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Tenders

715112450 - Ballistic Testing Services - Personal Armour

Open
Deadline
124 days left
July 28, 2026
Contract Details
Category
Restricted Procedure
Reference
008118-2026
Value
£10,000,000
Location
United Kingdom
Published
March 19, 2026
CPV Code
Project Timeline

Tender Published

January 29, 2026

Deadline for Questions

July 21, 2026

Submission Deadline

July 28, 2026

Contract Start Date

July 28, 2026

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Budget
£10,000,000
Duration
58 months
Location
United Kingdom
Type
Restricted Procedure
57
Quality Score/100
Fair

Original Tender Description

This Tender Notice outlines the Authority's intent to competitively assess, select and award a contract to deliver Ballistic Testing Services for Personal Armour to support new to service projects and ensure through life support of Personal Armour provided to its Armed Forces Personnel. The contract will have a headroom of £10m (Inc VAT) and will be for 5 years with 3 x 1 optional years. The Ballistic Testing Service will serve as a dedicated platform to facilitate comprehensive testing and evaluation of Personal Armour systems. This service will encompass a wide range of protective equipment, including but not limited to Hard Armour Plates, Soft Armour Fillers, and Helmets. The testing process will ensure that these protective solutions meet established safety, durability, and performance standards under various conditions. By providing a structured and reliable pathway for ballistic testing, the service aims to support the development, validation, and certification of personal protective equipment, ensuring it meets operational requirements and offers optimal protection to users in diverse environments. For the provision of Ballistic Testing Services, it is a mandatory requirement that the contractor operates a facility located within the United Kingdom. This ensures accessibility, compliance with relevant UK regulations, and alignment with national security and operational standards. The ballistic testing will be conducted on an as-needed basis throughout the duration of the contract, with testing schedules determined by specific requirements or requests. The contractor must maintain readiness and flexibility to accommodate testing demands at any point during the contract period, ensuring timely and efficient service delivery to meet the needs of the programme. The Ballistic Testing Service competition mandates that participating laboratories must hold accreditation from the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to the ISO 17025 standard. This international standard specifies the general requirements for the competence, impartiality, and consistent operation of testing and calibration laboratories, ensuring the highest levels of quality and reliability in testing processes. Additionally, laboratories must demonstrate compliance with NATO AEP-2920, the Allied Engineering Publication that outlines the procedures and standards for evaluating the ballistic performance of personal armour systems. This dual requirement ensures that laboratories possess both the technical expertise and the operational capability to conduct ballistic testing to internationally recognised and NATO-specific standards, guaranteeing the accuracy, consistency, and credibility of the results. The competitive procurement will be managed in accordance with the Procurement Regulations 2024.

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Requirements & Qualifications

12 requirements across 5 categories

Submission (1)
Mandatory (1)
Compliance (3)
Technical (6)
Financial (1)
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS1
--Submission Deadline: 2026-07-29T00:00:00+01:00.
MANDATORY EXCLUSION GROUNDS1
--No specific mandatory exclusion grounds are explicitly stated in this tender notice.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS3
--The contractor must operate a facility located within the United Kingdom.
--Laboratories must hold accreditation from the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to the ISO 17025 standard.
--Laboratories must demonstrate compliance with NATO AEP-2920.
TECHNICAL CAPABILITY REQUIREMENTS6
--Ability to provide comprehensive ballistic testing and evaluation of Personal Armour systems, including Hard Armour Plates, Soft Armour Fillers, and Helmets.
--Capability to ensure protective solutions meet established safety, durability, and performance standards under various conditions.
--Ability to support the development, validation, and certification of personal protective equipment.
FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS1
--Ability to deliver services within a contract headroom of £10m (Inc VAT).

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Documents

4 documents available with AI summaries

OCDS RecordDOC
008118-2026_ocds_record.json

This tender seeks UK-based, UKAS ISO 17025 accredited laboratories compliant with NATO AEP-2920 to provide ballistic testing services for personal armour over a 5-year contract with optional extensions, valued up to £10m.

