Official UK procurement notice
Materiel Distribution Land (MDL) Heavy Equipment Transporter (HET) PME RFI
Authority: Defence Equipment and Support (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe Ministry of Defence (the Authority) under the Materiel Distribution Land (MDL) programme is developing a requirement project for Heavy Equipment Transporter (HET) platform. Initially circa 70 to 90 vehicles with an integrated support solution service for an initial period of ten years, with potential options to increase the acquisition volume and extend beyond the initial support period. Aspirational Full Operating Capability (FOC) is June 2029.
This requirement aims to introduce a new, technologically advanced system for the delivery of heavy and out-of-gauge equipment, with a minimum threshold of eighty-five (85) metric tonnes, featuring improved low mobility lift capabilities. This system will significantly improve and sustain the operational movement of heavy, mission-critical equipment well into the future.
The primary role is to transport heavy armoured equipment, including armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) and main battle tank (MBT), but it must also be capable of moving lighter equipment into the theatre of operations. Additionally, this equipment will be used during peacetime for training delivery both in the UK and overseas.
A PIN has previously been released for this requirement reference 2025/S 000-002913.
CPV: Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedProcedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Goods
- Notice status
- Past planning notice
- 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
- 4 Apr 2025, 14:25 BST
- Last source update
- 30 Jun 2025, 11:42 BST
- Authority reference
713667451-RFI- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-036032- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Not published
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-04fd69Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
4 Apr 2025 → 1 Jul 2027 · 5 dates- Planning notice published4 Apr 2025, 14:25 BST
- Market engagement2 Jun 2025, 23:59 BST
As part option analysis, the Authority is inviting industry to participate in a Preliminary Market Engagement (PME) exercise in support of the development of our acquisition strategy for MDL HET. Specifically, we seek information from industry to help us:
a. Establish the potential for an Off The Shelf (OTS) solution to meet the MDL HET requirement.
b. Obtain a greater awareness of what the market can currently provide to inform the MDL HET requirement.
c. The requirement includes the acquisition, repair, maintenance, inspection and, through-life service options through innovative partnered solutions.
d. To inform through life cost and cost of ownership.
e. To potentially inform further pre-market engagement activity.
This PME is an information gathering exercise. We are looking to understand the potential for adopting or adapting solutions that are already in production. Your responses should be based on solutions that are already in-production.
A questionnaire, consisting of 20 questions, will be distributed by e-mail following participants’ requests to partake sent to [email protected].
The questionnaire document describes in detail the process for completing and requests that all responses are submitted by the deadline of 1200hrs noon, Monday 2 June 2025 GMT. Any requests received after the dates within this notice will be sent a copy of the questionnaire for information purposes only.
Due to the timescales associated with this PME, the Authority is only able to answer clarification questions that are submitted no later than 1200hrs, 16 May 2025 GMT, to this email address: [email protected] with ‘FHET PME Clarification Question’ clearly stated in the subject title. We will endeavour to provide our answers by 1200hrs, 23 May 2025 GMT. For the sake of equality of information, a list of clarification questions and the Authority’s response to those questions will be made available to all.
Submitted questionnaires will be compiled for analysis and processed to inform the Authority's approach and procurement strategy.
Any comments, indications of interest, participation, or non-participation by any organisation at this stage will not influence the process, selection and/or award decision for any future possible procurement, nor will it be taken as a supplier’s committed position.
Non-participation in this pre-market engagement will not be taken into account in any related future procurement.
For the avoidance of doubt, this PME does not constitute a commitment to launch a formal procurement procedure.
- Latest notice published30 Jun 2025, 11:42 BST
- Tender notice expected211 days ago31 Mar 2026, 23:59 BST
- Today29 Oct 2026
- Contract startsin 244 days1 Jul 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
6 events · 5 releases on Find a Tender · since 4 Apr 2025- Preliminary market engagement notice published4 Apr 2025, 14:25 BSTUK2
- Preliminary market engagement notice published7 Apr 2025, 13:46 BSTUK2
- Preliminary market engagement notice published22 Apr 2025, 12:21 BSTUK2
- Pipeline notice published22 May 2025, 12:03 BSTUK1
- Status changed to planned22 May 2025, 12:03 BST
- Preliminary market engagement notice published30 Jun 2025, 11:42 BSTUK2
Published amendments (3)
A change has been made to clarify that a publication date of tender notice is not yet defined.
This Notice has been amended to extend the response submission deadline from 1200hrs noon, Friday 16 May 2025 GMT to 1200hrs noon, Monday 2 June 2025 GMT. The clarification questions deadline has also been extended to 1200hrs, 16 May 2025 GMT.
This Notice has been amended to clarify that any requests received after the dates within the notice will be sent a copy of the questionnaire for information purposes only.
Routine re-releases (5)
- 2025-04: 2 releases · 4 Apr 2025, 7 Apr 2025
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 (5)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Pipeline notice Pipeline 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
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender