713661450 - SAWCS SCU In Service Support

{
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      "items": [
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              "description": "Repair and maintenance services of military electronic systems",
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      "status": "active",
      "suppliers": [
        {
          "id": "GB-COH-14355663",
          "name": "Ultra Maritime UK Limited"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "buyer": {
    "id": "GB-PPON-PVRL-5831-GLMM",
    "name": "Defence Equipment and Support"
  },
  "contracts": [
    {
      "aboveThreshold": true,
      "awardID": "1",
      "dateSigned": "2025-11-05T00:00:00+00:00",
      "documents": [
        {
          "datePublished": "2025-12-02T12:21:30Z",
          "description": "Contract details notice on Find a Tender",
          "documentType": "contractNotice",
          "format": "text/html",
          "id": "078869-2025",
          "noticeType": "UK7",
          "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078869-2025"
        }
      ],
      "id": "1",
      "noAgreedMetricsRationale": "The Contract value is below \u00a35M including VAT.",
      "period": {
        "endDate": "2031-03-31T23:59:59+01:00",
        "startDate": "2025-11-05T00:00:00+00:00"
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      "status": "active",
      "value": {
        "amount": 2438229.16,
        "amountGross": 2438229.16,
        "currency": "GBP"
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  "date": "2025-12-02T12:21:30Z",
  "id": "078869-2025",
  "initiationType": "tender",
  "language": "en",
  "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-0504af",
  "parties": [
    {
      "address": {
        "country": "GB",
        "countryName": "United Kingdom",
        "locality": "Bristol",
        "postalCode": "BS34 8JH",
        "region": "UKK12",
        "streetAddress": "MOD Abbey Wood"
      },
      "contactPoint": {
        "email": "moira.duggan314@mod.gov.uk"
      },
      "details": {
        "classifications": [
          {
            "description": "Public authority - central government",
            "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment",
            "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE"
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        "url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/defence-equipment-and-support"
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      "id": "GB-PPON-PVRL-5831-GLMM",
      "identifier": {
        "id": "PVRL-5831-GLMM",
        "scheme": "GB-PPON"
      },
      "name": "Defence Equipment and Support",
      "roles": [
        "buyer"
      ]
    },
    {
      "address": {
        "country": "GB",
        "countryName": "United Kingdom",
        "locality": "High Wycombe",
        "postalCode": "HP10 9UT",
        "region": "UKJ13",
        "streetAddress": "Knaves Beech Business Centre"
      },
      "contactPoint": {
        "email": "jay.mercer@umaritime.uk"
      },
      "details": {
        "publicServiceMissionOrganization": false,
        "scale": "large",
        "shelteredWorkshop": false,
        "vcse": false
      },
      "id": "GB-COH-14355663",
      "identifier": {
        "id": "14355663",
        "scheme": "GB-COH"
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      "name": "Ultra Maritime UK Limited",
      "roles": [
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  ],
  "tag": [
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  "tender": {
    "description": "The Secretary of State for Defence (the Authority), through the Sonar and Maritime Sensors (SaMS) Project Team within Defence Equipment \u0026 Support (DE\u0026S), intends to place a 5.5-year contract, with Ultra Maritime UK (UMUK) for the In-Service Support of the Submarine Acoustic Warfare Control System (SAWCS) Stores Control Unit (SCU). \nSAWCS is a bespoke Inboard countermeasure control system developed exclusively for Royal Navy (RN) submarines. It is used with Submarine Counter-measure Acoustic Device (SCAD) 101/102 providing defence to RN submarines from hostile torpedoes by providing a torpedo decoy capability. Support will be provided to the RN submarines fitted with SAWCS to maintain availability of the units, including spares maintenance, engineering support and obsolescence management.",
    "documents": [
      {
        "description": "Not published",
        "documentType": "conflictOfInterest",
        "id": "conflictOfInterest"
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    "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-0504af",
    "legalBasis": {
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      "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
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        "status": "complete"
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    ],
    "procurementMethod": "direct",
    "procurementMethodDetails": "Direct award",
    "procurementMethodRationale": "It is considered that the direct award of the contract is lawful pursuant to Section 41 and paragraph 7 of Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023 for additional or repeat goods, works and services. The proposed In-Service Support is a continuation of the existing support provided by UMUK under the current contract. \nThe SCU is  a safety-critical piece of equipment that relies on high integrity software to operate. A change in supplier would result in the Authority  receiving services that are different from, or incompatible with, the existing services, and the difference or incompatibility would result in disproportionate technical difficulties in operation or maintenance. In particular:\n1.\tUMUK are the original equipment manufacturer who have the experience and technical expertise to maintain the equipment. A new supplier would need a disproportionate amount of time to build the detailed technical  understanding of the intricacies of the SCU and interfaces in order to maintain the safe operation of the equipment from the outset of the contract and  throughout its duration, ensuring no gap in operational capability.  \n2.\tIf the hardware, interfaces or processing architecture change as a result of the Authority receiving a different service, and this in any way impacts on the current software build, the costs of embodying that change would be highly cost-prohibitive and take a disproportionate amount of time to regain safety qualification. Without this qualification the system would not be deemed \u2018Safe to Operate\u2019 and would have to be withdrawn from service. \nThese factors increase the risk that a change of provider would result in difference or incompatibility which would bring about disproportionate technical difficulties in operation or maintenance. For these reasons it is not considered that another provider could meet the required level of support without introducing an unacceptable level of technical, safety and security risk to MOD capability.",
    "procurementMethodRationaleClassifications": [
      {
        "id": "additionalRepeatExtensionPartialReplacement"
      }
    ],
    "specialRegime": [
      "defenceSecurity"
    ],
    "status": "complete",
    "title": "713661450 - SAWCS SCU In Service Support"
  }
}