£12M Oceanographic Glider Contract Award to Teledyne Webb Research

Contract

FMDG Persistent Oceanographic Data Collect

• Ministry of Defence UK7: Contract details notice - Procurement Act 2023 - view information about notice types

Notice identifier: 2026/S 000-034922

Procurement identifier (OCID): ocds-h6vhtk-05fb72 (view related notices)

Published 29 March 2026, 7:20pm

Last edited 16 April 2026, 10:11pm

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• 16 April 2026, 10:11pm (this version)
• 29 March 2026, 7:20pm

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Contents

Scope Contract 1. FMDG Persistent Oceanographic Data Collect Other information Procedure Supplier Contracting authority

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Changes to notice

This notice has been edited. The previous version is still available.

Correction to maximum contract value which had an incorrect entry on original version of the notice.

Scope

Reference

715738451

Description

The Royal Navy intends to award a 2-year contract to Teledyne Instruments Inc. d/b/a Teledyne Webb Research for up to 15 gliders and supporting systems.

Contract 1. FMDG Persistent Oceanographic Data Collect

Supplier

Contract value

• £10,000,000 excluding VAT
• £12,000,000 including VAT Above the relevant threshold

Date signed

16 March 2026

Contract dates

• 16 March 2026 to 31 March 2028
• 2 years, 16 days

Main procurement category

Goods

Options

The right to additional purchases while the contract is valid.

Contract is for an initial value of £6,666,666 (excluding VAT)/£8,000,000 (including VAT) with option to increaase value to £10,000,000 (excluding VAT)/£12,000,000 (including VAT) to purchase additional equipment and/or support.

CPV classifications

Gliders

Contract locations

• UK - United Kingdom

Key performance indicators

Name	Description	Reporting frequency
Delivery of equipment within agreed timescales	Number of days delivered after agreed date	1 months
Equipment functional on delivery	Number of items which are not fully functional on delivery	1 months
Support provided when required	Number of instances of required support not being provided	3 months

Signed contract documents

715738451 Contract Redacted.pdf

Contract For Transparency

Other information

Conflicts assessment prepared/revised

Yes

Procedure

Procedure type

Direct award

Special regime

Defence and security

Direct award justification

Single supplier - technical reasons

The Royal Navy intends to award a 2-year contract to Teledyne Instruments Inc. d/b/a Teledyne Webb Research for up to 15 gliders and supporting systems. This approach is lawful under Schedule 5, paragraphs 6 and 7 of the Procurement Act 2023, as competition is absent for technical reasons and a change in supplier would result in incompatibility and disproportionate technical difficulties.

Compatibility Context: Teledyne is the original equipment manufacturer and sole holder of proprietary design and integration protocols for the Royal Navy’s existing glider fleet (nine Teledyne Slocum Gliders). These gliders are integrated into MOD’s underwater battlespace architecture, including command-and-control systems and secure data exchange with strategic partners.

Disproportionate Technical Difficulties:

• Interoperability: Alternative gliders may fail to meet NATO-standard interoperability and encryption requirements, creating vulnerabilities in classified mission data exchange.

• Safety Risks. Currently only Teledyne Gliders have a safety Case for Royal Navy Operations. New gliders will require new safety policy and permissions.

• Operational Delays: Integration with existing systems would require extensive re-engineering and validation, delaying capability potentially up to 12–18 months.

• Cost Impact: Additional costs for bespoke middleware, retraining, support, and duplicating spares inventory would exceed the contract value. Note: RN has a funded two year sole Teledyne Glider Support Contract. A different glider contract will require additional funds for support and interoperability provision. Not scoped currently.

• Mission Continuity: Introducing a second platform would double logistic complexity and increase failure points during deployments.

These difficulties are disproportionate because they would compromise safety, delay delivery, and impose costs far beyond the contract value, with no operational benefit. Teledyne remains the only supplier able to guarantee seamless interoperability, security compliance, and mission readiness into the Current RN Glider Fleet.

Supplier

Teledyne Webb Research, a Business Unit of Teledyne Instruments, Inc

• Public Procurement Organisation Number: PVLD-7113-RTZD 49 Edgerton Drive

North Falmouth

MA 02556

United States

Email: arnar.steingrimsson@teledyne.com

Small or medium-sized enterprise (SME): Yes

Voluntary, community or social enterprise (VCSE): No

Supported employment provider: No

Public service mutual: No

Contract 1. FMDG Persistent Oceanographic Data Collect

Contracting authority

Ministry of Defence

• Public Procurement Organisation Number: PHVX-4316-ZVGZ Navy Commercial, NCHQ, Whale Island

Portsmouth

PO2 8BY

United Kingdom

Email: lee.culshaw100@mod.gov.uk

Website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence

Region: UKJ31 - Portsmouth

Organisation type: Public authority - central government