Official UK procurement notice
715890481 Theon Sensors S.A. Enabling Contract EC - UK 5
Authority: Defence Equipment and Support (Central government)
Sectors: Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) (38) Delivery: UK
Awarded value£9,000,000published award · exc. VAT
Award in standstill Not publishedno call for competition
Award (standstill) to THEON SENSORS S.A.
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionDescription of Procurement
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) (the “Authority”) intends to award a contract to Theon Sensors S.A. for the continued through-life support, maintenance and repair of the Sniper In-Line Low Light System (SILLS) Long Wave Infrared (LWIR) Thermal Sight capability, now referred to as the Designated Marksman Thermal Imager (DMTI), together with the provision of additional equipment and associated ancillaries as required during the contract period.
The original contract for this capability was awarded following a competitive procurement conducted under the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations (DSPCR). Theon Sensors S.A. designed and delivered the bespoke solution and is the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and Design Authority (DA) for the capability. The proposed direct award is limited to sustaining the existing assured in-service capability, including the procurement of additional units of the same assured capability, until its planned Out of Service Date (OSD).
Estimated Contract Value
£9,000,000 Ex VAT (estimated)
Contract Duration
The contract duration aligns with the current planned Out of Service Date (OSD) of the SILLS capability and is limited to sustaining the existing assured in-service capability, including the provision of additional units and associated ancillaries as required, during its remaining service life.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Awarded
38633000 Telescopic sights
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Direct award
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Notice status
- Awarded without competition
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- 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
- No (one-off requirement)
- First published
- 2 Oct 2026, 14:58 BST
- Last source update
- 2 Oct 2026, 14:58 BST
- Authority reference
715890481 Theon Sensors S.A. Enabling Contract EC - UK 5- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-093429- Latest notice
- Transparency notice (UK5)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-077feaFind a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Single Suppliers Technical Reasons; Additional Repeat Further Following Competitive Procedure
- Published justification
- Justification for Direct Award The Authority intends to award the contract without prior competition in accordance with Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023, relying on: Schedule 5, Paragraph 6 of the Procurement Act 2023 (Single supplier: technical reasons) for support, maintenance and repair services; and Schedule 5, Paragraph 7 of the Procurement Act 2023 (Additional or repeat goods, services or works) for the procurement of additional SILLS LWIR Thermal Sight units and associated ancillaries. Single Supplier for Technical Reasons (Schedule 5, Paragraph 6) Theon Sensors S.A., as OEM and Design Authority, is the only supplier with access to the technical data, software, design information, specialist tooling engineering expertise and configuration knowledge necessary to support, maintain and repair the SILLS LWIR capability currently in service with the British Army. The continued provision of support and maintenance services requires access to proprietary technical information specialist knowledge and design understanding that is not available to alternative/third-party suppliers. The Authority requires continued support of the existing assured capability throughout its remaining service life. Any attempt to use an alternative supplier would require significant assurance, certification and safety case activities, resulting in additional cost, delays, reduced equipment availability and increased operational risk. Accordingly, due to an absence of competition for technical reasons, only Theon Sensors S.A. can supply the services, and there is no reasonable alternative to those services that would meet the Authority’s requirement for the support and maintenance of the existing assured capability during its remaining service life. Additional Goods (Schedule 5, Paragraph 7) The contract includes provision for the procurement of additional SILLS LWIR Thermal Sight units and associated ancillaries to support fleet management, growth towards the Total Fleet Requirement and operational requirements throughout the remaining life of the capability. For technical reasons set out above, only Theon Sensors S.A. has access to the information necessary to supply additional units that are the same in-service, assured solution to the existing assured capability and fully compatible with the established support, maintenance and assurance arrangements. Whilst alternative solutions may exist within the wider market, those solutions would constitute platforms that are different from the bespoke assured capability currently in service. Procuring a different solution would require the Authority to concurrently operate separate training, assurance, maintenance and support arrangements for both the existing assured capability and the alternative solution. Procuring an alternative solution would therefore result in disproportionate technical difficulties in operation and maintenance, including increased complexity and logistical burden. The advertised contract value is the maximum estimated value of all potential orders that may be placed under the contract during its term. It does not represent a guaranteed level of expenditure. The Authority reserves the right not to place any orders under the contract and is not obliged to spend the full advertised value, or any value, during the lifetime of the contract. Future Procurement Strategy This direct award does not seek to establish a replacement capability or meet any future requirement beyond the current capability planned service life. Upon reaching the planned Out of Service Date, the Authority intends to reassess its future requirement and determine the appropriate procurement strategy, including competition where appropriate. 9. Additional Information • Original contract competitively awarded under DSPCR. • Theon Sensors S.A. is the OEM and Design Authority. • Support activities require access to technical data, specialist knowledge and configuration control held by Theon. • Additional systems are required to support growth towards the Total Fleet Requirement while maintaining fleet commonality. • Additional units must be the same, assured capability currently in service. • The direct award is limited to sustaining the existing assured capability until its planned OSD, including through-life support and the procurement of additional units and associated ancillaries as required The Cyber Risk Level associated with this project has been assessed as Level 1 Foundational. Risk Assessment Reference: RAR-PDNNK9N
Review and risk notes
- Risks
- • Original contract competitively awarded under DSPCR. • Theon Sensors S.A. is the OEM and Design Authority. • Support activities require access to technical data, specialist knowledge and configuration control held by Theon. • Additional systems are required to support growth towards the Total Fleet Requirement while maintaining fleet commonality. • Additional units must be the same, assured capability currently in service. • The direct award is limited to sustaining the existing assured capability until its planned OSD, including through-life support and the procurement of additional units and associated ancillaries as required The Cyber Risk Level associated with this project has been assessed as Level 1 Foundational. Risk Assessment Reference: RAR-PDNNK9N
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics — not a forecastAwards 1some still in standstill
Awarded value £9,000,0001 award exc. VAT
| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| THEON SENSORS S.A.715890481 Theon Sensors S.A. Enabling Contract30 Nov 2026 — 30 Nov 2032 | £9,000,000 | — | Standstill |
Notice history
2 events · 1 release on Find a Tender · since 2 Oct 2026- Contract signature expected30 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
- Transparency notice published2 Oct 2026, 14:58 BSTUK5
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Theon Sensors S.A.Awarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (2)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Conflict of interest declarationNot published
Notices published for this procedure
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender