Official UK procurement notice
Phoenix 3 UK and International Hire Services
Authority: Defence Equipment and Support (Central government)·On behalf of: Babcock Land Defence Limited
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionDear Prospective Bidders,
Babcock Land Defence Limited (“BLDL” or “Phoenix 3 Service Provider”), acting in the capacity as Agent for the UK Ministry of Defence (“MOD” or “the Authority”) under Project Phoenix 3, are seeking to begin market engagement around the upcoming tender of the Authority’s Vehicle Hire Requirements within the UK and Internationally.
The successful supplier or suppliers shall provide the customer with access to a wide range of short, medium, or long-term vehicle hire services both in the UK and Internationally. These are required to support the Authority's White Fleet and their associated operations.
The following vehicle types will be required for Vehicle Hire within the UK:
Passenger Cars
4x4s
Minibuses
LCVs up to 4.25 tonnes.
The following vehicle types will be required for International Vehicle:
Passenger Cars
4x4s
Minibuses
It is the intention of BLDL to undertake any eventual procurement for these services via Government Commercial Agency (GCA) Framework RM6381, which is expected to commence in March 2027. This notice, however, should not be considered as confirmation that any future procurement will be undertaken and its purpose is intended for engagement only.
CPV: Motor vehicles · Motor vehicles for the transport of fewer than 10 persons · Repair and maintenance services of cars · Repair and maintenance services of motor vehicles and associated equipment · Vehicle-fleet-support services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Planned
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
- 9 Oct 2026, 15:42 BST
- Last source update
- 9 Oct 2026, 15:42 BST
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-095781- Latest notice
- Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-078503Find a Tender
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
4 published dates · Europe/London- Planning notice publishedearlier today9 Oct 2026, 15:42 BST
- Market engagementin 24 days2 Nov 2026, 23:59 GMTThe requirement represents a significant opportunity for prospective bidders to provide vehicle rental solutions in support of the MOD’s White Fleet operations in the UK and overseas. The requirement is expected to cover a broad range of vehicles and categories across both opportunities, with demand driven by operational requirements, surge activity, and fleet replacement needs. It is the position of BLDL that any eventual procurement process for both these services will call-off against the new Government Commercial Agency (GCA) Framework RM6381 Vehicle Hire Solutions, Lot 1 – Hire of Vehicles up to 4.25T. This is expected to commence in March 2027. Utilising this framework ensures that the competition follows a well-established and auditable procurement approach with standardised terms and conditions already in place. However, this notice should not be treated as confirmation of any future procurement and is intended for engagement purposes only. The Pre-liminary Market Engagement will take place over three stages. Firstly, we would like to invite all prospective bidders to an Industry Session via Microsoft Teams. The purpose of this stage is to provide an overview of the requirement, outline the proposed procurement strategy and rules of engagement, and discuss the key commercial and operational considerations associated with the service. This session will also allow prospective bidders to ask any questions they may have. Following this, prospective bidders will be asked to complete a Request For Information (RFI). The purpose of this is to allow the Authority to understand current market conditions in greater detail. This will include details on potential capacity and capability of the prospective bidders. Any response provided to this is not prescriptive, however we do request honest and accurate answers to our questions. Prospective bidders who then wish to continue in the market engagement, will be offered a 1 to 1 session, without other prospective bidders present. This will enable questions of a commercially sensitive nature to be asked and further discussions to take place around how best value can be achieved for the Authority. Please note that discussion of a non-commercially sensitive nature that would provide clarification to other prospective bidders may be shared with all prospective bidders who engage in the Pre-liminary Market Engagement exercise. Participation in this engagement exercise is voluntary and intended to promote early market awareness and facilitate open dialogue with potential suppliers ahead of the formal procurement process. Prospective bidders will be required to sign up to this engagement by completing a survey and providing their contact details for who the RFI should be sent to within their organisation. To receive a link to the survey, MS Team invitation for Engagement Day and further details around the Pre-liminary Market Engagement and/or the requirement, please contact [email protected] at the earliest opportunity. The deadline to sign up for the Preliminary Market Engagement Session is Friday 30th October at 17:00hrs. It is anticipated that the Engagement Day will take place in the afternoon of Wednesday 4th November.
- Tender notice expectedin 174 days1 Apr 2027, 23:59 BST
- Contract starts1 Aug 2028, 00:00 BST
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Pipeline notice- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Notice history
2 events · 1 release on Find a Tender · since 9 Oct 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published9 Oct 2026, 15:42 BSTUK2
- First planning notice published9 Oct 2026, 15:42 BST
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
2 public bodies on the noticeOther public bodies
- Babcock Land Defence LimitedProcess contact pointProcuring entityActing in Capacity as Agent for the UK MOD under Project Phoenix 3
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