Platform Data Management Systems 4 (PDM4) Obsolescence Recovery

Official notice

Authority: Ministry of Defence (Central government)

GoodsAward procedure without prior publication of a call for competition

Sectors: Radio, television, communication, telecommunication and related equipment (32) Delivery: UK

Awarded value£3,000,000published contract · exc. VAT

Awarded 31 Dec 2024no call for competition

Awarded to Ultra Maritime

What is being bought

Published requirement description

There is a requirement for the Maritime Command & Control, Targeting, Navigation, and Communications Team (C2TNC) within Sense, Decide and Communicate (SDC) to provide obsolescence recovery for the Platform Data Management System 4 (PDM 4) fitted to Vanguard Class Submarines. PDM In-Service Support is currently provided through contract CSA/3049. PDM4 has been in operation since the early 1990s with an expected in-service period until 2015. The original Out of Service Dates (OSD) has been extended by up to 100%, and no provision of additional stores was made when the OSDs were extended. As a result, work is now required to address the high-risk obsolescence issues, where there are low stores and items which require regular Survey and Repair. Failure to do this will adversely impact the operational capability of the CASD Vanguard Class Submarines. Currently the two main areas of concern are (1) Power Supply Units (PSUs) of which there are three variants and (2) PEC SIOs. Both items are critical to the safe operation of PDM4

CPV: Parts of radio and radar equipment

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published

Lot #1

Delivery: UK

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record

Procedure method: Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition
Legal basis: CELEX · 32009L0081 Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011 (Directive 2009/81/EC)
Procurement category: Goods
Notice status: Awarded without competition
Procurement threshold: Unspecified in notice
Regulatory regime: Standard
Commercial structure: Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type: Direct award (no call for competition)
GPA / WTO covered: Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement: Unspecified in notice
First published: 27 Jun 2025, 07:30 BST
Last source update: 27 Jun 2025, 07:30 BST
FTS notice number: 2025/S 000-035568
Classification (CPV): Parts of radio and radar equipment
Delivery area: UK
Official registry OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-055492 Find a Tender

Why no open competition: The procurement falls outside the scope of application of the directive
Published justification: The C2TNC team recommends a new direct award PDM4 Obsolescence Recovery contract to be placed with Ultra Maritime (UM) justified under Section 41 and Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023 which permits direct awards when the supplier’s technical capabilities are essential to the project’s success. The justification for this takes into consideration the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), Technical and Safety aspects of the equipment, interfaces and interoperable systems contained within the vessels.
The intention is for the new contract to be negotiated with UM and notified to the market through the issue of a Transparency Notice (TN) to ensure compliance with the Act’s requirements to maintain transparency in the direct award procurement process

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast

Awards 1

Awarded value £3,000,0001 contract exc. VAT

Contracts signed 1latest 31 Dec 2024

Awarded to	Value	Date	Status
Ultra MaritimeSMESubcontracting: declared	£3,000,000 †	—	Awarded

Contracts

Platform Data Management Systems 4 (PDM4) Obsolescence Recovery · Ultra MaritimeSME
Signed
31 Dec 2024
Value
£3,000,000
Status
active

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Ministry of Defence

Contracting authorityCentral GovernmentMinistry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local subdivisionsDefence Bristol, UKContact email

Bidders & participating suppliers

1 commercial party on the notice

Ultra MaritimeAwarded supplier Loudwater, UK, HP10 9SD

Official documents & specifications

Official links; attachments are not copied

No document links were published on the notice.