---
title: "Future Defence Support Services (FDSS)"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05229e"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05229e"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05229e.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05229e.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Tender"
buyer: "DE&S"
published: "2025-11-20"
---

# Future Defence Support Services (FDSS)

Buyer: DE&S  
Current stage: Tender  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05229e

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## Summary

The Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), a public authority under the UK Ministry of Defence, is conducting a procurement process for the Future Defence Support Services (FDSS). The contract seeks a supplier to manage sourcing, procurement, inventory, storage, and distribution of a comprehensive range of defence supplies. The industry category is services with emphasis on defence and security. The procurement is taking place from DE&S’s base in Bristol, UK. The FDSS contract will be managed as a competitive, flexible procedure and incorporates a multi-stage process including a Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) and negotiations. The deadline for expressions of interest is set for 18 December 2025, and the contract period is slated to commence on 5 June 2028, extending potentially until 2040, valuing between £8-£18 billion over its term. This procurement is at the tender stage, with DE&S actively finalizing its procurement model.

This tender presents substantial opportunities for businesses capable of providing sourcing and inventory management services internationally, including logistics, transportation, and ancillary services such as equipment maintenance and inspection. The contract encompasses diverse materiel categories, ranging from medical, clothing, and food supplies to components for defence platforms such as vehicles, aircraft, and maritime equipment. This large-scale procurement encourages SME involvement, particularly in sourcing, managed in an integrated fashion by the supplier. The contract's performance-based pricing model and potential involvement in innovative projects focused on resilience and efficiency highlight a fertile ground for growth for companies within the logistics, procurement, and defence sectors. Businesses equipped with digital solutions and capabilities in inventory management and transportation services across air, road, rail, and sea will find this opportunity highly advantageous for scaling operations and engaging with the Ministry of Defence's current strategies and requirements.

