Official UK procurement notice
Fibre Optic Compass System (FOCS) In-Service Support (ISS)
Authority: Defence Equipment and Support
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe Ministry of Defence (MOD), acting through Sense Decide and Communicate (SDC) - Command and Control, Target, Navigation, Communications (C2TNC), intends to undertake preliminary market engagement for the procurement of a follow‑on contract to support, sustain, and install Fibre Optic Compass System (FOCS) equipment across the Royal Navy (RN), Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), and Submarine fleets.
This engagement is being conducted in accordance with Section 16 of the Procurement Act 2023 (Preliminary Market Engagement) and aims to ensure the Authority understands the current market, technical capability, supply chain, and commercial models relevant to this requirement.
The intended procurement covers:
a) Core agreement to provide support and sustain existing systems:
a. Through-life technical support to sustain the existing FOCS capability.
b. System availability management.
c. Technical query resolution.
d. Obsolescence management.
e. Maintenance and updating of all technical documentation in accordance with MOD policy
f. Spares and repairs service provision. The responsibility for the management of spares and repairs to be held by the supplier.
g. Storage of all materiel required for support in accordance with relevant defence standards.
b) Non-core scope to complete ad-hoc tasking:
a. Ad-hoc tasking to support equipment faults, engineering studies, or system enhancements.
b. Potential tasking to perform installation activity on remaining platforms in the current FOCS tech refresh programme.
c. Attendance on ships/subs, military bases, and operational environments when required (in accordance with CONDO if required).
CPV: Navigation equipment · Repair and maintenance services of warships
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedPipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published
How Defence Equipment and Support buys Marine equipment (CPV 3493), and who usually turns up
Defence Equipment and Support’s published record next to the market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are left out: they draw different bid counts. Whole-market view: Marine equipment (CPV 3493) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
Most of this buyer’s recorded winners were registered outside the region where that award was delivered.
i
How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.
Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards have an award date within 30 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
The market share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid52% / 55%
2–333% / 45%
4–610% / 0%
7+5% / 0%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Below estimate43% / 67%
Within ±2%36% / 33%
Above estimate21% / 0%
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1CPV 3493Published estimate£5.0m
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. The bar shows 37 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid38%
2–332%
4–68%
7+22%
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
| Supplier | This buyer’s earlier contract | Lot | Award value | Why listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P2i LtdEarlier contract | Chamber In Service Supportstarted Jul 2026 | Chamber In-Service Support | £324k | Matched as the earlier contract |
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Planned procurement
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 19 Mar 2026, 16:27 GMT
- Last source update
- 14 Apr 2026, 13:44 BST
- Authority reference
715825473- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-033773- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Not published
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-066f88Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
19 Mar 2026 → 1 Apr 2027 · 5 dates- Planning notice published219 days ago19 Mar 2026, 16:27 GMT
- Latest notice published193 days ago14 Apr 2026, 13:44 BST
- Market engagement179 days ago27 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
a. The Authority published a Request for Information (RFI) in April-May 2025. This PMEN is a further step to refine requirements ahead of a competitive flexible procedure.
b. The Authority is engaging the market to:
i. Provide suppliers with the opportunity to express interest.
ii. Understand the capability in the market.
iii. Understand commercial feasibility and delivery models.
iv. Build supplier awareness and support competitive participation.
c. The Authority confirms that:
i. All information disclosed will be provided transparently to all suppliers to ensure equal treatment.
ii. Participation in engagement does not create any preferential status in later procurement stages.
iii. All relevant information shared through engagement will be published on the DSP to ensure open and equal access.
d. The planned PSQ issue date is June-26, and the planned tender issue date is Sep-26.
Interested suppliers may:
a) Express interest including a capability statement.
b) Submit clarification questions upon acceptance of capability statement by the authority.
c) Offer feedback on commercial or technical approaches.
Expressions of interest, together with a capability statement, must be submitted by email to [email protected] no later than 17:00 on 27 April 2026.
The engagement will be conducted in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023 Section 16(1) and Section 16(2) ('Preliminary Market Engagement'). Depending on the response from suppliers, the Authority may discuss:
a) Developing the authority's requirements and approach to the procurement.
b) Designing a procedure, conditions of participation or award criteria.
c) Preparing the tender notice and associated tender documents.
d) Identifying and notifying suppliers that may or may not be able to supply the goods, services or works required.
e) Identifying likely contractual terms.
f) Building capacity among suppliers in relation to the contract being awarded.
- Tender notice expected115 days ago30 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
- Today24 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 159 days1 Apr 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
3 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 19 Mar 2026- Pipeline notice published19 Mar 2026, 16:27 GMTUK1
- Preliminary market engagement notice published31 Mar 2026, 15:04 BSTUK2
- Preliminary market engagement notice published14 Apr 2026, 13:44 BSTUK2
Published amendments (1)
This change notice provides clarification on the submission process for expressions of interest. Interested suppliers must submit their expression of interest, together with a capability statement by email to [email protected] no later than 17:00 on 27 April 2026.
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Pipeline notice- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (3)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- 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