---
title: "UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05f0c8"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05f0c8"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05f0c8.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05f0c8.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEFENCE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPORT"
published: "2026-03-05"
---

# UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement

Buyer: DEFENCE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPORT  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05f0c8

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## Summary

The procurement process, led by Defence Equipment and Support, focuses on the supply and repair of Unit Load Devices compatible with Airbus A330 aircrafts. Located in Bristol, United Kingdom, the contract was awarded to UNILODE AVIATION SOLUTIONS UK LIMITED. With a gross value of £250,000, the procurement follows an open procedure and caters primarily to the goods sector, supplemented by services. The award is pending as of 5th March 2026, with the standstill period ending 16th March 2026. The contract period is slated from 17th March 2026 to 15th March 2029, and includes options for extension. The significant opportunity involves the maintenance of the aforementioned devices over the contract life span.

This tender creates substantial business opportunities for companies specialising in aircraft equipment supply and maintenance. Organisations equipped with technical compliance capabilities, financial robustness, and a good grasp of IATA regulations, such as ISO 9001, will be well-suited to compete. The involvement in preliminary market engagement and industry days provides potential contractors with insights to enhance their proposals. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are encouraged to apply, and there is room for growth through extended contract options. This procurement underscores the market potential for businesses that can deliver quality services in the highly specialised field of aircraft equipment maintenance and supply.

## Notice

Supply of x60 New, ready to use Airbus A330-299 compatible LD6 /ALF Unit Load Devices (ULDs) by 15 Jun 26. Through life maintenabce to ULD devices owned by the authority.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Options: The Authority intends to include 1+1 Option Years

### Planning Information

For the Preliminary Market Engagement Notice (PME) the Authority would like to understand the following to deterine if it is able to run a Tender for this requirement. 
Please consider answering the following questions:
1. If the Authority was to award a Contract in early March, are you able to provide up to x60 new ready to use Airbus A330-200 compatible LD6 / ALF Unit Load devices (ULDs by 15 Jun 26) for the Authority's purhcase.
2. Are you able to repair and provide throughlife maintenance for the aboce purchased ULDs?
3. Are you able to provide repairs and maintainance for ULDs that you do not own or were not purchased from you?
4. Are you intrested in attending an Industry day on 13 January 2026 to view ULD devices that need repairs to suppor the Tender process. Details below:
The Authority intends to hold an industry day on 13 January 2026 at RAF Brize Norton, for the viewing of the current Unit Load Devices that require repairing. This industry day will inform part of your Tender proposal and provide you with the data to draft your proposal for the repair component of the Tender.
if you would like to attend please provide the following details.
Name of Attendees(Max 2 per company):
Company Name:
Nationaility:
If you have security Clearance:
Please note the Authority reserves the right to refuse attendance to any individual, company, or parties, change or cancel the industry day at any point. Any dates provided for industry day, Tender and Contract Award are indicative only and subject to change or withdrawal at any stage of the process.
The Authority will bore no costs for the booking of any travel, hotel arrangements or catering for this industry day, or the possibility of claiming back the costs if the date gets rearranged or cancelled. Please let us know in advance if there are any accessibility needs, and we will do our best to accommodate but may not be able to do so as the location is a working RAF Base.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020150-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Planning, Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 5 Mar 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 16 Feb 2026 |
| Future notice date | 19 Jan 2026 |
| Award date | 5 Mar 2026 |
| Contract period | 17 Mar 2026 - 15 Mar 2029 |
| Recurrence | 2026-02-27 |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £236,000 |
| Lots value | £236,000 |
| Awards value | £235,000 |
| 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 | 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 | TLJ14 Oxfordshire CC |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | UNILODE AVIATION SOLUTIONS |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation
- 50 - Repair and maintenance services

### Codes

- 34711110 - Fixed-wing aircrafts
- 34741000 - Aircraft equipment
- 50210000 - Repair, maintenance and associated services related to aircraft and other equipment

## Release History

- 5 Mar 2026 at 18:10 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020150-2026
- 21 Jan 2026 at 19:25 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/005545-2026
- 16 Dec 2025 at 15:02 - PlanningUpdate - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083457-2025
- 8 Dec 2025 at 13:26 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080612-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/020150-2026
  5th March 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/005545-2026
  21st January 2026 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083457-2025
  16th December 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080612-2025
  8th December 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.unilode.com
- https://contracts.mod.uk/go/28892986019BE202FBF2
- 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-05f0c8. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05f0c8.json.