Find a TenderPlanned procurementPreliminary market engagement notice
Published 3 Mar 2026, 11:54 GMT

Official UK procurement notice

Onsite Direct Wire Power Purchase Agreement Pilots

Authority: Defence Infrastructure Organisation (Central government)

ServicesAbove threshold
Sectors: Architecture & Engineering (71) Delivery: Delivery location not published
Planned pipeline value£246,913,129pipeline notice, not a live tender · 1 value update
Tender notice expected 4 Jan 2027from the planned procurement notice
Contract term 25 yrsends 30 Mar 2053 · starts 31 Mar 2028

What is being bought

Published requirement description

Objectives: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is seeking Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) to reduce unit electricity costs, increase site energy resilience, limit price volatility risk from its energy portfolio, and support emissions reduction aligned with Government policy.

PPA Type: Renewable energy supply for up to five sites via on-site direct wire connection.

Target start date: Target contract start date 31/03/28.

Volume: Procure power generation to meet up to approximately 4–12 GWh/year of combined electricity consumption across the portfolio of sites. Provision of higher offtake volumes is dependent on the ability to demonstrate value for money in energy costs achieved and resilience provision. The site portfolio is expected to have a total annual demand of approximately 35 GWh/year. The details provided in this notice are early indicative estimates and may be subject to change/refinement based on final site selection and ongoing data collection.

Sites: Potential sites may include up to five sites suitable for on-site, direct wire connection utilising MOD land in the South of England, shortlisted from a longlist of ~30 identified sites throughout the UK.

Contract duration: Seeking competitive energy prices for up to 25 years, with potential option to extend. The estimated contract dates are 31/03/28 to 30/03/53.

Technology: Open to competitive proposals for Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) compliant technologies, with technology choice subject to site-by-site requirements and MOD review.

Previous market engagement: A virtual two‑hour supplier engagement session was held on 04/03/2025 to test early market views on high‑level PPA options and to support MOD’s understanding of market capabilities. Suppliers expressed strong appetite to engage and highlighted key considerations including avoiding over‑specification, clarifying roles and responsibilities, and addressing grid‑connection and MOD site factors that will shape the delivery approach.

CPV: Energy and related services

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published
Lot #1Planned 25 yrs
Contract period: 31 Mar 2028 – 30 Mar 2053 (25 yrs)

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published

How Defence Infrastructure Organisation buys Consultative engineering and construction services (CPV 7131), and who usually turns up

Defence Infrastructure Organisation’s own published record, next to the published market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Consultative engineering and construction services (CPV 7131) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.

Question for the bid
This buyerDefence Infrastructure Organisation · all categories
The marketConsultative engineering and construction services (CPV 7131) · West Midlands (authority’s region)
What to do with it
How often do SMEs win?
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.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 6 of 12 known-size awards · market: CPV 7131 · West Midlands (authority’s region), n=156
50%56%

Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.

How often do local suppliers win?
i

How often local firms win similar work.

Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.

Here, local means registered in West Midlands (authority’s region).

A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 1 of 1 known-location awards · market: CPV 7131 · West Midlands (authority’s region), n=216
1 of 117%

Most of this buyer’s recorded winners are registered in West Midlands.

How long to a decision?
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: no decision dates published · market: CPV 7131 · West Midlands (authority’s region), n=29
—38 days

Half of these awards were announced within 38 days of the bid deadline.

How often single-bid or direct?
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.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: at least 15 of 21 procurements with awards had no recorded rival · market: CPV 7131 · West Midlands (authority’s region), n=226
71%41%

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.

Last 36 months.

This buyer2 lots with bid counts · all categories · too few to chart
The market41 lots with bid counts · CPV 7131 · West Midlands (authority’s region)
5% had one bid
Market · select a colour for counts
1 bid5%
Market: 2 of 41 lots with published bid counts.
2–324%
Market: 10 of 41 lots with published bid counts.
4–624%
Market: 10 of 41 lots with published bid counts.
7+46%
Market: 19 of 41 lots with published bid counts.

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.

Last 36 months.

This buyer2 lots with estimate and award · all categories · too few to chart
The market30 lots with estimate and award · CPV 7131 · West Midlands (authority’s region)
37% below estimate
Market · select a colour for counts
Below estimate37%
Market: 11 of 30 lots with an estimate and award.
Within ±2%43%
Market: 13 of 30 lots with an estimate and award.
Above estimate20%
Market: 6 of 30 lots with an estimate and award.
2

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.

Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list

Lot #1CPV 7131300 monthsPublished estimate£247m
Expected competition
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 41 past lots.

A forecast, not a list of bidders.

—No model forecast yet5% single-bid risk
Past bids on 41 similar lots
1 bid5%
2 of 41 similar past lots received 1 bid (5%).
2–324%
10 of 41 similar past lots received 2–3 (24%).
4–624%
10 of 41 similar past lots received 4–6 (24%).
7+46%
19 of 41 similar past lots received 7+ (46%).
Comparable past lots usually drew 6 bids.
Commercial price forecast
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.

