Official UK procurement notice
UK5 - Transparency Notice
Authority: National Armament Director Group (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionAjax is an armoured fighting vehicle which provides the Army with its first fully digitised platform. The vehicles were designed and manufactured by General Dynamics United Kingdom Ltd (GDUK Ltd) and are therefore the original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and Design Authority (DA).
Defence Equipment & Support (DES), part of the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) is planning to award a 5 year (plus two 1 year options) Ajax IOS Transition Support contract to GDUK Ltd for the support of the vehicles as they complete their manufacture phase and transition to Post Design Services and Repair and Maintenance activities.
The contract will cover support arrangements designed to ensure the sustained operational availability and performance of the Ajax platform vehicles. It will be a fully integrated, spares-inclusive support contract that combines post-design services with the provisioning of spare parts, repair and maintenance activities, and to facilitate technical support. The contract is structured to deliver a holistic through-life support solution, addressing both routine and emergent requirements to maintain the platform's capability and readiness.
The MoD will also utilise other contracting arrangements to fulfil the Ajax support service needs, as necessary.
The contract value is an indicative value at this point in the procurement procedure, this value may change at contract award due to additional options such as surge for war fighting.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedLot #1Awarded
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Direct award
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Notice status
- Awarded without competition
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Defence & security
- 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
- 3 Nov 2025, 11:34 GMT
- Last source update
- 3 Nov 2025, 11:34 GMT
- Authority reference
UK5 - Transparency Notice Ajax ISS- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-070383- Latest notice
- Transparency notice (UK5)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05d8ccFind a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Single Suppliers Technical Reasons
- Published justification
The In-Service Support Contract is intended to cover the period from the conclusion of the current contract on 1st January 2028 and will endure for five years, plus two optional one-year extension periods. The contract will be awarded in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023 (PA23) and the Procurement Regulations 2024. It is considered that this contract can be awarded by way of a Direct Award to GDUK Ltd in accordance with Section 41 and Schedule 5 – Single Supplier, paragraph 6 of the PA23 due to the unique technical reasons relating to this procurement.
The MoD does not currently have access to the necessary proprietary information or technical documentation for the Ajax platform. Only GDUK Ltd, as OEM and DA, has access to and rights in the necessary Intellectual Property (IP) and technical data which precludes the MoD from sourcing the required goods, works, or services from an alternative supplier currently. Further, only GDUK Ltd has the requisite know-how and suitably qualifies and experienced personnel and information necessary to meet the MoD’s requirement.
This approach is necessary to ensure that the MoD can maintain operational capability and safeguard the effective support of the Ajax platform.
- Risks
n/a
Notice history
2 events · 1 release on Find a Tender · since 3 Nov 2025- Transparency notice published3 Nov 2025, 11:34 GMTUK5
- Contract signature expected31 Dec 2027, 23:59 GMTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Dynamics Land Systems UKAjax IOS Transition Support Contract1 Jan 2028 – 31 Mar 2033 · up to 31 Mar 2035Extensions: There are two options each of one year to be taken up consecutively | £1,250,000,000very large published value · not counted until verified, check the notice | — | Standstill |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- General Dynamics United Kingdom LimitedAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender