---
title: "715870502 Procurement of Personal Locator Beacons and Ancillaries CDN"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-078922"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078922"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078922.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078922.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Defence Equipment and Support"
published: "2026-10-16"
---

# 715870502 Procurement of Personal Locator Beacons and Ancillaries CDN

Buyer: Defence Equipment and Support  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078922

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## Summary

Defence Equipment and Support bought F-35 type-approved pilot personal locator beacons and associated peripherals for defence use. This is a supply requirement for specialist aviation safety equipment, rather than a general protective-clothing contract. The procurement covers the beacons and their ancillary equipment as a single lot. The buying organisation is Defence Equipment and Support, the Ministry of Defence body responsible for equipment procurement. The supplier named for the award is Techtest Limited. The purchase relates to F-35 pilots; the contract information does not identify a delivery site, so the requirement should be understood from its equipment and end-user scope rather than a named location.

The procurement is complete and the contract is active. Defence Equipment and Support used a direct award below the procurement threshold, without competition, under the defence and security regime. Techtest Limited was selected as the supplier. The contract was signed on 6 August 2026 and runs from 17 September 2026 to 31 July 2030. Its value is £248,164 excluding VAT and £297,796.80 including VAT. The process comprised one lot, covering the beacons and peripherals. The published procurement data does not provide separate award criteria or a scored evaluation basis, so no comparison of technical and commercial weighting can be drawn from it. The outcome shows a direct, non-competitive route for this requirement rather than an open tender.

For suppliers considering comparable future requirements from Defence Equipment and Support, credibility would depend on being able to supply personal locator beacons approved for F-35 use, together with compatible peripherals. This is a specialised defence aviation product requirement: relevant product approval, integration compatibility and evidence that equipment is suitable for pilot use are likely to be central to a supplier’s proposition. The selected supplier was a large company, and the multi-year contract indicates a requirement that needs dependable supply over an extended period. A prospective competitor should therefore be able to demonstrate product conformity and sustained delivery capacity, as well as a clear route to meet the buyer’s defence-specific requirements. The award was made directly without competition, so commercial capability alone may not create an opportunity to compete through an open process.

## Notice

Contract for the supply of F-35 type approved Pilot Personal Locator Beacons and peripherals.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/097759-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - without competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 16 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 17 Sep 2026 - 31 Jul 2030 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £248,164 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## 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 | Techtest Limited |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 18 - Clothing, footwear, luggage articles and accessories

### Codes

- 18143000 - Protective gear

## Release History

- 16 Oct 2026 at 10:14 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/097759-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/097759-2026
  16th October 2026 - Contract details 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-078922. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078922.json.