—No model forecast yet
No comparable awards on record for this lot’s category yet. The published estimate is £247m, and the forecast stays empty until the market has a record to read.

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.

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.

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
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
3 Mar 2026, 11:54 GMT
Last source update
15 Apr 2026, 12:04 BST
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-034135
Latest notice
Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
Classification (CPV)
Energy and related services
Delivery area
Not published
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0660b3 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Submission deadline
—

Timeline

3 Mar 2026 → 31 Mar 2028 · 5 dates
  1. Planning notice published231 days ago
    3 Mar 2026, 11:54 GMT
  2. Latest notice published188 days ago
    15 Apr 2026, 12:04 BST
  3. Market engagement137 days ago
    5 Jun 2026, 23:59 BST

    Preliminary Market Engagement (PME): MOD is seeking to undertake PME to better understand common market practices and to refine the approach for a potential future procurement. MOD would greatly appreciate your engagement and assures suppliers that all responses will be carefully considered but will not bind MOD to any particular approach to the procurement, nor will responses be treated as conveying any promise or commitment on the part of the respondent.

    Preliminary Market Engagement will include:

    A) A mandatory Market Sounding Questionnaire (MSQ). To have your feedback considered, your completed MSQ must be received by 12:00 noon on 06/05/26.

    B) Virtual interviews, informed by responses to the MSQ. To be considered for interview, you must submit a completed MSQ by 12:00 noon on 06/05/26. Interviews will be arranged after this date, and suppliers will be contacted directly.

    C) An optional virtual Supplier Day will be scheduled following the interviews. The Supplier Day will be open to all interested parties, regardless of MSQ completion.

    To request a link to the MSQ and to register your interest in the Supplier Day, please email [email protected], confirming that your interest relates to the on-site PPA. You can register your interest in participating in virtual interviews within the MSQ.

    The purpose of the MSQ is to gather insights from the market and identify parties for virtual interview. Virtual interviews will use a standardised question set. Due to anticipated demand and MOD staff capacity, parties invited to interview may be limited to suppliers identified through the MSQ that:

    A) Are a renewable energy developer,

    B) Hold on-site, direct wire PPA development experience in the UK, and

    C) Have PPA development experience with projects of a similar size. If required, developers will be prioritised for interview based on extent of relevant experience, to maximise insights gathered.

    MOD may conduct multiple interview rounds and adjust the engagement approach or timelines as the PPA programme progresses. PME is intended to be closed by 05/06/26.

    Any information shared by MOD during the Supplier Day and/or other market engagement will be made publicly available to all parties as part of the UK4 tender notice, should the procurement proceed.

    PME will have no bearing on which suppliers will be invited to participate the tender process. Furthermore, it does not constitute a commitment by the Ministry of Defence to initiate any public procurement activity. This engagement will be conducted in line with the principles of equal treatment, non-discrimination and proportionality under the Procurement Act 2023.

    Social Value (SV): SV is a mandatory consideration in UK Government procurement. Any future tender will be assessed against the Government’s Social Value Model, ensuring delivery approaches contribute meaningful economic, social, and environmental benefits. Specific Model Award Criteria (MACs) to be utilised within the tender process will be confirmed should the requirement be taken forward.

    Conflict of Interest (COI): All suppliers must identify and disclose any actual or potential COI at the earliest opportunity. This includes any relationships, prior involvement, or circumstances that could affect impartiality. For transparency purposes, if you have a potential or known COI, you must email [email protected]

    Modern Slavery: MOD must consider the potential of modern slavery at all stages of the procurement lifecycle. Please note this information will be required as part of the procurement process and throughout the ongoing contract. Suppliers will need to complete a Modern Slavery Assessment Tool (MSAT) but is not required at this stage.

    Please note, Clarification Questions are not open at this time.

    The [email protected] multi-user address should be used to register interest in attending the Supplier Day, requesting access to the MSQ (and any technical related issues) and / or COI declarations only. Direct or indirect canvassing of any MOD employee or agent concerning this requirement, or any attempt to procure information from any MOD employee or agent outside of the formal process described in this document will not receive a response.

  4. Today
    20 Oct 2026
  5. Tender notice expectedin 76 days
    4 Jan 2027, 23:59 GMT
  6. Contract starts
    31 Mar 2028, 00:00 BST

Notice history

3 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 3 Mar 2026
  1. Pipeline notice published
    3 Mar 2026, 11:54 GMT
    UK1
  2. Pipeline notice published
    3 Mar 2026, 14:06 GMT
    UK1
  3. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    15 Apr 2026, 12:04 BST
    UK2
Published amendments (1)

Updated contact email.

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 Infrastructure Organisation

Contracting authorityPublic authority - central government GB-PPON: PPWG-8368-RJMG St George's House, DMS Whittington, Lichfield, West Midlands, WS149PYContact email

Official documents & specifications (3)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure

  • Preliminary market engagement notice planningPreliminary market engagement noticeUK2Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
  • Pipeline notice planningPipeline noticeUK1Pipeline notice on Find a Tender
  • Pipeline notice planningPipeline noticeUK1Pipeline notice on Find a Tender