Find a TenderPlanned procurementPreliminary market engagement notice
Published 31 Mar 2026, 11:32 BST

Official UK procurement notice

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement - RFI - Joint Commando Craft Programme

Authority: Ministry of Defence (Central government)

GoodsAbove thresholdDefence & security
Planned pipeline valueValue not publishedpipeline notice, not a live tender
Tender notice expected Date not publishedfrom the planned procurement notice
Contract term 7 yrs 9 moends 31 Dec 2033 · starts 31 Mar 2026

What is being bought

Published requirement description

*This notice is intended to direct suppliers to the Mercell platform for participation*

Participation for this RFI can be found on Mercell.com at the following link: ted.europa.eu/en/notice/-/detail/1… ↗

UK MOD link to Opportunity (not for participation): contracts.mod.uk/esop/guest/go/opport… ↗

Dear Industry Partner,

I am pleased to inform you that the Joint Commando Craft (JCC) Project, which now incorporates the Commando Insertion Craft (CIC), will publish a Request for Information on the Mercell procurement platform.

This Project is part of the Lunna House Agreement, the broader UK-Norway defence partnership, which reflects the depth and ambition of bilateral cooperation across a range of high-value capability areas.

The JCC Project is a joint endeavour to develop up to 30 next-generation vessels in support of surface manoeuvre operations by Commando forces. The RFI represents a significant milestone as the Project moves into a new phase, and we welcome engagement from all suppliers who can contribute to this exciting opportunity.

The RFI can be found on Mercell.com at the following link: ted.europa.eu/en/notice/-/detail/1… ↗

Returns are requested no later than 24th of April 2026.

We ask that all engagement, questions, and submissions are conducted through Mercell. This ensures a fair and transparent process for all parties.

We look forward to re-engaging with industry as this Project gathers pace.

*This notice is intended to direct suppliers to the Mercell platform for participation*

CPV: Boats

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · no lot value published
Lot #1Planned 7 yrs 9 mo
Contract period: 31 Mar 2026 – 31 Dec 2033 (7 yrs 9 mo)
Delivery: UK

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published

How Ministry of Defence buys Boats (CPV 3452), and who usually turns up

Ministry of Defence’s published record next to the market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are left out: they draw different bid counts. Whole-market view: Boats (CPV 3452) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.

Question for the bid
This buyerMinistry of Defence · division 34
The marketBoats (CPV 3452) · UK-wide
What to do with it
How often do SMEs win?
i

How often small and medium firms win.

Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.

The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 13 of 22 known-size awards · market: CPV 3452 · UK-wide, n=7
59%71%

Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.

How often do local suppliers win?
i

How often local firms win similar work.

Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.

Local means the winner is registered in the region where that award was delivered.

A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 0 of 3 known-location awards · market: CPV 3452 · UK-wide, n=6
0 of 317%

Most of this buyer’s recorded winners were registered outside the region where that award was delivered.

How long to a decision?
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the bid deadline to the award date, on competitions that published both.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: 8 decided notices · market: division 34 · UK-wide, n=172
24 days45 days

Half of these awards have an award date within 24 days of the bid deadline.

How often single-bid or direct?
i

How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.

Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.

Both shares are minimums: some awards have no bid count.

Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.

Last 36 months.

Buyer: at least 20 of 42 procurements with awards had no recorded rival · market: CPV 3452 · UK-wide, n=13
48%69%

Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.

How many bids did past lots attract?

i

How many bids past lots received.

Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.

Past bids do not predict this tender.

Last 36 months.

This buyer16 lots with bid counts · broad CPV 34
25% had one bid
The market5 lots with bid counts · CPV 3452 · UK-wide
40% had one bid
Buyer / market · select a colour for counts
1 bid25% / 40%
Buyer: 4 of 16 lots with published bid counts. Market: 2 of 5 lots with published bid counts.
2–350% / 40%
Buyer: 8 of 16 lots with published bid counts. Market: 2 of 5 lots with published bid counts.
4–625% / 20%
Buyer: 4 of 16 lots with published bid counts. Market: 1 of 5 lots with published bid counts.
7+0% / 0%
Buyer: 0 of 16 lots with published bid counts. Market: 0 of 5 lots with published bid counts.

How did awards compare with estimates?

i

Where winning prices landed against estimates.

Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.

Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.

Last 36 months.

This buyer92 lots with estimate and award · all categories
60% below estimate
The market233 lots with estimate and award · division 34 · UK-wide
34% below estimate
Buyer / market · select a colour for counts
Below estimate60% / 34%
Buyer: 55 of 92 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 80 of 233 lots with an estimate and award.
Within ±2%22% / 41%
Buyer: 20 of 92 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 95 of 233 lots with an estimate and award.
Above estimate18% / 25%
Buyer: 17 of 92 lots with an estimate and award. Market: 58 of 233 lots with an estimate and award.
2

Assess each lot
i

What past awards tell you about each lot.

See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.

No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.

Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list

Lot #1CPV 345293 monthsEstimate not published
Expected competition
i

How many bids this lot may attract.

The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.

Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. The bar shows 359 past lots.

A forecast, not a list of bidders.

—No model forecast yet25% chance of a single bid
Past bids on 359 similar lots
1 bid25%
88 of 359 similar past lots received 1 bid (25%).
2–344%
159 of 359 similar past lots received 2–3 (44%).
4–625%
90 of 359 similar past lots received 4–6 (25%).
7+6%
22 of 359 similar past lots received 7+ (6%).
Comparable past lots usually drew 3 bids.
Commercial price forecast
i

Where the award price may land.

The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.

No comparable awards for this lot yet.

A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.

—Estimate not published
The buyer published no estimate for this lot, so there is nothing to forecast against. A price prediction here would be a number about a number we do not have.

Who has supplied this buyer on similar work?
i

Who has done similar work for this buyer.

Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.

A past supplier may not bid again.

No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.

Who could compete for this lot?
i

Who could compete for this lot?

Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.

None is confirmed as a bidder.

Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.

About this data
  • Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
  • Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
  • Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
  • Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Goods
Notice status
Planned procurement
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Defence & security
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
Unspecified in notice
First published
31 Mar 2026, 11:32 BST
Last source update
31 Mar 2026, 11:32 BST
FTS notice number
2026/S 000-029535
Latest notice
Preliminary market engagement notice (UK2)
Classification (CPV)
Boats
Delivery area
UK
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0678d0 Find a Tender

How it was run

Official notice
Submission deadline
—

Timeline

31 Mar 2026 → 24 Apr 2026 · 3 dates
  1. Contract starts210 days ago
    31 Mar 2026, 00:00 BST
  2. Planning notice published210 days ago
    31 Mar 2026, 11:32 BST
  3. Market engagement185 days ago
    24 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST

    *This notice is intended to direct suppliers to the Mercell platform to participate in this RFI by 24 April 2026*

    The RFI can be found on Mercell.com at the following link: ted.europa.eu/en/notice/-/detail/1… ↗

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Preliminary market engagement notice published
    31 Mar 2026, 11:32 BST
    UK2

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Pipeline notice
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

Ministry of Defence

Contracting authorityPublic authority - central government GB-PPON: PHVX-4316-ZVGZ Zone D Ground Floor, Ministry of Defence Main Building, Whitehall, London, London, SW1A 2EUContact name, email

Official documents & specifications (1)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Notices published for this procedure