Find a TenderPast planning noticePreliminary market engagement notice
Published 4 Apr 2025, 14:25 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Materiel Distribution Land (MDL) Heavy Equipment Transporter (HET) PME RFI

Official notice

Authority: Defence Equipment and Support (Central government)

GoodsAbove thresholdDefence & security
Sectors: Transport Equipment & Vehicles (34) Delivery: Delivery location not published
Planned pipeline value£315,000,000pipeline notice, not a live tender
Tender notice expected 31 Mar 2026from the planned procurement notice
Contract term 12 yrsends 1 Jul 2039 · starts 1 Jul 2027

What is being bought

Published requirement description

The 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 published
Lot #1Planned 12 yrs
Contract period: 1 Jul 2027 – 1 Jul 2039 (12 yrs)

Procedure 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)
Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation
Delivery area
Not published
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-04fd69 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Submission deadline
—

Timeline

4 Apr 2025 → 1 Jul 2027 · 5 dates
  1. Planning notice published
    4 Apr 2025, 14:25 BST
  2. Market engagement
    2 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.

  3. Latest notice published
    30 Jun 2025, 11:42 BST
  4. Tender notice expected211 days ago
    31 Mar 2026, 23:59 BST
  5. Today
    29 Oct 2026
  6. Contract startsin 244 days
    1 Jul 2027, 00:00 BST

Notice history

6 events · 5 releases on Find a Tender · since 4 Apr 2025
  1. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    4 Apr 2025, 14:25 BST
    UK2
  2. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    7 Apr 2025, 13:46 BST
    UK2
  3. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    22 Apr 2025, 12:21 BST
    UK2
  4. Pipeline notice published
    22 May 2025, 12:03 BST
    UK1
  5. Status changed to planned
    22 May 2025, 12:03 BST
  6. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    30 Jun 2025, 11:42 BST
    UK2
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

Defence Equipment and Support

Contracting authorityPublic authority - central government GB-PPON: PVRL-5831-GLMM MOD Abbey Wood, Bristol, South West, BS34 8JHContact name, email

Official documents & specifications (5)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure