Official UK procurement notice
715820471 - Pressure Hull Penetrators and Associated Cables and Connectors (PCC) - UK5
Authority: Submarine Delivery Agency (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe Authority has a requirement for a new contract to support Pressure Hull Penetrators and any associated cables & connectors.
There is an enduring requirement for the continued procurement, repair, overhaul, and Post Design Services for equipment and stores associated with AMETEK equipment and their components fitted to Submarines, as well as the provision of technical support, including updates to technical manuals, maintenance manuals, books of reference and safety documentation.
CPV: Connection cables · Electrical components · Strategic submarine nuclear fuelled
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedProcedure 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
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- 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
- 1 Apr 2026, 15:55 BST
- Last source update
- 28 Apr 2026, 15:36 BST
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-038743- Latest notice
- Transparency notice (UK5)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Not published
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-067b08Find a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Single Suppliers Technical Reasons; Additional Repeat Extension Partial Replacement
- Published justification
A direct award of the Contract to AMETEK SCP can be justified in accordance with the Direct Award procedure set out in section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023 (PA23), and in particular, the direct award justification grounds set out in Schedule 5, Paragraphs 6 and 7 of the PA23. The conditions set out at paragraph 6 of Schedule 5 are met as AMETEK SCP is the sole supplier that is technically capable of delivering and integrating PPENs and the associated cabling into Astute Class submarines. AMETEK currently carries out the installation, termination, and sealing of PPENs and cabling using proprietary processes that no other supplier can provide or replicate. This is due to the specialist tooling, technical documentation, and unique processes required to design, manufacture, seal, install, and certify PPENs and related cabling assemblies. The Authority does not hold the rights to access or share this proprietary tooling or technical documentation with third parties, preventing the work from being undertaken by any alternative contractors.
In relation to Paragraph 7 of Schedule 5, the PPENs and associated external cabling were originally designed as “fit and forget” equipment and installed during platform construction, when AMETEK was contracted as a supplier to the Authority by BAE Systems. The current requirement concerns the procurement and support of AMETEK owned NSNs, to which only AMETEK holds the rights. Any alternative cabling solutions would be incompatible with the systems already installed and would necessitate a complete redesign, which falls outside the scope of this requirement.
Operational availability requirements require a support arrangement that enables rapid deployment to UK and overseas bases, diagnosis of failures, and OEM‑backed repair. This requires immediate access to AMETEK spares, tooling, and SQEP personnel.
Given the bespoke nature of the equipment, proprietary processes and technical documentation involved, and ITAR controls, AMETEK have been identified as the only supplier that can deliver this requirement.
It is the Authority’s position, for the reasons set out above, that only AMETEK can meet the Authority’s requirements for both supply and technical support of the AMETEK-owned NSNs for Astute Class submarines.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
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Timeline
1 Apr 2026 → 30 Sept 2026 · 4 dates- Planning notice published210 days ago1 Apr 2026, 15:55 BST
- Latest notice published183 days ago28 Apr 2026, 15:36 BST
- Next notice expected181 days ago30 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
- Contract starts29 days ago30 Sept 2026, 00:00 BST
Notice history
5 events · 2 releases on Find a Tender · since 1 Apr 2026- Pipeline notice published1 Apr 2026, 15:55 BSTUK1
- Transparency notice published28 Apr 2026, 15:36 BSTUK5
- Status changed to complete28 Apr 2026, 15:36 BST
- Procurement method changed28 Apr 2026, 15:36 BST
- Contract signature expected30 Sept 2026, 23:59 BSTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMETEK SCP715820471 - Pressure Hull Penetrators and Associated Cables and Connectors (PCC)30 Sept 2026 – 30 Sept 2031 | £18,206,000 | — | Standstill |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- AMETEK SCPAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (2)
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