## Notice

The Authority requirement is for a Supplier to provide under a one Lot Model: * A Sourcing, Procurement and Inventory Management (SP&IM) capability for the range of materiel set out below (hereafter referred to as the FDSS Materiel Range) * A worldwide Storage & Stock Management capability for the FDSS Materiel Range and the full Authority Managed Materiel range, with both combined defined Defence Materiel, noting: o Will include the receipt, store, account, maintenance, issue and disposal of materiel. o Some items will require additional services e.g. inspection, repair, maintenance, service and calibration as part of the receipt and issue process * Load sortation, consolidation and cross-docking services * A worldwide Movement & Distribution capability for the movement of Defence Materiel incorporating all modes of transportation including Road, Rail, Air & Sea. * Worldwide removals service for re-location of Defence personnel Movement & Distribution supporting services including load sortation, consolidation and cross-docking services, provision and fleet management of movement media. The Materiel Range shall include items in the following 3 high-level ranges: 1. Support the Human Being (and Defence Animals) - items related to the life-support of Defence personnel. Example scope of items include: * Medical, Dental and Veterinary Equipment (MDVE) including Blood and Blood products, Pharmaceuticals, and medical consumables * Recreational and Athletic Equipment as well as Toiletries, Cleaning Equipment and Supplies * Clothing, Individual Equipment and Insignia (includes Personal Protective Equipment) * Subsistence (Food both fresh and packaged, Beverages) 2. Platform Componentry - items which are used to support higher level assemblies which form Defence equipment's in the Land, Air and Maritime environments. Example scope of items include: * Aviation Spares and Components * Maritime Spares and Components * Land Spares and Components * Batteries, Power and Electrical Components * Construction, Fluid and Water Handling Equipment * Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Lighting components * Bearings, Oils, Lubricants and Associated Products * Agriculture and Materials Handling Equipment components 3. Off Platform - items which support Defence Outputs, but which are not intrinsic to vehicle/equipment assemblies. Example of scope of items include: * Tools and Workshop Equipment * Construction and Materials * Alarms, Signals, Stationery and Training Aids * Furniture, Fittings and Lighting * Hardware, Abrasives, Brushes, Paints and Adhesives * Musical and Photographic Equipment * Industrial Gases and Chemicals * Packaging and Handling Equipment * Food Preparation Equipment and Agricultural Supplies * Weapons, Weapon Spares and Ancillaries * Services (such as Supply Fit of Ceremonial uniform and Carpet fitting). Potential Future scope during the duration of the contract may include: * Expansion of scope of sourcing, procurement and inventory management to increase the range of materiel under management in specified categories. * Expansion and optimisation of storage and stock management network in terms of scale, type and purpose of Storage and geographic location (including potential for international locations) and Contractors on Deployed Operations (CONDO) support. * Expansion of distribution and movement services in terms of scale, type and purpose * Expansion of role in repair maintenance, repair and calibration of Medical equipment in support of medical equipment * Increased scope of responsibility for disposal services. Further detail can be found in the Supporting documents SOR Summary and Data Spreadsheet. The Authority's objective is to enhance resilience, agility, and scalability to better support the latest Defence Planning Assumptions in the Defence Support and Supply Chain strategies. This will include the need for MOD to reduce a proportion of MOD-owned warehousing estate. Under the Contract , the Supplier will source and supply to the Authority products falling within the FDSS Scope as principal. The Authority is, however, finalising its procurement model in respect of some of the listed categories of goods and therefore reserves the right to require the Supplier to act as the Authority's agent to source and supply certain categories of goods rather than supplying those goods as principal, with the consequent reduction in the overall FDSS contract value. The final position on this will be confirmed in the documentation issued with the ITN. MOD anticipates the potential for SME involvement in the sourcing of the commodities, managed holistically by the winning Bidder. Value of goods, services or works is PS8-18 Bn across the life of the contract this includes the purchase cost of materiel together with the costs of associated service delivery across the 10 year contract term and the permitted 2 year extension. Registering on AWARD The link below will take you to the DSP AWARD(r) registration page. https://award.commercedecisions.com/dsp/web/project/8f0a153e-345d-4b18-a1d4-a544f778ba9b/register If your organisation is already registered in DSP AWARD but you do not know your login details or your account has become inactive, please contact the AWARD helpdesk (support@commercedecisions.com). The following documents will be available for all Suppliers that meet the conditions: 1. Statement of Work Summary 2. Data spreadsheet 3. Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) Guidance Document These draft documents are being shared at the PSQ Stage for information purposes only and in order to provide Suppliers with an early understanding of FDSS. Classification of Tender Documents is OFFICIAL - SENSITIVE The Cyber Risk Profile is High - RAR-250417A05 The pricing model will be based on performance and will include incentivisation The contract will be the Model Services Contract v.2.2 with narrative DEFCONs and bespoke project-specific drafting. Suppliers should note that supplier response restrictions apply as detailed within the FDSS PSQ Guidance Document, including paragraphs [2], [3] and [4].

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: The right to contract for additional services The Authority has the right to exercise an option to extend the contract duration by a further two years.

Renewal: The Authority has the right to exercise an option to extend the contract duration by two years in the form of 2 x 12 months The right to additional purchases of in scope goods and services while the contract is valid.

