Official UK procurement notice
Lancaster Radiators: Manufacture and In-Service Support
Authority: Defence Equipment and Support
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe Authority intends to procure a supplier with design capability, to manufacture, test, and deliver replacement coolant radiators for the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) Lancaster aircraft (PA474), together with associated technical documentation, certification, and in service support.
The requirement comprises of replicating the original design standard , using modern day equivilance where necessary, to enable the production of six (6) replacement radiators, including two (2) spares, using a “design from pattern part” approach due to the absence of original drawings. The replacement units must be airworthy, compliant with Military Aviation Authority (MAA) regulatory requirements, and demonstrate equivalence in fit, form, and function to the existing.
The contractor will be responsible for:
Substantiation, qualification, and production of the radiators.
Provision of production drawings, design rationale, testing (e.g. pressure, fatigue, NDT), and a Declaration of Design & Performance.
Manufacture and delivery of all units in accordance with an agreed schedule as per negotiations
Supply of Special to Type Containers for transport and storage of each
Provision of certification (e.g. Certificates of Conformity) and compliance with quality standards (e.g. ISO 9001/AS9100 or equivalent)
Delivery of in service support artefacts, including a Bill of Materials, Initial Provisioning List, maintenance documentation, and recommended tooling and consumables to support continued airworthiness to an Out of Service Date of 2035 (with potential extension to 2040).
All goods are to be delivered to RAF Coningsby, UK, and must integrate seamlessly with the existing aircraft systems and coolant specifications.
- How the procedure runs: Following completion of the Tender Evaluation (where bids are assessed against the commercial and technical evaluation criteria), the highest-ranked Tenderer based on the published award criteria will be declared the “Preferred Bidder”. The Authority intends to undertake a period of post-tender negotiations exclusively with the preferred bidder. Post-tender negotiation will be used to clarify and refine where appropriate the Tender submission in order to confirm Value For Money (VFM) and ensure full alignment with the Authority’s requirements.
CPV: Aircraft maintenance services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedRenewalPublished value£1,500,000
- Economic & financial standing
Conditions of Participation are detailed in the ITT Pack
- Technical & professional ability
Conditions of Participation are detailed in the ITT Pack
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 (3)
- Technical: 50%
- Price: 40%
- Social Value: 10%
Published award criteria (3)
- Technical: Information relating to the Criterion is detailed within the ITT Pack
- Price: Information relating to the Criterion is detailed within the ITT Pack
- Social Value: Information relating to the Criterion is detailed within the ITT Pack
- Economic & financial standing
Conditions of Participation are detailed in the ITT Pack
- Technical & professional ability
Conditions of Participation are detailed in the ITT Pack
- Price carries 40 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 4 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
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
- Awarded
- 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
- 21 May 2026, 09:59 BST
- Last source update
- 21 Oct 2026, 15:24 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 3 Nov 2026
- Authority reference
715850546- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-065669- Latest notice
- Contract award notice (UK6)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-069e80Find a Tender
- How it runs
Following completion of the Tender Evaluation (where bids are assessed against the commercial and technical evaluation criteria), the highest-ranked Tenderer based on the published award criteria will be declared the “Preferred Bidder”. The Authority intends to undertake a period of post-tender negotiations exclusively with the preferred bidder. Post-tender negotiation will be used to clarify and refine where appropriate the Tender submission in order to confirm Value For Money (VFM) and ensure full alignment with the Authority’s requirements.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 21 Aug 2026, 17:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 14 Aug 2026, 17:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
www.digital.mod.uk/sme-dosbg/find-an-op… ↗
All Tender Submissions, Clarification Questions or General Communications must be progressed through the Defence Sourcing Portal (DSP).
Timeline
21 May 2026 → 4 Jan 2027 · 11 dates- Planning notice published157 days ago21 May 2026, 09:59 BST
- Market engagement117 days ago30 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST
Through this Preliminary Market Engagement Notice (PMEN), the Ministry of Defence seeks expressions of interest from suitably qualified suppliers. Any interested supplier with the experience, capability and capacity to deliver this service are asked to register their interest by contacting the buyer at the details provided in this notice. In your expression of interest, please indicate your preferred duration of any potential future contract.
This PMEN has been published for the purposes of Market Sounding and to assist in the determination of the procurement strategy. No formal procurement has been launched. This is not a commitment by the UK Ministry of Defence to place a contract or launch a tender in the future.
Suppliers that express an interest but do not currently hold the required regulatory approvals or certifications are encouraged to engage with the Authority. The Project Team will provide information and guidance on the processes and requirements to obtain the necessary approvals, to support fair and open competition and to minimise barriers to entry. This information will be made available on an equitable and transparent basis to all interested parties, noting that no supplier will be given any competitive advantage through prior engagement.
- Tender notice published104 days ago13 Jul 2026, 14:41 BST
- Next notice expected104 days ago13 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST
- Clarification questions by72 days ago14 Aug 2026, 17:00 BST
- Submission deadline65 days ago21 Aug 2026, 17:00 BST
- Assessment summaries sent5 days ago21 Oct 2026, 00:00 BST
- Latest notice published4 days ago21 Oct 2026, 15:24 BST
- Today25 Oct 2026
- Standstill endsin 6 days30 Oct 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Award decision expected byin 10 days3 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 71 days4 Jan 2027
Notice history
12 events · 5 releases on Find a Tender · since 21 May 2026- Pipeline notice published21 May 2026, 09:59 BSTUK1
- Preliminary market engagement notice published27 May 2026, 10:27 BSTUK2
- Planned procurement notice published25 Jun 2026, 16:17 BSTUK3
- Procurement method changed25 Jun 2026, 16:17 BST
- Deadline published: 7 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST25 Jun 2026, 16:17 BST
- Tender notice published13 Jul 2026, 14:41 BSTUK4
- Published value published: £1,500,00013 Jul 2026, 14:41 BST
- Status changed to active13 Jul 2026, 14:41 BST
- Deadline moved to 21 Aug 2026, 17:00 BST13 Jul 2026, 14:41 BST-17 days · was 7 Sept 2026, 23:59 BST
- Contract award notice published21 Oct 2026, 15:24 BSTUK6
- Status changed to complete21 Oct 2026, 15:24 BST
- Contract signature expected6 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
Routine re-releases (5)
- 2026-05: 2 releases · 21 May 2026, 27 May 2026
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vintage Aircraft Radiators Ltd4 Jan 2027 – 3 Jan 2029 · up to 3 Jan 2030Extensions: Contract Extension to allow ongoing in service support or additional tanks if required. | £1,863,700 | 21 Oct 2026standstill to 30 Oct 2026 | Standstill |
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1final-stage tenders | 1 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- Vintage Aircraft Radiators LtdAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (6)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specificationsAccess: The ITT Pack shall be made avaliable via via Defence Sourcing Portal to those suppliers who wish to particpate. Any Clarification Questions must be raised via the DSP to avoid risk of exclusion.
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract award notice Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Planned procurement notice Planned procurement 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