Official UK procurement notice
Explosive Material Identification Procurement Project
Authority: National Armament Director Group (Central government)
What is being bought2 lots · detail below
Published requirement descriptionThe Protect Delivery Team, part of the Ministry of Defence, has awarded a Contract to Southern Scientific Ltd for the Procurement and In Service Support of Explosive Material Identification equipment.
The Contract has been awarded under the Competitive Flexible Procedure in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023, utilising the weighted value for money evaluation criteria. Southern Scientific Ltd has been awarded a Contract for both Lots, as they submitted compliant bids in accordance with the evaluation criteria set out in the Invitation to Tender.
The Contract has been placed with Southern Scientific Ltd for both Lot 1: The procurement and In-Service Support of Hand-Held FTIR Spectrum analysers and Lot 2: The procurement and in-service support of Hand-Held RAMAN spectrum analysers.
The Contract will be for a period of 9 years and 4 months, with the option to extend duration for a further 2 years (2x 1 year options). The total estimated Contract Value (including options) is £8,250,000.00 ex VAT and £9,900,000.00 inc VAT.
- How the procedure runs: The Explosive Material Identification Procurement Project is currently being procured through the Competitive Flexible Procedure in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023 ('The Act') via x2 Lots which will result in x2 Contracts, one for each Lot. Please note the Authority reserve the right to merge these requirements into one Contract if, as a result of the Competitive process, one Supplier entity is awarded both Lot 1 and Lot 2. Suppliers can apply to participate for Lot 1, Lot 2 or both Lots. The following steps to arrive at contract award decision are as follow; Project Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) –The top 6 compliant suppliers with the highest technical scores shall be invited to Invitation to Tender (ITT) for each Lot. PSQ reference – https://contracts.mod.uk/go/628679800198664B198E. Some questions will have different evaluation criteria for each Lot or only be applicable to one Lot. These questions will be identified in the evaluation criteria in the PSQ Guidance document. You must pass the evaluation criteria specific to the Lot(s) you have applied for to proceed to the next stage of the competition. Invitation to Tender, the evaluation shall have two stages; 1. Paper Based evaluation – the top 3 compliant suppliers with the highest technical scores will progress to confirmation trials. 2. Confirmation Trials – the proposed solution shall be tested against specific system requirements as set out in the ITT. Full information on how the procurement procedure, including evaluation criteria, strategy and stages of evaluation shall be provided within the ITT. The Authority reserves the right under the Procurement Act 2023 to: To cancel the procurement procedure at any stage. Not to award a contract as a result of the procurement process. Make any modifications during a competitive flexible procedure, provided that the deadline to participate or submit a first or only tender has not passed (section 31(1)(b)) Make non substantial modifications, during a competitive flexible procedure, up to the deadline of the final tendering stage (section 31(2)(a)) Refine or supplement the award criteria during a competitive flexible procedure (section 24(1))
CPV: Biochemical analysers · Bomb detectors · Spectrum analyser
Lots and requirements (2)Procurement structure
2 lots · all with a published value (£8,000,000 together) · same evaluation weights on every lotLot #1Procurement and In-Service Support of Hand-Held FTIR Spectrum AnalysersAwardedRenewalPublished value£3,800,000
The source published no individual description for this lot.
- Economic & financial standing
The legal and financial capacity conditions of participation and the associated evaluation criteria are set out in the PSQ and PSQ supporting documentation.
Suppliers, associated persons and tier one suppliers are required registered on the Central Digital Platform and share up-to-date information.
The Authority shall assess suppliers (or where relevant, a connected person), an associated person or a sub-contractor to determine whether mandatory or discretionary grounds for exclusion apply, in accordance with The Procurement Act 2023.
Please see section 1.12 on the PSQ for full information on financial requirements.
Stage 1 - Qualification (Pass / Fail)
Part 1 –Confirmation of core supplier information
Documentation
Preliminary SI Basic Information
Confirmation of CDP SI Basic Information
Part 2 – additional exclusion information
Associated Persons
List of all Intended Sub-Contractors
Subcontractors CDP Information
Part 3 – conditions of participation
Electronic Trading
Financial Assessment
- Technical & professional ability
The technical condition of participation and the associated evaluation criteria are set out in the PSQ and PSQ supporting documentation.