### Planning Information

The preliminary market engagement closed on 30 October 2024. The Authority currently has no plans to carry out any further PME in relation to FDSS, although the Authority reserves the right to conduct further Industry Engagement through the formal RFI process, if required. Any further engagement will be focused on specific topics/elements and will be open to all potential suppliers. The Authority will publish another PME notice if further PME is to be carried out.
The following PME has been completed:
• August 2023 -The Prior Information Notice (PIN) was published, inviting all potential suppliers to register their interest in the FDSS Programme. 
• August 2023 - EOI & 1st RFI Issued. 56 EOI and 39 RFI responses were received and from these we extracted cross-sectional views of the market to highlight concentration of interest across activity groups. We also calculated the range of supplier interest by company type and size.
• September 2023 - Initial market engagement session. 106 attendees joined the initial virtual market engagement session, where the FDSS Team provided further detail on the proposed scope and timelines.
• November 2023 – 2nd RFI was issued to allow suppliers to provide an updated view of their capabilities, areas of investment, and any technologies which FDSS could potentially exploit.
• January 2024 – Supplier 1-2-1 Day. The supplier 1-2-1 day was attended by 70 companies, where 120 industry attendees were involved. Key objectives were achieved including updating industry on the Programme scope and timelines, developing our understanding of how different companies may wish to be involved and facilitating supplier networking.
• May 2024 – Lotting and Delivery Model RFI was issued to understand how the market is naturally segmented across the FDSS Requirements to support its research into optimal lotting approaches. This was achieved by gathering data to identify common areas of overlap in market capability. This RFI is one element of this research.
• August 2024 – Solution Design (Technical) RFI issued. The purpose of this RFI was to seek input from industry about how the procurement process can be made more accessible and efficient, and to enable industry to highlight any innovative products or solutions which may be relevant to the FDSS Programme. The RFI responses yielded multiple insights. Recommendations and case studies spanning all six ‘themes’ of innovation (including resilience, IS/IT, supply chain illumination, sustainability, contractual flexibility and inventory management) demonstrate the existence of a potential supplier group possessing innovative capabilities with potential for adaptation to FDSS. 
• August 2024 – 1-2-1 sessions were held as part of FDSS ongoing industry engagement. During August 2024, 9 different companies Were engaged over the course of dedicated one-hour sessions. These companies were selected due to their expertise in relevant areas. 
• October 2024 –2nd Industry Day was held. Facilitation of networking to encourage collaboration amongst interested industry parties. A presentation was delivered that provided industry with confidence in the FDSS Programme, and the information required to continue developing their approach to becoming potential bidders. The day also provided Industry with the opportunity to ask questions around key areas of interest. 
• October 2024 – Digital (Technical) RFI 2 issued. The Authority were seeking input from industry as the FDSS solution design developed. This included insight into 1) how suppliers can meet the FDSS digital needs, and 2) how suppliers envision service transition from the incumbent to potential new delivery partners.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/075835-2025 |
| Notice type | UK4 - Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Competitive flexible procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Not specified |
| All stages | Planning, Tender |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 20 Nov 2025 |
| Submission deadline | 18 Dec 2025 |
| Future notice date | 14 Nov 2025 |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 4 Jun 2028 - 4 Jun 2038 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £8,000,000,000 |
| Lots value | £8,000,000,000 |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DE&S |
| Additional buyers | DEFENCE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPORT |
| 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 |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 03 - Agricultural, farming, fishing, forestry and related products
- 09 - Petroleum products, fuel, electricity and other sources of energy
- 14 - Mining, basic metals and related products
- 15 - Food, beverages, tobacco and related products
- 18 - Clothing, footwear, luggage articles and accessories
- 22 - Printed matter and related products
- 24 - Chemical products
- 30 - Office and computing machinery, equipment and supplies except furniture and software packages
- 31 - Electrical machinery, apparatus, equipment and consumables; lighting
- 33 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products
- 34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation
- 35 - Security, fire-fighting, police and defence equipment
- 37 - Musical instruments, sport goods, games, toys, handicraft, art materials and accessories
- 38 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
- 39 - Furniture (incl. office furniture), furnishings, domestic appliances (excl. lighting) and cleaning products
- 42 - Industrial machinery
- 44 - Construction structures and materials; auxiliary products to construction (except electric apparatus)
- 50 - Repair and maintenance services
- 60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)
- 63 - Supporting and auxiliary transport services; travel agencies services
- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

