---
title: "The Provision of Contractor Logistic Support (CLS) to Outfit 4KMA"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05cdb4"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05cdb4"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05cdb4.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05cdb4.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "MINISTRY OF DEFENCE"
published: "2025-10-16"
---

# The Provision of Contractor Logistic Support (CLS) to Outfit 4KMA

Buyer: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05cdb4

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## Summary

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has completed the procurement process for Contractor Logistic Support (CLS) to Outfit 4KMA, a critical communication system for the Royal Navy. This procurement falls under the defence security industry category and is set in Corsham, United Kingdom. The process was concluded through a direct award, specifically for technical reasons, to Thales UK Limited, initiated on 16th October 2025. The contract period is scheduled to start on 1st September 2026 and end on 31st August 2029, with potential renewals extending up to two additional years. The main procurement method was direct, highlighting the specialized technical requirements only Thales UK Limited could fulfill due to their previous experience and ownership of intellectual property related to the system.

This tender presents significant business growth opportunities, especially for large businesses experienced in providing repair and maintenance services for security and defence materials. Companies with a focus on developing high-frequency communication technology for the military and possessing substantial technical expertise would be well-suited to engage in similar future contracts. Despite this contract being directly awarded, it underscores the importance of cultivating specific technical knowledge and intellectual property for sustained competitive advantages in the defence sector. For businesses aspiring to enter this field, aligning competencies with such niche technology requirements could facilitate participation in future MOD tenders.

## Notice

Outfit 4KMA is a critical communication system that provides the Royal Navy (RN) with Ship/Shore and Ship/Ship data and voice communication services.

### Procurement Information

1. The Strategic Services Radio-in-Service (RiS) Team, part of the UK Ministry of Defence ("MOD"), intends to award a new contract with Thales UK for the through life support of the Outfit 4KMA High Frequency (HF) data communication system fitted on several Royal Navy (RN) platforms. 2. It is considered that this Contract can be placed as a Direct Award (for Technical Reasons) pursuant to s41 and paragraph 6 of Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023. 3. Through Life Support of the Outfit 4KMA HF data communication system is required to: - Maintain documentation including safety, technical publications, configuration and obsolescence management. - Provide fault diagnosis and the development of solutions to systems problems and issues. - Provide a repair capability to repair damaged or faulty components. 4. Outfit 4KMA is a critical communication system that provides the Royal Navy with High Frequency Ship/Shore and Ship/Ship data and voice communication services. It supports the exchange of ACP127-format formal messaging and enables maritime command and control in contested electromagnetic environments. 5. The required Through Life Support is for equipment originally designed and installed on RN platforms by Thales UK in 2005. Following installation, this equipment has also been maintained under multiple contracts with Thales UK over the last 23 years. During this time, Thales UK have built up significant technical knowledge about the 4KMA system/equipment. This knowledge is critical for the continued through-life support/maintaining the Royal Navy's HF capability and cannot be replicated by other suppliers in the market-place. Based on this (and due to the age of the equipment resulting in various obsolescence issues), Thales UK are deemed by the MOD to be the only supplier with the technical ability to meet the MOD requirement for the continued through-life support to the 4KMA equipment. 6. Thales also own the Intellectual Property for the items listed below which needs to be used for the delivery of the through-life support. a. The TRC1760 Modem b. Series 6000 exciter/Receiver and Front Panel c. 125W Power Amplifier TMR 1096 d. 125W Power Amplifier TMR 1097 e. 500W Transceiver System f. ARQ Server g. ACP127/JANAP128 Client h. ACP123 Client i. HF E-mail Client

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/065779-2025 |
| Notice type | UK5 - Transparency Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 16 Oct 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 16 Oct 2025 |
| Contract period | 31 Aug 2026 - 31 Aug 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £10,000,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Pending |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | MINISTRY OF DEFENCE |
| Locality | CORSHAM |
| Post town | Swindon |
| Postcode | SN13 9NR |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK7 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire |
| ITL 3 | TLK72 Wiltshire |
| Local authority | Wiltshire |
| Electoral ward | Corsham Ladbrook |
| Westminster constituency | Chippenham |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

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

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 50 - Repair and maintenance services

### Codes

- 50600000 - Repair and maintenance services of security and defence materials

## Release History

- 16 Oct 2025 at 08:22 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/065779-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/065779-2025
  16th October 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

## 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-05cdb4. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05cdb4.json.