---
title: "714923453 BBMF Lancaster Aircraft PDS Contract Award Notice"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0614fc"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0614fc"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0614fc.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0614fc.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEFENCE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPORT"
published: "2026-03-18"
---

# 714923453 BBMF Lancaster Aircraft PDS Contract Award Notice

Buyer: DEFENCE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPORT  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0614fc

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## Summary

The public procurement process involves Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), a central government authority based in Bristol, as the buyer, awarding a contract to BAE Systems (Operations) Ltd. The UK's Ministry of Defence requires the provision of Post Design Services (PDS) for the Lancaster Aircraft, specifically for the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF). The procurement method is a direct award due to technical reasons, primarily because BAE Systems is the original Equipment Manufacturer and Design Approved Organisation for the Lancaster Aircraft. The contract's award date is set for 18 March 2026, with a standstill period ending on 27 March 2026. The services fall under the 'Aircraft maintenance services' category and are scheduled to begin on 1 April 2026, with a potential end date of 31 March 2029. Located in the United Kingdom, this contract serves the aviation industry and is crucial for maintaining the nation's single flying Lancaster aircraft in Europe.

This contract signifies substantial business growth opportunities for large enterprises, especially those equipped with technical expertise in aircraft maintenance and design services. Firms possessing the requisite know-how, like BAE Systems, which has exclusive technical information and experience with the Lancaster Aircraft, stand to benefit. Opportunities for business expansion lie in executing PDS activities and potentially extending services, given the contract includes renewal options for additional years. Enterprises anticipating collaboration with government defence contracts will find this direct procurement method advantageous, facilitating long-term engagements and contributing to the preservation of significant historical assets like the Lancaster Aircraft, a key component of RAF heritage.

## Notice

Provision of Post Design Services (PDS) for the Lancaster Aircraft, along with associated supporting activities.

### Procurement Information

There is a requirement to contract for the Post Design Services (PDS) of the BBMF Lancaster aircraft. The BBMF Delivery team, part of DE&S in the UK Ministry of Defence ("the Authority"), intends to award a 5-year contract to BAE Systems (Operations) Ltd for the PDS of the BBMF Lancaster aircraft, with further options for extension. The estimated contract value is 3.5M It is considered that this contract can be awarded under Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023 because the direct award justification specified in paragraph 6 of Schedule 5 (Technical reasons) applies, which reads:- (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, and (b)there are no reasonable alternatives to those goods, services or works. The Authority submits that this justification applies because, due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, and there being no alternatives, only BAE Systems are able to provide the services required. The BBMF Lancaster is the sole flying Lancaster aircraft in Europe, and as such BAE Systems has the required technical expertise necessary to fulfil the Authority's requirement and owns the relevant technical information relating to the Lancaster, without which the PDS activities cannot be conducted. BAE Systems operates as the original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and as the MAA Design Approved Organisation (DAOS) for the Lancaster, which is a critical requirement from the MAA for any Company completing design activities on the Lancaster. There would also be a serious risk to airworthiness of a single legacy platform with significant importance to the history of the RAF and Britain.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/024433-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award 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 | 18 Mar 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 3 Feb 2026 |
| Contract period | 31 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2029 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £3,500,000 |
| 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 | BAE SYSTEMS (OPERATIONS |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 50 - Repair and maintenance services

### Codes

- 50211100 - Aircraft maintenance services

## Release History

- 18 Mar 2026 at 10:24 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/024433-2026
- 3 Feb 2026 at 09:32 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/009282-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/024433-2026
  18th March 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/009282-2026
  3rd February 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.baesystems.com
- 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-0614fc. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0614fc.json.