Stage 2 – Technical (Pass / Fail and Scored)
Part 3 – conditions of participation
Russian / Belarusian Entities
Insurance
Data Protection
Technical Ability and Project Experience – Lot 1
Experience of Sub-contractor Management
Health and Safety
Tackling Modern Slavery in Supply Chains
Questions where a ‘fail’ or a score of 0 will result in exclusion from the competition have been clearly identified within the evaluation criteria against each question in PSQ and PSQ supporting document.
- Condition of participationshortlisting
Following completion of the PSQ evaluation, the top six highest scoring compliant Suppliers, in accordance with the evaluation criteria, will be invited to tender.
Lot #2Procurement and In-Service Support of Hand-Held RAMAN Spectrum AnalysersAwardedRenewalPublished value£4,200,000
The source published no individual description for this lot.
- Economic & financial standing
The legal and financial capacity conditions of participation and the associated evaluation criteria are set out in the PSQ and PSQ supporting documentation.
Suppliers, associated persons and tier one suppliers are required registered on the Central Digital Platform and share up-to-date information.
The Authority shall assess suppliers (or where relevant, a connected person), an associated person or a sub-contractor to determine whether mandatory or discretionary grounds for exclusion apply, in accordance with The Procurement Act 2023.
Please see section 1.12 on the PSQ for full information on financial requirements.
Stage 1 - Qualification (Pass / Fail)
Part 1 –Confirmation of core supplier information
Documentation
Preliminary SI Basic Information
Confirmation of CDP SI Basic Information
Part 2 – additional exclusion information
Associated Persons
List of all Intended Sub-Contractors
Subcontractors CDP Information
Part 3 – conditions of participation
Electronic Trading
Financial Assessment
- Technical & professional ability
The technical condition of participation and the associated evaluation criteria are set out in the PSQ and PSQ supporting documentation.
Stage 2 – Technical (Pass / Fail and Scored)
Part 3 – conditions of participation
Russian / Belarusian Entities
Insurance
Data Protection
Technical Ability and Project Experience – Lot 2
Experience of Sub-contractor Management
Health and Safety
Tackling Modern Slavery in Supply Chains
Questions where a ‘fail’ or a score of 0 will result in exclusion from the competition have been clearly identified within the evaluation criteria against each question in PSQ and PSQ supporting document.
- Condition of participationshortlisting
Following completion of the PSQ evaluation, the top six highest scoring compliant Suppliers for each Lot, in accordance with the evaluation criteria, will be invited to tender.
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published sub-criteria (1)
- Conditions of Participation PSQ: 100%
Published award criteria (1)
- Conditions of Participation PSQ: Suppliers will be evaluated in two stages, Stage 1 - Qualification and Stage 2 - Technical, only suppliers that pass Stage 1 - Qualification shall be deemed compliant and progress to Stage 2 - Technical evaluation. Stage 1 - Qualification (Pass / Fail) Part 1 –Confirmation of core supplier information Documentation Preliminary SI Basic Information Confirmation of CDP SI Basic Information Part 2 – additional exclusion information Associated Persons List of all Intended Sub-Contractors Subcontractors CDP Information Part 3 – conditions of participation Electronic Trading Financial Assessment Stage 2 – Technical (Pass / Fail and Scored) Part 3 – conditions of participation Russian / Belarusian Entities Insurance Data Protection Technical Ability and Project Experience – Lot 1 Q1 – Equipment Delivery – Scored – 20% Q2 – Quality – Scored – 20% Q3 – Project Management – Scored - 20% Q4 – Integrated Logistic Support (ILS) – Scored – 20% Q5 – Safety – Scored – 20% Experience of Sub-contractor Management Health and Safety Tackling Modern Slavery in Supply Chains Questions where a ‘fail’ or a score of 0 will result in exclusion from the competition have been clearly identified within the evaluation criteria against each question in PSQ and PSQ supporting document.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Goods
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Defence & security
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 9 May 2025, 13:01 BST
- Last source update
- 16 Sept 2026, 14:59 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 30 Apr 2026
- Authority reference
714783450- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-045386- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-050fb0Find a Tender
- How it runs
The Explosive Material Identification Procurement Project is currently being procured through the Competitive Flexible Procedure in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023 ('The Act') via x2 Lots which will result in x2 Contracts, one for each Lot. Please note the Authority reserve the right to merge these requirements into one Contract if, as a result of the Competitive process, one Supplier entity is awarded both Lot 1 and Lot 2. Suppliers can apply to participate for Lot 1, Lot 2 or both Lots.
