technical and proprietary information. Main Place of Performance or Delivery: Thales Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR), Crawley, Manor Royal, Crawley, Sussex RH10 9HA, United Kingdom

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/003519-2024 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 2 Feb 2024 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 2 Feb 2024 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £90,000,000 |

## 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 | TLJ11 Berkshire |

## Supplier

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

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 35613000 - Unmanned aerial vehicles

## Release History

- 2 Feb 2024 at 12:32 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/003519-2024

## Notice URLs

- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence

## 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-0436c5. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0436c5.json.