Official UK procurement notice
715870474 OSDEP LM UK5 - Transparency Notice
Authority: Defence Equipment and Support
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionOut of Service Date Extension Programme DEMONSTRATION AND MANUFACTURE LM
CPV: Military transport helicopters
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewal
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Direct award
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Goods
- Notice status
- Awarded without competition
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Defence & security
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Direct award (no call for competition)
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 15 Jun 2026, 14:16 BST
- Last source update
- 15 Jun 2026, 14:58 BST
- Authority reference
715870474- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-056267- Latest notice
- Transparency notice (UK5)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06b513Find a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Single Suppliers Technical Reasons
- Published justification
Assessment Phase activity included a review of whether the OSDEP requirement could be delivered through competition or required a single source approach. This concluded that Lockheed Martin UK Ltd (LM) hold the exclusive technical know-how, engineering expertise and manufacturing capability necessary to deliver the required modifications. LM are the recognised Design Authority for the Merlin Mk2 platform and is responsible for certification and continued airworthiness.
Delivery of the requirement necessitates integration within existing platform architectures and safety-critical systems, continuity of Design Authority and certification activity, and access to platform-specific engineering capability, tooling and expertise.
Any attempt to introduce an alternative supplier would require replication or transfer of Design Authority capability and associated certification frameworks. This would result in disproportionate cost, delay, and unacceptable technical and safety risk.
The Authority therefore considers that the absence of competition arises from technical and certification constraints rather than reliance on exclusive rights, and that no reasonable alternatives or substitutes exist.
- Risks
RISKS WILL BE INDENTIFIED THROUGH THE TENDER PROCESS
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
15 Jun 2026 → 1 Jun 2027 · 3 dates- Planning notice published132 days ago15 Jun 2026, 14:16 BST
- Next notice expected129 days ago17 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
- Today25 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 219 days1 Jun 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
5 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 15 Jun 2026- Pipeline notice published15 Jun 2026, 14:16 BSTUK1
- Preliminary market engagement notice published15 Jun 2026, 14:28 BSTUK2
- Transparency notice published15 Jun 2026, 14:58 BSTUK5
- Status changed to complete15 Jun 2026, 14:58 BST
- Contract signature expected28 May 2027, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lockheed Martin UKOut of Service Date Extension Programme D&M LM1 Jun 2027 – 31 Mar 2035 · up to 31 Mar 2040Extensions: OPTION YEARS · Options: OPTION TO EXTEND FOR MERLIN OUT OF DATE EXTENSION | £512,560,000 | — | Standstill |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- LOCKHEED MARTINAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Pipeline notice Pipeline notice on Find a Tender