---
title: "UK Patrol Craft In-Service Support"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-078635"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078635"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078635.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078635.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Defence Equipment and Support"
published: "2026-10-13"
---

# UK Patrol Craft In-Service Support

Buyer: Defence Equipment and Support  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078635

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078635)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078635.json)

## Summary

Defence Equipment and Support is procuring continued in-service support for the existing UK Patrol Craft fleet. The requirement is for boat and ship reconditioning and related support services, maintaining patrol craft originally procured through a Foreign Military Sales programme with the US Department of Defense. The work concerns the UK fleet; no specific delivery site is identified. This is a defence requirement managed by the Ministry of Defence’s Boats Team. The scope centres on supporting the existing craft in service, rather than buying a new fleet. Suppliers with relevant patrol-boat maintenance and reconditioning expertise are the closest fit.

The procurement is complete and has been awarded to Berthon Boat Company Limited through a direct award, justified on the basis that the company is the only UK provider approved by the US Department of Defense to receive essential technical information under ITAR, with no reasonable alternative identified. The award date was 13 October 2026. The five-year contract period runs from 22 October 2027 to 21 October 2032. The estimated contract value is £41 million including VAT (£34,166,667 excluding VAT). The requirement is arranged as one lot and is part of a closed framework agreement. The published rationale cites technical supplier exclusivity as the basis for the award; no separate scored evaluation criteria are described.

For suppliers who did not win, this award indicates that Defence Equipment and Support buys long-term support for its UK Patrol Craft fleet at substantial scale, through a direct award where access to controlled technical data is decisive. A credible competitor for a future requirement would need demonstrable capability to maintain and recondition patrol craft, as well as the necessary approvals and secure access to the fleet’s technical information. In particular, the winning supplier’s US Department of Defense approval to receive information under ITAR was central to its selection. Relevant boat-support experience alone may therefore be insufficient without equivalent authority to handle the required data. The opportunity was considered suitable for small and medium-sized businesses, showing that specialist SMEs can be relevant where they meet these technical and approval requirements.

## Notice

Provision of In-Service Support for the UK Patrol Craft fleet

### Procurement Information

The Boats Team, part of the UK Ministry of Defence (the Authority), intends to award a contract to Berthon Boat Company Limited (Berthon) for services to provide continued in-service support to the existing fleet of UK Patrol Crafts (the Boats) procured under a Foreign Military Sales programme with the US Department of Defense (DoD). The contract will be for a term of five years and has an estimated total value of PS41 million (inclusive of VAT). 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 applies. Access to the Boats technical data is essential to carry out the required services. Berthon is an existing and approved subcontractor of DoD and is the only UK provider with approval from DoD to receive technical information under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Berthon is therefore the only supplier capable of fulfilling the contract requirements. There is no reasonable alternative.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/096380-2026 |
| Notice type | UK5 - Transparency Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| 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 | 13 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 22 Oct 2027 - 21 Oct 2032 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £34,166,667 |
| 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 |
| Postcode area | 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 | Berthon Boat Company Ltd |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 50 - Repair and maintenance services

### Codes

- 50244000 - Reconditioning services of ships or boats

## Release History

- 13 Oct 2026 at 09:56 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/096380-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/096380-2026
  13th October 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-078635. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078635.json.