The following steps to arrive at contract award decision are as follow;
Project Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) –The top 6 compliant suppliers with the highest technical scores shall be invited to Invitation to Tender (ITT) for each Lot. PSQ reference – contracts.mod.uk/go/628679800198664B198E ↗. Some questions will have different evaluation criteria for each Lot or only be applicable to one Lot. These questions will be identified in the evaluation criteria in the PSQ Guidance document. You must pass the evaluation criteria specific to the Lot(s) you have applied for to proceed to the next stage of the competition.
Invitation to Tender, the evaluation shall have two stages;
- Paper Based evaluation – the top 3 compliant suppliers with the highest technical scores will progress to confirmation trials.
- Confirmation Trials – the proposed solution shall be tested against specific system requirements as set out in the ITT.
Full information on how the procurement procedure, including evaluation criteria, strategy and stages of evaluation shall be provided within the ITT.
The Authority reserves the right under the Procurement Act 2023 to:
To cancel the procurement procedure at any stage.
Not to award a contract as a result of the procurement process.
Make any modifications during a competitive flexible procedure, provided that the deadline to participate or submit a first or only tender has not passed (section 31(1)(b))
Make non substantial modifications, during a competitive flexible procedure, up to the deadline of the final tendering stage (section 31(2)(a))
Refine or supplement the award criteria during a competitive flexible procedure (section 24(1))
How it was run
Official notice- Requests to participate (first stage)
- 12 Sept 2025, 14:00 BST
- Submission deadline
- 12 Sept 2025, 14:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 26 Aug 2025, 14:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
PSQ responses should be submitted by the Authority using the DSP by the deadline. Responses submitted via any other medium will not be accepted or considered - contracts.mod.uk ↗.
PSQ reference can be found here - contracts.mod.uk/go/628679800198664B198E ↗
Timeline
9 May 2025 → 16 Sept 2026 · 10 dates- Planning notice published9 May 2025, 13:01 BST
- Market engagement4 Jul 2025, 23:59 BST
The Authority intends to undertake further market engagement with interested suppliers until 24th July to understand the market for each Lot and potential solutions. The Authority will be contacting Suppliers identified in market research to understand the competitive market for each lot as well as providing suppliers with the opportunity for engagement sessions. The proposed engagement sessions will provide suppliers with the opportunity to present their capabilities to the Authority through face-to-face (F2F) meetings or, where F2F meetings are not feasible, virtual alternatives. Each meeting will be limited to 60 minutes in duration and will not delve into specific project details or information about the requirements. Please note all questions raised by interested suppliers will be collated by the Authority and subsequently shared to ensure transparency and uphold the principles of fair and open competition.
Please contact [email protected] quoting reference ‘714783450’ by 04th July 2025 if you would like to arrange an engagement session. Please note if you do not quote reference '714783450' your email may not be seen.
All information provided at each Market Engagement Stage shall not be used by the Authority to down select or evaluate suppliers but shall help inform the development of the requirement and contracting strategy only.
In issuing this Preliminary Market Engagement Notice, The Authority is not committing to commence with any procurement in relation to the requirements stated in this Notice. Accordingly, any expenditure, work or effort undertaken before contract award is a matter solely for the commercial judgement of potential suppliers.
