Official UK procurement notice
WECDIS & Combat System Interface Unit (WIU CSIU)
Authority: Defence Equipment and Support
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe National Armaments Director Group, part of the Ministry of Defence, intends to award a contract for the design, manufacture, installation and assurance of a replacement Warship Electronic Chart Display and Information (WECDIS) Interface Unit (WIU) and Combat System Interface Unit (CSIU) (together the Interfaces) to OSI Maritime Ltd (OSI). The contract will be for a term of two years and have an estimated value of £15m (inc VAT).
It is considered that this contract can be awarded under Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023 because the direct award justification specified in paragraph 6 of Schedule 5 (single supplier - technical reasons) applies.
This is because the WIU and CSIU are required to interface with an upgraded WECDIS being procured from OSI (and which was the subject of a separate transparency notice 2025/S 000-074667 published on 18 November 2025 and both Interfaces need to be integrated into the wider architecture of systems currently installed on Royal Navy platforms, all of which are supplied, supported and assured by OSI. These include the Electronic Chart Precise Integrated Navigation System (EPCIS) and Warship Automatic Identification System (WAIS). Only OSI has the necessary intellectual property rights, technical drawings and expertise to design, manufacture, install and assure replacement Interfaces which are compatible with existing Royal Navy architecture. There are no reasonable alternatives.
The current CSIU/WIU supplier has been approached to ensure continuity of supply, but the equipment support package which includes an update to the WIU/CSIU component, does not offer value for money and will therefore not be progressed.
The Authority considered alternative procurement approaches prior to selecting the proposed route to market. Following assessment of the available options, OSI Maritime Ltd was identified as the only viable supplier capable of delivering the requirement whilst maintaining compatibility with the existing ECPINS, WECDIS and WAIS architecture and meeting the Authority's technical, operational and safety requirements.
CPV: Navigation equipment
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
- Procurement category
- Goods
- Notice status
- Awarded without competition
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- 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
- 22 Jun 2026, 12:42 BST
- Last source update
- 28 Sept 2026, 13:56 BST
- Authority reference
715876480- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-091457- Latest notice
- Transparency notice (UK5)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ba08Find a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Single Suppliers Technical Reasons
- Published justification
The contract is being awarded directly under Section 41 of, and paragraph 6 of Schedule 5 to, the Procurement Act 2023 (single supplier - technical reasons).
The Authority has determined that only OSI Maritime Ltd possesses the intellectual property rights, technical drawings, design knowledge, safety assurance evidence and specialist expertise necessary to design, manufacture, install and assure replacement Warship Interface Units (WIU) and Combat System Interface Units (CSIU) that are compatible with the existing navigation and combat system architecture fitted to Royal Navy platforms.
The WIU and CSIU are required to interface with OSI supplied WECDIS, ECPINS and WAIS systems already installed across the affected platforms. The Authority assessed alternative procurement approaches and concluded that there are no reasonable alternatives capable of meeting the technical, operational, interoperability and safety requirements of the requirement whilst maintaining compatibility with the existing architecture.
The current supplier was considered; however, the available support solution did not provide value for money and would not deliver the required obsolescence recovery solution. Accordingly, OSI Maritime Ltd is the only supplier capable of delivering the requirement and the direct award is justified on technical grounds.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- —
Timeline
22 Jun 2026 → 1 Apr 2027 · 4 dates- Planning notice published124 days ago22 Jun 2026, 12:42 BST
- Latest notice published26 days ago28 Sept 2026, 13:56 BST
- Today24 Oct 2026
- Next notice expectedin 39 days1 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 159 days1 Apr 2027, 00:00 BST
Notice history
7 events · 4 releases on Find a Tender · since 22 Jun 2026- Pipeline notice published22 Jun 2026, 12:42 BSTUK1
- Pipeline notice published14 Sept 2026, 11:15 BSTUK1
- Published value updated to £12,500,00014 Sept 2026, 11:15 BSTwas £8,000,000
- Pipeline notice published24 Sept 2026, 11:26 BSTUK1
- Transparency notice published28 Sept 2026, 13:56 BSTUK5
- Status changed to complete28 Sept 2026, 13:56 BST
- Contract signature expected15 Mar 2027, 23:59 GMTscheduled
Routine re-releases (4)
- 2026-06: 1 release · 22 Jun 2026
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| OSI Maritime SystemsSME1 Apr 2027 – 31 Mar 2029 | £12,500,000 | — | Standstill |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- OSI Maritime Systems LtdAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (4)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender
- Pipeline notice Pipeline notice on Find a Tender
- Pipeline notice Pipeline notice on Find a Tender
- Pipeline notice Pipeline notice on Find a Tender