United Kingdom176 days leftOpen

715112450 - Ballistic Testing Services - Personal Armour

Tender Overview

LOCATION

United Kingdom, United Kingdom

VALUE

£10,000,000

DEADLINE

July 28, 2026 at 23:00

CATEGORY

Other

CPV CODE

35815100

REFERENCE

008118-2026

Project Timeline

Contact Information

View Original

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.
⚠️

MANDATORY EXCLUSION GROUNDS

  • No specific mandatory exclusion grounds are explicitly stated in this tender notice.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

  • 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 REQUIREMENTS

  • 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.
  • Capability to ensure equipment meets operational requirements and offers optimal protection to users in diverse environments.
  • Maintain readiness and flexibility to accommodate testing demands on an as-needed basis throughout the contract period.
  • Possess the technical expertise and operational capability to conduct ballistic testing to internationally recognised and NATO-specific standards.
💰

FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS

  • Ability to deliver services within a contract headroom of £10m (Inc VAT).
📋

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

  • Submission Deadline: 2026-07-29T00:00:00+01:00.

Requirements Preview

Sign up to view complete requirements and analysis

AI-powered requirement analysis
Complete compliance breakdown
Strategic bidding insights
Instant eligibility check

No credit card required • Setup in 2 minutes

DOC
OCDS Record
OCDS Data008118-2026_ocds_record.json
Summary:
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.
DOC
OCDS Release Package
OCDS Data008118-2026_ocds_release.json
Summary:
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.
PDF
Official PDF Version
Qualification Requirements008118-2026_official.pdf
Summary:
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.
HTM
Tender Notice
Qualification Requirements008118-2026.html
Summary:
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.

Documents Preview

Sign up to view document summaries and analysis

AI document summaries
Key requirement extraction
Risk & compliance alerts
Strategic document insights

No credit card required • Setup in 2 minutes

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.

AI Scoring Preview

Sign up to view complete requirements and analysis

Complete quality score analysis
Detailed sub-score breakdown
Strengths & concerns insights
Strategic recommendations

No credit card required • Setup in 2 minutes

Generate DocumentsReview Documents
C
Tender Quality Score
57/ 100 · Fair

Tender Assistant

Ask me anything about this tender

Tender Assistant

Hello! I'm your AI assistant for this tender. I can help you understand requirements, deadlines, eligibility criteria, and provide strategic insights.

What are the main requirements?
When is the deadline?
Who is eligible to bid?

No credit card required

Setup in 2 minutes

Save with Notes