Official UK procurement notice
Public Sector Air Capability
Authority: Cabinet Office (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe Cabinet Office is seeking the provision of a dedicated wet-lease passenger aircraft service, with a mandatory commencement date of 01 April 2027.
The aircraft shall be a single aisle narrow-body aircraft (G-Reg) with a minimum range capability of 3,900nm while carrying a Payload of 5,500kg. This performance must be guaranteed against 85% annual probability headwinds to ensure year-round, non-stop operational viability.
The aircraft must be equipped with high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity for passenger use.
- How the procedure runs: The process consists of five distinct stages: Stage 1: Conditions of Participation and the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) Stage 2: Release of the Specification and Invitation to Bid. Stage 3: Dialogue and negotiation - Face to face sessions with a maximum of three shortlisted suppliers to provide feedback on initial bids and to look at areas for possible refinement. Stage 4: Revised Tender - Opportunity for suppliers to submit final bids following the conclusion of dialogue. Stage 5: Finalisation of Contract with the winning bidder including firming up price. The Buyer reserves the right to dispense with stages 3 to 5 if the Most Advantageous Tender (MAT) is acceptable at stage two in terms of sufficiently meeting all the criteria.
CPV: Hire of fixed-wing aircraft with crew
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1RenewalPublished value£72,000,000,000
- Economic & financial standing
The legal and financial capacity conditions of participation, such as obtaining a specified D&B Failure Score, holding (or arranging to hold) specified insurance policies, and complying with data protection law, will be set out in the procurement documents.
- Technical & professional ability
All interested parties must confirm and provide evidence that they are the direct holder of a valid UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Type A Operating Licence and maintain a Worldwide Air Operator Certificate (AOC) for global passenger operations.
Bidders will be required to sign a mandatory Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) at Stage 2 of the competition.
What it takes to wini
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published; the tender pack may add morei
How this buyer will score bids.
The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).
Published sub-criteria (3)
- Technical: 60%
- Price: 30%
- Social Value: 10%
Published award criteria (3)
- Technical: More information will be provided in the tender documents
- Social Value: More information will be provided in the tender documents
- Price: More information will be provided in the tender documents
- Economic & financial standing
The legal and financial capacity conditions of participation, such as obtaining a specified D&B Failure Score, holding (or arranging to hold) specified insurance policies, and complying with data protection law, will be set out in the procurement documents.
- Technical & professional ability
All interested parties must confirm and provide evidence that they are the direct holder of a valid UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Type A Operating Licence and maintain a Worldwide Air Operator Certificate (AOC) for global passenger operations.
Bidders will be required to sign a mandatory Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) at Stage 2 of the competition.
- Price carries 30 of 100 points: a 10% discount moves about 3 points. The method statement decides this lot, not the discount.
Price arithmetic assumes straight proportional scoring; the tender pack may use another formula.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Competitive flexible procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Closed
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Yes (GPA)
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 19 Mar 2026, 09:58 GMT
- Last source update
- 18 Jun 2026, 12:43 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 1 Dec 2026
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-048267- Latest notice
- Tender notice (UK4)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-066e6fFind a Tender- Contract terms summary
The Supplier shall operate on an Open Book Accounting basis. The Contracting Authority reserves the right to inspect and audit the Supplier's financial records, including third-party receipts and
supply chain invoices.
This is to ensure that all recharges reflect actual costs incurred without undisclosed mark-ups. Payment is contingent upon the satisfactory delivery of certified products and deliverables.
Invoices lacking a transparent breakdown or failing to align with Open Book principles will be returned, and payment withheld until reconciliation is achieved to the satisfaction of the Contracting
Authority.
- How it runs
The process consists of five distinct stages:
Stage 1: Conditions of Participation and the Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ)
Stage 2: Release of the Specification and Invitation
to Bid.
Stage 3: Dialogue and negotiation - Face to face sessions with a maximum of three shortlisted suppliers to provide feedback on initial bids and to look at areas for possible refinement.
Stage 4: Revised Tender - Opportunity for suppliers to submit final bids following the conclusion of dialogue.
Stage 5: Finalisation of Contract with the winning bidder including firming up price.
The Buyer reserves the right to dispense with stages 3 to 5 if the Most Advantageous Tender (MAT) is acceptable at stage two in terms of sufficiently meeting all the criteria.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 22 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
crowncommercialservice.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.html ↗
(crowncommercialservice.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.html ↗)
Please be aware that the above date is for the submission of your responses to Stage 1: Conditions of Participation/ Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) only.
Timeline
19 Mar 2026 → 1 Apr 2027 · 7 dates- Planning notice published219 days ago19 Mar 2026, 09:58 GMT
- Market engagement205 days ago2 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
To participate in this Preliminary Market Engagement exercise, interested parties are invited to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) via email to [email protected].
Following the EOI, the engagement will proceed according to the following structured timeline.
Please note that adherence to the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) deadline is a mandatory requirement for progression to the technical discussion phase.
19 March 2026: Preliminary Market Engagement - open
25 March 2026: Expressions of Interest window - close
25 March 2026: NDA Execution - Mandatory NDA issued to interested parties
27 March 2026: NDA Deadline - Signed NDAs must be returned via email
27 March 2026: Engagement Pack - The Engagement Pack will be shared with participants and it will contain specific technical points and questions. Suppliers should note that the information requested within this pack will form the basis of the discussion on the Engagement Day.
01 - 02 April 2026: Engagement Sessions - Individual 2-hour sessions will consist of a participant led presentation followed by a technical Q&A. To facilitate a structured discussion, participating parties are required to provide a summary presentation (in PDF or PowerPoint format) outlining their capability against requirements defined in the Engagement Pack.
Sessions will be held virtually via Google Meets; meeting slots will be formally allocated upon the successful execution of a NDA.
Note: This process is designed to facilitate a high level technical exchange. The Cabinet Office reserves the right to adjust the timeline based on the volume of interest received.
- Tender notice published155 days ago22 May 2026, 17:06 BST
- Latest notice published128 days ago18 Jun 2026, 12:43 BST
- Submission deadline124 days ago22 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST
- Today24 Oct 2026
- Award decision expected byin 38 days1 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 158 days1 Apr 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
8 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 19 Mar 2026- Preliminary market engagement notice published19 Mar 2026, 09:58 GMTUK2
- Tender notice published22 May 2026, 17:06 BSTUK4
- Published value published: £72,000,000,00022 May 2026, 17:06 BST
- Status changed to active22 May 2026, 17:06 BST
- Procurement method changed22 May 2026, 17:06 BST
- Deadline published: 22 Jun 2026, 12:00 BST22 May 2026, 17:06 BST
- Tender notice published28 May 2026, 11:54 BSTUK4
- Tender notice published18 Jun 2026, 12:43 BSTUK4
Published amendments (2)
Change to procedure to correct wording
Amendments made to Description of options text
Routine re-releases (4)
- 2026-03: 1 release · 19 Mar 2026
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (4)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Tender notice Tender notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender