---
title: "715860487- Training for RFA Tide Class 690V Switchboards incl Frequency Converters - UK5"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06aba3"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06aba3"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06aba3.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06aba3.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "MINISTRY OF DEFENCE"
published: "2026-06-02"
---

# 715860487- Training for RFA Tide Class 690V Switchboards incl Frequency Converters - UK5

Buyer: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06aba3

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## Summary

The Ministry of Defence has successfully completed a procurement process to provide training for RFA Tide Class 690V Switchboards, including frequency converters. This falls under the industry category of technical training services, specifically for public authority central government. The key activities associated with this contract will take place in Portsmouth, United Kingdom, at the Ministry's NCHQ, Leech Building, Whale Island location. The procurement, which was at the award stage as of 2nd June 2026, involved a direct award method due to technical reasons, with GE Power Conversion UK Limited being selected as the supplier. The contract, valued at £590,689, is set to commence on 27th July 2026, with completion expected by 27th June 2031.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses involved in the provision of specialised training services, particularly those with a focus on technical and electrical systems within the defence sector. Firms with the capability to engage in OEM-specific training and that possess the requisite technical expertise would be well-suited to compete for similar contracts in the future. The tender underscores the importance of possessing proprietary knowledge and compliance with OEM standards, making it an attractive growth opportunity for businesses capable of offering certified training and support for complex electrical systems utilised in Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels.

## Notice

The Tide-class electrical power and propulsion system is a highly complex system of systems that includes power generation, distribution and conversion machinery. RFA Systems Engineers must be suitably qualified and experienced to conduct onboard maintenance and fault diagnosis on these key systems. This is a crucial principle that underpins RFA platform availability and operational capability. The training courses should provide 12 training places per year for Royal Fleet Auxiliary Personnel.

### Procurement Information

The Royal Navy, part of the UK Ministry of Defence, intends to award a 5 year contract with a value of PS590,689.00 to GE Power Conversion (GEPC) for the Provision of Tide Class Switchboards and Converter Training for RFA Personnel As a covered procurement, this procurement falls to be regulated under the provisions of the Procurement Act 2023. It is considered that the direct award of the contract is lawful in accordance with regulation 41 and paragraph 6 of Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023. (a) Absence of competition for technical reasons GE Power Conversion (GEPC) is the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of the Tide Class switchboard and converter systems installed across RFA vessels. The training requirement relates to the safe operation and maintenance of these systems, which incorporate proprietary design data, software, and control logic owned by GEPC. GEPC retains exclusive control over the provision of OEM-certified training and does not authorise third-party providers to deliver this training. No alternative suppliers have been identified that are able to access the necessary proprietary information or provide training certified as compliant with OEM requirements. (b) No reasonable alternatives The use of a non-OEM training provider would introduce significant technical and operational risks, including: * Loss of configuration control and system assurance * Potential invalidation of safety and compliance certification * Increased risk of incorrect operation of safety-critical electrical systems Alternative approaches, including internal delivery or use of generic training providers, are not viable due to the lack of access to OEM-controlled technical data and system-specific configurations. Accordingly, only the OEM can deliver the requirement without disproportionate technical and safety risk, and no reasonable alternatives exist.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/051971-2026 |
| 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 | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 2 Jun 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 2 Jun 2026 |
| Contract period | 26 Jul 2026 - 27 Jun 2031 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £590,689 |
| 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 | PORTSMOUTH |
| Post town | Portsmouth |
| Postcode | PO2 8BY |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight |
| ITL 3 | TLJ31 Portsmouth |
| Local authority | Portsmouth |
| Electoral ward | Nelson |
| Westminster constituency | Portsmouth North |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | GE ENERGY POWER CONVERSION |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 80 - Education and training services

### Codes

- 80531200 - Technical training services

## Release History

- 2 Jun 2026 at 14:04 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/051971-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/051971-2026
  2nd June 2026 - 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-06aba3. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06aba3.json.