- Tender notice published1 Aug 2025, 17:00 BST
- Next notice expected1 Aug 2025, 23:59 BST
- Clarification questions by26 Aug 2025, 14:00 BST
- Submission deadline12 Sept 2025, 14:00 BST
- Contract starts179 days ago30 Apr 2026, 00:00 BST
- Award decision expected by178 days ago30 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
- Assessment summaries sent95 days ago23 Jul 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published39 days ago16 Sept 2026, 14:59 BST
Notice history
10 events · 6 releases on Find a Tender · since 9 May 2025- Pipeline notice published9 May 2025, 13:01 BSTUK1
- Preliminary market engagement notice published9 May 2025, 13:04 BSTUK2
- Preliminary market engagement notice published18 Jun 2025, 12:57 BSTUK2
- Tender notice published1 Aug 2025, 17:00 BSTUK4
- Status changed to active1 Aug 2025, 17:00 BST
- Procurement method changed1 Aug 2025, 17:00 BST
- Contract award notice published23 Jul 2026, 12:34 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete23 Jul 2026, 12:34 BST
- Contract signature expected4 Aug 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
- Contract details notice published16 Sept 2026, 14:59 BSTUK7
Routine re-releases (6)
- 2025-06: 1 release · 18 Jun 2025
- 2025-05: 2 releases · 9 May 2025, 9 May 2025
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across several lots2 awards | |||
| SOUTHERN SCIENTIFIC LIMITED714783450 - Explosive Material Identification Procurement Project4 Aug 2026 – 4 Dec 2035 · up to 4 Dec 2037Extensions: The Contract shall include the following Contract Options to extend the in-service support duration for a further 2 years: - Extension of In-Service Support for an additional one-year period. - Extension of In-Service Support for an additional one-year period. The Authority reserve the right, at its absolute discretion, to not take up any or all the option(s) listed above · Options: The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid. The Contract shall include the following Contract Options to extend the in-service support duration for a further 2 years: - Extension of In-Service Support for an additional one-year period. - Extension of In-Service Support for an additional one-year period. The Authority reserve the right, at its absolute discretion, to not take up any or all the option(s) listed above | £8,250,000 | 23 Jul 2026 | Awarded |
| SOUTHERN SCIENTIFIC LIMITED | £8,250,000 †same award published again · counted once | — | Awarded |
Contracts
714783450 - Explosive Material Identification Procurement Project · SOUTHERN SCIENTIFIC LIMITED
- Signed
- 18 Aug 2026
- Value
- £8,250,000
- Period
- 18 Aug 2026 – 18 Dec 2035 · up to 18 Dec 2037 with extensions
- Status
- active
- Extensions
- The Contract has the following Contract Options to extend the in-service support duration for a further 2 years: - Extension of In-Service Support for an additional one-year period. - Extension of In-Service Support for an additional one-year period. The Authority reserves the right, at its absolute discretion, to not take up any or all the option(s) listed above.
4 agreed KPIs: Post Design Services and Ad-hoc Tasking – Part 2 Delivery · Post Design Services and Ad-hoc Tasking – Task Delivery · Delivery of Ad-Hoc Spares …
- Post Design Services and Ad-hoc Tasking – Part 2 Delivery, The Contractor will be required to return the TAF Part 2 (Contractor’s Quotation) to the Authority within 10 working days of the Part 1 Submission, unless otherwise agreed within the TAF Part 1. The Authority will measure the Contractor performance against the number of working days it takes to return the Part 2 to the Authority.
- Post Design Services and Ad-hoc Tasking – Task Delivery, The Contractor will be required by the Authority Operations Manager to deliver in accordance with the required delivery date agreed between the Authority and the Contractor on the relevant TAF the part 2 return on receipt of the instruction. The Authority Operations Manager will measure the Contractor performance against the contracted due date and actual date delivered for each part 2 return.
- Delivery of Ad-Hoc Spares, The Contractor shall deliver ad hoc spares within the agreed lead times listed in the spares list to the Contract.
- In-Service Support, The Contractor shall complete agreed repairs within the agreed timescales.
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Lot | Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Procurement and In-Service Support of Hand-Held FTIR Spectrum Analysers | 1final-stage tenders | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2 · Procurement and In-Service Support of Hand-Held RAMAN Spectrum Analysers | 1final-stage tenders | 1 | 0 | — |
Who bid
- wonSouthern Scientific Ltd · South East England · all lots
Bidders as named on the Procurement Act 2023 award notice. “Won” means the bidder holds an award on this notice.
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Southern Scientific LtdAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (15)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Signed contract
- Signed contract
- Signed contract
- Signed contract
- Signed contract
- Bidding documents and specificationsAccess: PSQ Supporting documentation Ref '20250801 Explosive Material Identification Procurement Project PSQ Supporting Document' will be provided with the PSQ on DSP. Following completion of the PSQ evaluation, ITT documentation will be issued to the the top six highest scoring compliant Suppliers for each Lot via DSP
- Signed contract
- Signed contract
- Signed contract
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement 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