---
title: "The Provision of In Barrack Engineering Support (IBES) to Watchkeeper"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-050a0b"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-050a0b"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-050a0b.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-050a0b.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "MINISTRY OF DEFENCE"
published: "2025-10-10"
---

# The Provision of In Barrack Engineering Support (IBES) to Watchkeeper

Buyer: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-050a0b

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## Summary

The public procurement process involves the Ministry of Defence contracting for the Provision of In Barrack Engineering Support (IBES) to the Watchkeeper Remotely Piloted Air System. The Ministry, based in Andover, United Kingdom, classified as a public authority in central government, has undergone both a direct award and contract amendment stage. Initially awarded on 29 August 2025 to MPI Limited for a duration extending until 31 March 2026, the contract has recently been modified on 27 October 2025 to include a value uplift of 12.4% due to unforeseeable circumstances. The procurement falls under the industry category of engineering support services and covers the deployment of technicians for maintenance services, with a substantial contract value exceeding £1.24 million, reflecting its significance and scale.

This procurement offers opportunities for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with specialised expertise in defence engineering support, particularly those capable of providing skilled technicians for maintenance of complex systems such as the Watchkeeper RPAS. Businesses with existing capabilities in engineering support services, especially those based within the UK, may find similar opportunities advantageous for growth due to the Ministry of Defence's need for specialised and responsive suppliers. Given the demand for continuity and readiness in defence operations, suppliers with a quick ramp-up capability and experience in high-stakes environments are ideally suited to compete for future contracts or renewals in this domain.

## Notice

The requirement is for the Provision of In Barrack Equipment Support (IBES) to Watchkeeper Remotely Piloted Air System (RPAS). It will cover the deployment of technicians to provide maintenance services on Watchkeeper RPAS.

### Procurement Information

The Authority intends to award a contract to MPI Limited for the Provision of In Barrack Engineering Support (IBES) to Watchkeeper Remotely Piloted Air System (RPAS). The contract will cover the deployment at specific working locations of technicians as workforce enhancement, to provide maintenance services on Watchkeeper RPAS. The Contract is intended to be for a duration of 9 months commencing on 1 July 2025, with 1 x 6-month option period (or part thereof). The duration of the Contract aligns with the estimated out of service date of Watchkeeper, 31 March 2026. The Watchkeeper capability is required to remain at readiness level until a suitable replacement reaches its initial operating capability. The value of the Contract (including option year) is estimated to be PS911,536.95 exclusive of VAT. It is considered that this contract can be awarded in accordance with paragraph 6 of Schedule 5 to the Procurement Act 2023, where competition is absent for technical reasons. MPI Limited is the only supplier with the requisite skills, knowledge and experience to provide the requisite engineering support to the Watchkeeper platform. The time taken to recruit and train technicians to the requisite standard would cause an unacceptable capability gap in the provision of the services resulting in an unacceptable risk to readiness levels of the platform and, therefore, operations.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/064092-2025 |
| Notice type | UK10 - Contract Change Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 10 Oct 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 30 Apr 2025 |
| Contract period | 28 Aug 2025 - 31 Mar 2026 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £911,536 |
| Contracts value | £911,536 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | MINISTRY OF DEFENCE |
| Locality | ANDOVER |
| Post town | Salisbury |
| Postcode | SP11 8HT |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| ITL 3 | TLJ36 Central Hampshire |
| Local authority | Test Valley |
| Electoral ward | Andover Millway |
| Westminster constituency | North West Hampshire |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

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

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

### Codes

- 71336000 - Engineering support services

## Release History

- 10 Oct 2025 at 10:24 - ContractAmendment - UK10 - Contract Change Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/064092-2025
- 29 Aug 2025 at 12:35 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/052459-2025
- 15 Aug 2025 at 14:16 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049215-2025
- 30 Apr 2025 at 11:03 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/017930-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/064092-2025
  10th October 2025 - Contract change notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/052459-2025
  29th August 2025 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/049215-2025
  15th August 2025 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/017930-2025
  30th April 2025 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.mpi.ltd.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-050a0b. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-050a0b.json.