MOD Defence Contracts Bulletin Value Bands
Contracts published within the Possible Future Purchases and Tenders Invited sections of MOD Defence Contracts Bulletin contain value banding information. Value bands are used by the MOD to indicate the approximate value of the contract being advertised. They are provided for guidance only, but are useful in helping to assess whether your organisation should consider responding to the contract notice.
The bandings are:
| Category A: | £400,000,000 and above |
| Category A1: | £250,000,000 to £400,000,000 |
| Category B1: | £100,000,000 to £250,000,000 |
| Category C: | £20,000,000 to £100,000,000 |
| Category D: | £10,000,000 to £20,000,000 |
| Category E: | £5,000,000 to £10,000,000 |
| Category F1a: | £3,400,000 to £5,000,000 |
| Category F1b: | £685,000 to £3,400,000 |
| Category H1: | £93,000 to £685,000 |
| Category I1: | £40,000 to £93,000 |
| Category J1: | £20,000 to £40,000 |
Supplier Development Scheme: Cessation of Supplier & Customer Performance Measurement (S&CPM) Process
Activities in respect of the Supplier & Customer Performance Measurement (S&CPM) Process have ceased with effect from 30 June 2010. MOD acquisition teams have been instructed to remove all references to S&CPM from contract/tender documentation. Any queries should be addressed to DESSRT-Mailbox@mod.uk
Freedom of Information Act & Environmental Information Regulations
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 ('the FOIA') and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 ('the EIR') provides a statutory right of access to information held by or on behalf of public authorities. The FOIA and EIR applies to all information that MOD holds and it makes no distinction about who originated it. Requests for information received by the MOD will normally be responded to within 20 working days. Whilst there can be no guarantees, there are exemptions in the FOIA and EIR that will protect commercially sensitive information.
In order to enable the MOD to meet the normal response time, companies are requested to identify commercially sensitive information when forwarding material to MOD and include details of a named individual within the company whom MOD may contact in cases of FOIA or EIR enquiries related to this information. Where the MOD is contemplating disclosure, it will consult industry to ascertain the degree of harm that would arise from disclosure. Should the MOD decide to disclose against the wishes of the company, the company will be given prior notification of the disclosure.
Further details of MOD policy towards the FOIA can be found on the AOF website. Click on http://www.aof.mod.uk/aofcontent/tactical/toolkit/content/topics/fofi.htm and select Freedom Of Information from the A-Z list of topics
Footnote
Information held by MOD is subject to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, which provides a statutory right of access to information subject to certain exemptions.
Advertising Regimes
Advertising the MOD’s tender and contract opportunities
The MOD already leads the way in the transparency of its tender and contract opportunities and procedures. The MOD decided to lower the threshold for the advertisement of its tender and contract opportunities from 30 June 2007. In line with one of the key themes of the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS), this was one of a range of initiatives aimed at making the MOD easier for small and medium-sized enterprise companies (SMEs) to do business with. The MOD is committed to encouraging SME entry into a broader range of defence opportunities and this change has been welcomed by the defence trade associations.
All the MOD's requirements for goods, services and works valued at greater than £40,000 must be advertised both before and after contract award in MOD Defence Contracts Bulletin (MOD DCB), unless the requirement meets the approved grounds for exclusion from MOD DCB (see 'Exemptions' below).
The advertising regimes and thresholds are as set out below.
£20,000 to £39,999 All requirements for goods, services or works valued equal to or less than £40,000 but greater than £20,000 that are not exempt from being advertised in DCB, can be advertised, at the discretion of MOD acquisition staff, in the online version of MOD DCB and on the Supply2.gov.uk portal.
£40,000 to £90,318 All requirements for goods, services or works valued at less than £90,319 but greater than £40,000 will be advertised in the online version of MOD DCB and on the Supply2.gov.uk portal unless the requirement meets the approved grounds for exclusion from MOD DCB, the exception being requirements met by call-offs under an existing framework agreement.
£90,319 or above All requirements for goods, services or works valued at equal to or greater than £90,319 will be advertised in the online and magazine versions of MOD DCB unless the requirement meets the approved grounds for exclusion from MOD DCB. Where the EU Public Procurement Regulations apply, the requirement must be advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) as well as in MOD DCB.
Warlike Exempt: £684,221 (or above) 'Warlike' requirements subject to Article 296 exemption of the EC Treaty valued at equal to or greater than £684,221 shall be advertised in the online and magazine versions of MOD DCB and the European Defence Agency (EDA)'s Electronic Bulletin Board (EBB) (www.eda.europa.eu/ebbweb) unless the requirement meets the approved grounds for exclusion from MOD DCB or the EDA EBB.
Exemptions from advertisement in MOD DCB
Requirements for the following, and services connected to them, are approved exemptions from advertisement in MOD DCB:
a) Nuclear weapons and nuclear propulsion systems;
b) Toxic and radioactive agents;
c) Cryptographic requirements;
d) Requirements for which no meaningful unclassified advertisement can be written. When such a requirement occurs, the policy sponsor must be advised, stating the contract title, number and value;
e) Requirements covered by international agreements and/or a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the terms of which preclude MOD DCB announcements;
f) Formally approved Urgent Operational Requirements (UORs) may be exempted from adverts in the Possible Future Purchases/Contract Notices and Tenders Invited sections and reduced timescales may be applied.
Further guidance regarding the advertisement of the MOD's tender and contract opportunities can be found in the 'Advertising' topic in the Commercial Toolkit. This can be accessed as follows: visit: http://www.aof.mod.uk/aofcontent/tactical/toolkit/content/topics/supprel.htm Guidance by Topic/A-Z List of Topics/Advertising
