Spearfish Development Contract (SHDC)
Defence Equipment and SupportEstimated Value
Up to £30,000,000
Deadline
Not specified
Published
28 October 2026
Type
Not specified
At a glance
- Estimated value
- £30,000,000
- Published
- 28 October 2026
- Location
- South West
- Type
- direct procedure
- Likely incumbent
- Leonardo (UK) Ltd, current contract ends May 2031
- Published on
- Find a Tender
Overview
The Ministry of Defence is considering placing a Single Source contract (the “Spearfish Development Contract” (SFDC)) with BAE Systems Limited for development work in support of the Spearfish torpedo. The contract would be awarded via Direct Award to BAE Systems, based on their being the Design Authority for the Spearfish system.
The justification for Direct Award is based on Procurement Act 2023, Schedule 5 paragraphs 6a and 6b. This will be a Qualifying Defence Contract (QDC) under the Defence Reform Act 2014 and the Single Source Contract Regulations 2014 The proposed contract would commence April 2027 with a five year duration (i.e. to end March 2032), and an estimated value of £30M during that period. The contract would contain three one year options to extend, giving a maximum duration of eight years (5+1+1+1)(i.e. to March 2035).
Key dates
- Commences
- April 2027
Regulations cited
- Procurement Act 2023
- Defence Reform Act 2014
- Single Source Contract Regulations 2014
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Likely incumbents
Suppliers who won similar work from this buyer in the last 5 years.
- 1
Leonardo (UK) Ltd
7 contracts wonlatest 30 Oct 2026ends 14 May 2031£180m
total awarded
- 2
Thales UK Ltd
7 contracts wonlatest 4 Sept 2026ends 31 Aug 2034£30m
total awarded
- 3
BAE Systems (Operations) Ltd
3 contracts wonlatest 27 Aug 2026ends 31 Mar 2030£10m
total awarded
- 4
General Dynamics United Kingdom Limited
£2bn
total awarded
- 5
Viking Arms Ltd
£9m
total awarded
Leonardo (UK) Ltd is the most likely incumbent based on recency and category match. To win, bidders typically need a clearly differentiated proposition or a price advantage.
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two years of filed accountsyour financial standingturnover vs contract valueyour Companies House recordcash flow for 30-day termscredit scores and ratios
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Buyer Profile
Defence Equipment and SupportKey Dates
Published
28 October 2026
Submission deadline
Not specified
Notice type
planning
Source
find a tender
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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