The Ministry of Defence intends to amend its contract with AmSafe Bridport for helicopter under slung load equipment and airdrop cargo nets without a competition, taking the total value to £18.77 million excluding VAT, according to a transparency notice published on Thursday.
The amendment adds £1.34 million to a contract currently valued at £17.43 million, with the duration unchanged, expiry remaining June 2027 and the earliest date the amendment can be signed given as 30 September.
According to the notice, the National Armaments Director Group is making the award under Schedule 5, paragraph 6 of the Procurement Act 2023, on the grounds that there is an absence of viable alternative suppliers for technical reasons.
Helicopter under slung load equipment covers the strops, nets and fittings that allow a helicopter to carry cargo beneath the airframe rather than inside it, which is how vehicles, artillery, water, ammunition and stores are moved when roads are unusable or too slow. Airdrop cargo nets serve a related function for loads released from aircraft in flight.
The notice sets out where the equipment fits within existing capabilities, with the nets described as an essential component of the Maritime Modular Platform, Supply Platform Aerial Delivery, Light Stores and the Container Delivery System, supporting front line command requirements across four capabilities the department lists as small boats aerial delivery, maritime resupply, land resupply and humanitarian aid.
The amendment also covers post design services, including the review and reissue of airworthiness documentation needed to sustain the equipment through to contract expiry.
AmSafe Bridport was originally selected following a competitive procurement, with the requirement advertised at between £12 million and £20 million excluding VAT.
The company is the original equipment manufacturer and design organisation for the nets and load equipment supplied under the contract, and on that basis the notice states it alone holds “the requisite proprietary design data, manufacturing expertise, and qualification evidence necessary to produce items that meet the required military airworthiness and safety standards”.
Bringing in another supplier would require extensive requalification, according to the department, which “would adversely affect operational readiness and the Authority’s ability to meet urgent Aerial Delivery requirements”, with the notice stating that awarding to any other organisation would pose unacceptable safety and operational risks.
Arrangements of this kind are not intended to be permanent, and on that the notice states: “The MOD is currently formulating its longer term strategy and will look to engage with the market to explore potential options for a future competition.”
The notice carries the standard qualification that its publication does not confirm the amendment will be made, and that any expenditure or effort undertaken by suppliers before award is a matter for their own commercial judgement.
