A-Class Platform Complex Systems - Batch 1 PMS and ICS

The Platform Equipment Delivery Team (PEDT), part of the UK Ministry of Defence (the “Authority”), intends to enter into a contract (the “Contract”) with L3Harris MAPPS Ltd (the “Contractor”) to take effect on and from 1st March 2026 for a period of 7 years for the provision of in-service support of the Internal Communication Systems (ICS) and Astute Class Platform Complex Systems Batch 1 Platform Management System (PMS) and equipment, providing technical support, waterfront support and Post Design Services ensuring that availability is maintained and obsolescence and reliability issues are addressed, including the provision of ICS Spares and Repairs. The systems provide critical safety and operational functions in support of the Authority’s Submarine Delivery Agency (SDA) capabilities. The Contract has a value (ex VAT) of approx. £51,000,000 (Fifty-One million pounds sterling).

It is considered that the Contract can be entered into using Direct Award pursuant to Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023 on the basis that the Contract may be awarded only to the Contractor for 7(a) the contracting authority receiving goods, services or works that are different from or incompatible with , the existing goods, services or works, and (b) the difference or incompatibility would result in disproportionate technical difficulties in operational maintenance.

The Contractor is the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and Design Authority (DA) for, and holder of all relevant proprietary information in the ICS and A-Class Platform Complex Systems Batch 1 PMS. The Contractor holds and maintains deployed software source codes and original technical documentation specific to the Astute Class Boats 1 to 7 ICS and any changes or modifications to the software can only be undertaken exclusively by the Contractor. As the OEM and DA, only the Contractor has the ability to make amendments to the Batch 1 PMS as in order to make amendments to the Batch 1 PMS, access to the Contractor’s proprietary toolset, MAPPS, is required. This is necessary for the performance of the requirement.

The Authority does not have sufficient knowledge or experience of using the MAPPS toolset and the Authority does not have any proprietary rights in the MAPPS proprietary toolset used for actual coding and is therefore unable to pass this on to any third party. The Contractor, as the only manufacturer and supplier of the ICS and A-Class Platform Complex systems Batch 1 PMS, is the only economic operator with the specific technical knowledge and experience of the ICS and A-Class PMS system to be able to support and update such equipment, avoiding safety and availability risk issues.