---
title: "UK5 - Transparency Notice"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-064a19"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-064a19"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-064a19.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-064a19.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEFENCE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPORT"
published: "2026-02-06"
---

# UK5 - Transparency Notice

Buyer: DEFENCE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPORT  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-064a19

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## Summary

This public procurement process, conducted by Defence Equipment and Support, focuses on the direct awarding of a maintenance and support contract for hydrographic surveying systems used on Royal Navy vessels. The contract, valued at approximately £989,000, involves the supply of services related to the upkeep of Applanix POS-MV systems, crucial for precise navigation and data gathering. Located in Bristol, United Kingdom, the procurement pertains to the defence industry and falls under the 'services' category. As of 6th February 2026, the procurement stage is marked as 'complete,' with the contract set to commence on 1st April 2026, extending for a duration of five years. This procurement follows a direct award process due to the technical specificity and lack of competition, as justified under the Procurement Act 2023.

For businesses, particularly SMEs in the defence and marine technology sectors, this tender highlights potential growth opportunities. While the contract has been directly awarded to Applanix Corporation, companies can explore possibilities in supporting roles or through future contracts requiring similar technical expertise. Engaging with Defence Equipment and Support or similar entities may present strategic opportunities to establish presence in maintaining critical national infrastructure components. The specialised nature of the services required ensures that businesses with capabilities in hydrographic equipment maintenance and support, firmware and hardware warranties, and data accuracy will be best positioned to leverage such opportunities.

## Notice

All Royal Navy hydrographic vessels are fitted with Applanix Corporation POS-MV systems which provide accurate articulation of vessel position and motion, both of fundamental importance to the conduct of high-order hydrographic survey and Military Data Gathering in support of the Defence Hydrographic Programme and a wide range of other Defence Tasks (e.g. support to Deterrent and submarine navigation, and monitoring of underwater Critical National Infrastructure). An effective maintenance and support contract is crucial to maintaining this capability in good working order. It will provide firmware and hardware warranties; the ability to service and repair equipment; training; the mechanism to achieve effective obsolescence management; continued provision of high-accuracy real-time positioning; and an assured ability to post-process collected GNSS data.

### Procurement Information

There is a requirement to contract for the support and maintenance of Applanix POD MV systems as fitted to Royal Navy Hydrographic Vessels. The Ships Support (Hydrographic and Patrol) team, part of the UK Ministry of Defence ("the Authority")), intends to award a contract to Applanix Corporation for the support and maintenance of Applanix POS MV systems as fitted to Royal Navy Hydrographic Vessels. This contract will enable warranty and in-service support, provision of precise position and motion data, repair, training and end-of-life replacement of systems manufactured by Applanix Corporation. The contract will be for 5 years and have an estimated value of PS989,000.00 This procurement is governed by the Procurement Act 2023 ("PA 23"). In accordance with the provisions of PA 2023, it is considered that this contract can be awarded under Section 41 PA 23 because the direct award justification specified in Paragraph 6 of Schedule 5 applies, which reads:-. 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. . This justification applies because Applanix Corporation develop, design and manufacture the POS MV systems currently fitted to Royal Navy hydrographic vessels, including all associated firmware and software. As the OEM, Applanix Corporation is the only company able to maintain the hardware and guarantee the performance of firmware and software in a complex, evolving GNSS environment. Furthermore, only Applanix Corporation can deliver direct remote support and provide field engineer attendance for both proactive maintenance and reactive repair, thereby ensuring operational reliability throughout the contracted period.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/010953-2026 |
| Notice type | UK5 - Transparency Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 6 Feb 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 6 Feb 2026 |
| Contract period | 31 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2031 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £791,200 |
| 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 | APPLANIX |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 38 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services

### Codes

- 38290000 - Surveying, hydrographic, oceanographic and hydrological instruments and appliances
- 71353100 - Hydrographic surveying services

## Release History

- 6 Feb 2026 at 13:33 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/010953-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/010953-2026
  6th February 2026 - Transparency 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-064a19. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-064a19.json.