Official UK procurement notice
IRM25/7712 The Repair & Calibration of GPTME
Authority: Ministry of Defence (Central government)
Babcock Land Defence Limited, acting as agent to the UK Ministry of Defence ("the Authority"), intends to establish a Framework Agreement IRM25/7712 for The Repair & Calibration of GPTME. The proposed strategy is 15 Lots grouping like items together where Lots will be awarded as individual contracts to the winning tenderer for each, or combined where a single tender wins more than one Lot All items within scope are codified to NATO Stock Numbers (NSNs) and must comply with the technical specifications and applicable standards that will be detailed within the procurement documentation.
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionBabcock Land Defence Limited, acting as agent to the UK Ministry of Defence ("the Authority"), intends to establish a Framework Agreement IRM25/7712 for The Repair & Calibration of GPTME.
The proposed strategy is 15 Lots grouping like items together where Lots will be awarded as individual contracts to the winning tenderer for each, or combined where a single tender wins more than one Lot
All items within scope are codified to NATO Stock Numbers (NSNs) and must comply with the technical specifications and applicable standards that will be detailed within the procurement documentation.
The applicable CPV code is:50433000 - Calibration services.
The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (TUPE) Regulations do not apply to this procurement, and the following Social Values criteria have been identified as being appropriate to this procurement:
Fair work: that offers fair wages and good working conditions. Help people get a job, stay in work, and progress in their careers, with good employment opportunities across the country:
1b Fair working conditions.
Employment and training for those who face barriers to employment:
6a. Create employment and training opportunities particularly for those who face barriers to employment and/or who are located in deprived areas, and for people in industries with known skills shortages or in high growth sectors.
The resulting Framework Agreement will include performance measures relating to areas such as delivery and quality to support effective contract management and continuous performance monitoring
CPV: Calibration services
How this framework works
From the published notice- Framework period
- 4 yrs · up to 8 yrs from 17 Jul 2027
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1PlannedRenewal
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).
- “IRM25/7712 The Repair & Calibration of GPTME” is a framework: the contest is a place on its panel, not a single contract.
Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published
How Ministry of Defence buys Repair and maintenance services of precision equipment (CPV 5043), and who usually turns up
Ministry of Defence’s published record next to the market for the same work. Compared with other frameworks and DPS only. Whole-market view: Repair and maintenance services of precision equipment (CPV 5043) →
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 122 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.
Both shares are minimums: 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 bid30% / 8%
2–343% / 29%
4–613% / 24%
7+13% / 39%
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.
On a framework or DPS, prices are agreed when work is called off.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Not comparable on a framework or DPS: the price is set later, on each call-off.
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 5043Published estimate£35m
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 546 past lots.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
1 bid8%
2–329%
4–624%
7+39%
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.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
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- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Planned procurement
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Defence & security
- Commercial structure
- Framework agreement
- Who may use this agreement
- Not stated in the notice; call-off rights may be limited to the establishing authority
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 2 Nov 2026, 14:44 GMT
- Last source update
- 2 Nov 2026, 14:44 GMT
- Authority reference
IRM25/7712- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-103798- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0795b9Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Appointment period ends
- —
Timeline
2 Nov 2026 → 17 Jul 2027 · 4 dates- Planning notice published5h ago2 Nov 2026, 14:44 GMT
- Today2 Nov 2026
- Market engagementin 22 days24 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
Babcock Land Defence Limited acting as Agent to The Authority is conducting Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) to inform suppliers of an upcoming requirement and to gather information, determine levels of interest, ascertain supplier capability to inform the commercial and procurement strategies for the Tri-Service Calibration & Repair of General Purpose Test and Measuring Equipment (GPTME)
Interested suppliers are invited to participate by completing Request for Information (RFI) document attached and returning it to IRM_PROCUREMENT_TEAM @BabcockInternational.com by 17:00 (GMT) on 1st December 2026.
Please include the following details in your covering email:
o Company name
o Names, positions, and email addresses of points of contact.
o Whether you wish to receive a call to further discuss this opportunity
o UKAS Customer Number
o Schedule of Accreditation
This is an excellent opportunity for suppliers to engage with the Authority, gain a better understanding of the requirements, and provide valuable input to help shape the procurement process.
We look forward to your participation
The quantities, scope and duration of any such requirements remain under development and will be determined by the Authority in accordance with its future operational requirements, funding and procurement strategy.
The Commercial/procurement strategy (incl. route-to-market approach), support arrangements, and delivery schedule/profile (etc.) remain under development.
*NOTE: the PMEN and RFI do NOT represent a commitment to future procurement activity. Following the conclusion of this PMEN/RFI, the Authority may (at its sole discretion) decide to proceed with the procurement as planned, proceed via a different procurement/commercial route, or not proceed at all.*
- Tender notice expectedin 29 days1 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 256 days17 Jul 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender- Preliminary market engagement notice published2 Nov 2026, 14:44 GMTUK2
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 (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender