--- title: "Procurement of Wire Insulation Piercing Probes (WIPPs)" ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0448b0" canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0448b0" markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0448b0.md" json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0448b0.json" source: "Find A Tender Service" current_stage: "Award" buyer: "MINISTRY OF DEFENCE" published: "2024-03-14" --- # Procurement of Wire Insulation Piercing Probes (WIPPs) Buyer: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE Current stage: Award OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0448b0 [View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0448b0) [Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0448b0.json) ## Summary The Ministry of Defence, based in Bristol, United Kingdom, has completed the procurement process for the "Procurement of Wire Insulation Piercing Probes (WIPPs)" in the goods category. The procurement method used was a limited negotiation without publication of a contract notice. Thales UK Ltd has been awarded the contract valued at £375,000, signed on 11th March 2024. The contract involves the procurement of WIPPs over a fixed 5-year term, extendable for an additional 2 years, with an expected completion year of 2030. This procurement process presents an opportunity for businesses involved in electronic meters or related electronic equipment sectors. Thales UK Ltd, as the exclusive manufacturer of the Wire Insulation Piercing Probes, has been awarded the contract by the Ministry of Defence due to their specialised technical know-how and exclusive licensing agreements. Businesses looking to provide similar ancillary equipment to defence sectors may find opportunities in such exclusive procurement processes within the UK Ministry of Defence or related authorities. ## Notice Procurement of Wire Insulation Piercing Probes (WIPPs) ### Lot Information Lot 1 Procurement of Wire Insulation Piercing Probes (WIPPs) Options: 2 Option Years ### Procurement Information The Special Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Search, Exploitation & Countermeasures (SEEC) Delivery Team, as part of the UK Ministry of Defence ("MOD"), intends to award a contract to Thales UK Ltd for the procurement of Wire Insulation Piercing Probes (WIPPs). These ancillaries are used in conjunction with a Long-Range Wire Diagnostic Tool (LRWDT). This contract will be for the procurement of WIPPs over a fixed 5-year term, with options to extend by a further 2 years to cover any emergent requirements. The contract will run to 2030 with an expected value of PS450,000 over the full seven years. This value is inclusive of an initial procurement of 620 sets of banana-end WIPPs (x6 per set). The contract is for the procurement of WIPPs only, there is no requirement for in-service support. The WIPPs have been in-service with the UK Armed Forces since 2021 as an ancillary that attaches to the LRWDT. The WIPPs have been developed and modified specifically for UK military use. The Intellectual Property for the WIPPs are held by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) - Warwick Test Supplies Limited. The OEM has an exclusivity agreement with the Contractor - Thales UK Ltd. Thales UK Ltd have been granted an exclusive licence to use the relevant technical information relating to the WIPPs (which is necessary to manufacture the WIPPs) by the OEM. Therefore, Thales UK Ltd are the only company with the technical know-how to undertake the manufacture of the WIPPs. The UK Armed Forces are trained in the operation of WIPPs. Introducing a new system and operating two systems in parallel would introduce an unacceptable additional training requirement and an unacceptable risk to safety. The WIPPs are specifically designed and modified to be interoperable with the LRWDT. Accordingly, Thales UK Ltd is the only Contractor which can deliver this requirement. It is therefore considered that this contract can be awarded to Thales UK Ltd using the negotiated procedure without prior publication of a contract notice pursuant to Regulation 16(1)(a)(ii) of the UK Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011 for technical reasons. ## Key Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Publication source | Find A Tender Service | | Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/008226-2024 | | 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 | 14 Mar 2024 | | Submission deadline | Not specified | | Future notice date | Not specified | | Award date | 11 Mar 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 | £375,000 | ## 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 | THALES | ## CPV Codes ### Divisions - 38 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) ### Codes - 38552000 - Electronic meters ## Release History - 14 Mar 2024 at 15:32 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/008226-2024 ## Notice URLs - https://des.mod.uk/what-we-do/army-procurement-support/soldier-training-special-projects/ ## 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-0448b0. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0448b0.json.