### Codes

- 03410000 - Wood
- 09210000 - Lubricating preparations
- 14700000 - Basic metals
- 15000000 - Food, beverages, tobacco and related products
- 18000000 - Clothing, footwear, luggage articles and accessories
- 22400000 - Stamps, cheque forms, banknotes, stock certificates, trade advertising material, catalogues and manuals
- 24000000 - Chemical products
- 30190000 - Various office equipment and supplies
- 31000000 - Electrical machinery, apparatus, equipment and consumables; lighting
- 33000000 - Medical equipments, pharmaceuticals and personal care products
- 34300000 - Parts and accessories for vehicles and their engines
- 34730000 - Parts for aircraft, spacecraft and helicopters
- 34900000 - Miscellaneous transport equipment and spare parts
- 35100000 - Emergency and security equipment
- 35800000 - Individual and support equipment
- 37000000 - Musical instruments, sport goods, games, toys, handicraft, art materials and accessories
- 38000000 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
- 39100000 - Furniture
- 39200000 - Furnishing
- 39500000 - Textile articles
- 39800000 - Cleaning and polishing products
- 42100000 - Machinery for the production and use of mechanical power
- 42500000 - Cooling and ventilation equipment
- 42600000 - Machine tools
- 42960000 - Command and control system, printing, graphics, office automation and information-processing equipment
- 44100000 - Construction materials and associated items
- 44400000 - Miscellaneous fabricated products and related items
- 44500000 - Tools, locks, keys, hinges, fasteners, chain and springs
- 44600000 - Tanks, reservoirs and containers; central-heating radiators and boilers
- 44800000 - Paints, varnishes and mastics
- 50000000 - Repair and maintenance services
- 60100000 - Road transport services
- 60200000 - Railway transport services
- 60400000 - Air transport services
- 60640000 - Shipping operations
- 63100000 - Cargo handling and storage services
- 63520000 - Transport agency services
- 79991000 - Stock-control services

## Release History

- 20 Nov 2025 at 16:50 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/075835-2025
- 12 Nov 2025 at 12:57 - PlanningUpdate - UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073170-2025
- 11 Nov 2025 at 15:49 - PlanningUpdate - UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/072917-2025
- 28 Oct 2025 at 18:36 - PlanningUpdate - UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/069172-2025
- 28 Oct 2025 at 16:27 - PlanningUpdate - UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/069112-2025
- 28 Oct 2025 at 16:06 - Planning - UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/069103-2025
- 24 Oct 2025 at 13:10 - PlanningUpdate - UK1 - Pipeline Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/068233-2025
- 26 Jun 2025 at 08:31 - PlanningUpdate - UK1 - Pipeline Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/035264-2025
- 24 Jun 2025 at 16:32 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/034858-2025
- 23 May 2025 at 12:41 - Planning - UK1 - Pipeline Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026355-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/075835-2025
  20th November 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/073170-2025
  12th November 2025 - Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/072917-2025
  11th November 2025 - Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/069172-2025
  28th October 2025 - Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/069112-2025
  28th October 2025 - Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/069103-2025
  28th October 2025 - Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/068233-2025
  24th October 2025 - Pipeline notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/035264-2025
  26th June 2025 - Pipeline notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/034858-2025
  24th June 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/026355-2025
  23rd May 2025 - Pipeline notice on Find a Tender
- https://award.commercedecisions.com/dsp/web/project/8f0a153e-345d-4b18-a1d4-a544f778ba9b/register
  Registering on AWARD: The link will take you to the DSP AWARD(r) registration page. If your organisation is already registered in DSP AWARD but you do not know your login details or your account has become inactive, please contact the AWARD helpdesk (support@commercedecisions.com). Once registered/logged in you will have visibility of the FDSS PSQ Security Gateway AWARD project where you will need to complete the registration process. Only one user per company will be able to complete registration. Once registered, additional users can be requested by raising a Clarification in the PSQ containing the new users names and e-mail addresses. Suppliers should note that access to the Data Room and the contract documents contained in it is subject to certain conditions as set out in the PSQ Guidance Document and provided in the PSQ Security Gateway.

## Notice URLs

- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/defence-equipment-and-support
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## 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-05229e. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05229e.json.