OCDS Release PackageDOC
008118-2026_ocds_release.json

This tender seeks UK-based, UKAS ISO 17025 accredited and NATO AEP-2920 compliant laboratories to provide ballistic testing services for personal armour over a 5-year contract with a £10m headroom.

Official PDF VersionPDF
008118-2026_official.pdf

This tender seeks UK-based laboratories accredited to ISO 17025 by UKAS and compliant with NATO AEP-2920 to provide ballistic testing services for personal armour to the UK Armed Forces, with a contract value up to £10m over 5+3 years.

Tender NoticeHTM
008118-2026.html

This Tender Notice announces a £10m contract opportunity for UK-based laboratories to provide ballistic testing services for personal armour, requiring UKAS ISO 17025 accreditation and NATO AEP-2920 compliance.

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57
Fair

Tender Quality Score

This tender provides a clear description of the required ballistic testing services but suffers from critical omissions regarding evaluation criteria and practical implementation, alongside several data inconsistencies.

Score Breakdown

Legal Compliance75/100

The tender defines the procedure type and CPV codes correctly, and no disputes are reported. However, the absence of explicitly stated mandatory exclusion grounds is a minor concern. The UK facility requirement, while restrictive, is likely justifiable for defence procurement under national regulations.

No specific mandatory exclusion grounds explicitly stated.
Clarity60/100

The service description and technical requirements are very clear and well-documented. However, the complete absence of specified evaluation criteria is a significant deficiency that severely impacts the clarity of the selection process for potential bidders.

No evaluation criteria specified.
Completeness65/100

Basic information like title, reference, organization, value, and deadlines are present. However, the 'Liable Person' is missing, and there are inconsistencies in contract duration. Crucially, while requirements are listed, the essential evaluation criteria are absent, and the 'Required: No' status for all listed documents is confusing, potentially indicating missing submission templates.

Missing 'Liable Person' information.
Evaluation criteria are not defined.
Fairness50/100

The lack of specified evaluation criteria is a major concern for fairness and transparency, as bidders cannot objectively understand how their proposals will be judged. The absence of e-submission also creates an unequal playing field. The mandatory UK facility requirement, while potentially justifiable for national security, significantly limits competition.

No evaluation criteria specified, impacting transparency.
No e-submission support, hindering equal access.
Practicality40/100

The tender lacks support for electronic submission, which is a significant practical drawback in modern procurement. The contract start date being identical to the submission deadline is highly impractical and likely an error, indicating a flawed timeline.

No electronic submission supported.
Contract start date is the same as the submission deadline, which is impractical.
Data Consistency55/100

Several inconsistencies are present: the estimated value is listed as EUR in basic info but £10m in the description, the contract duration (58 months) conflicts with the described 5 years + 3x1 optional years, and the contract start date is illogically set to the submission deadline. The 'Liable Person' field is also empty.

Inconsistent currency for estimated value (EUR vs GBP).
Inconsistent contract duration (58 months vs 5 years + 3x1 optional years).
Sustainability20/100

The tender does not include any explicit green procurement, social aspects, or innovation focus criteria. This is common for defence procurement but results in a low score for this category.

No green procurement criteria.
No social aspects considered.

Strengths

Clear and detailed description of required services and technical capabilities.
Mandatory accreditations (UKAS ISO 17025, NATO AEP-2920) ensure high quality and specific expertise.
Estimated value and contract duration are specified (despite inconsistencies).
Relevant CPV and NUTS codes are provided.
Competitive procedure type is defined.

Concerns

Critical absence of evaluation criteria, impacting clarity and fairness.
Lack of electronic submission support, hindering practicality and equal access.
Significant data inconsistencies regarding contract duration, start date, and currency.
Mandatory UK facility requirement limits competition, though potentially justifiable for defence.
No explicit mention of mandatory exclusion grounds.

Recommendations

1. Clearly define and publish detailed evaluation criteria to ensure transparency and fairness for all bidders.
2. Implement an e-submission platform to enhance accessibility, efficiency, and equal participation.
3. Rectify all data inconsistencies, particularly regarding contract duration, start date, and currency, to avoid confusion.

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