---
title: "715727467 - Protector RWS PDS Contract - October 2026 / UK5"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05fa4e"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05fa4e"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05fa4e.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05fa4e.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEFENCE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPORT"
published: "2026-01-21"
---

# 715727467 - Protector RWS PDS Contract - October 2026 / UK5

Buyer: DEFENCE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPORT  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05fa4e

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05fa4e)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05fa4e.json)

## Summary

The procurement process for the Post Design Services Technical Support for the M151 Protector Remote Weapon Station (RWS) has been completed by Defence Equipment and Support, a central government public authority based in Bristol, United Kingdom. This procurement falls under the industry category of Technical Support Services and is associated with the CPV code 71356300. The contract involves the provision of support for an armoured vehicle-mounted weapon system designed by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, Norway. The contract duration is set from 1st October 2026 to 30th September 2030, regulated under the Procurement Act 2023. This direct award contract was necessitated by intellectual property considerations and the exclusivity of technical resources, leading to Thales UK Limited being awarded due to their unique capability to fulfil the contract requirements.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses specialising in defence technology and technical support services, particularly those with experience in remote weapon systems and vehicle integration. While Thales UK Limited was the selected provider due to their exclusive rights and capabilities, businesses possessing or developing similar capabilities could position themselves to compete in future tenders within this domain. Moreover, entities with unique technical expertise or innovative solutions in defence equipment could forge strategic partnerships to enhance their competitiveness in similar government procurement exercises, particularly within the Defence and Security regime.

## Notice

This opportunity is for the Post Design Services Technical Support for the M151 Protector Remote Weapon Station (RWS) which is an autonomous vehicle mounted weapon for remote operation of either the 7.62mm General Purposes Machine Gun (GPMG), or 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun (HMG), or 40mm Grenade Machine Gun (GMG) platform which can be mounted on a variety of armoured vehicles. It is designed and manufactured by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, Norway (OEM). The contract is expected to last continue for 4 years until 30th of October 2030. The CPV code for this procurement is 71356300 - Technical support services

### Procurement Information

This Procurement falls to be regulated under the provisions of the Procurement Act 2023 (PA 2023). It is considered this Contract be placed under Chapter 3, Section 41 - Direct Award Specials Cases (1)(a) of the Procurement Act 2023 (PA 2023). This is for Technical Reasons in accordance with: 1. Schedule 5 paragraph 5. The following conditions are met in relation to the public contract: (a)due to a particular supplier having intellectual property rights or other exclusive rights, only that supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, and (b)there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works 2. Schedule 5 paragraph 6. The following conditions are met in relation to the public contract: (a)due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, only a particular supplier can supply the goods, services or works required, an (b)there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works. Through access to the only up to date drawing pack and technical information, licences from the Design Authority under ITAR and EAR regulations, along with the specialist knowledge and expertise necessary to mitigate potential risks to integration, operation and support, it is considered that TUKL/KDA are the only economic operator able to provide the services needed to meet the contractual requirement, while having the capability to manage and mitigate the various technical risks that are likely to be encountered during the performance of the Contract. For all these reasons, the Procurement Strategy is to place a single source Contract with TUKL.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/005189-2026 |
| 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 | Planning, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 21 Jan 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 28 Feb 2026 |
| Award date | 21 Jan 2026 |
| Contract period | 30 Sep 2026 - 30 Sep 2030 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £1,500,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £1,600,000 |
| 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 | Not specified |

## Supplier

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

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

### Codes

- 71356300 - Technical support services

## Release History

- 21 Jan 2026 at 11:18 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/005189-2026
- 19 Dec 2025 at 12:30 - Planning - UK1 - Pipeline Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/084876-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/005189-2026
  21st January 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/084876-2025
  19th December 2025 - Pipeline notice on Find a Tender

## 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-05fa4e. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05fa4e.json.