DefenceLens

MOD tenders: live Ministry of Defence contract opportunities

What a defence contract means at the MOD

A defence contract with the Ministry of Defence is a public contract to supply equipment, services, works or research to the MOD or one of its organisations, such as DE&S, Dstl or DIO. When the MOD competes a contract, it publishes a tender notice on Find a Tender. The notice sets the deadline, the conditions you must meet and where to respond, which for MOD tenders is usually the Defence Sourcing Portal. This page covers MOD tendering: live tenders, worked examples, typical timelines, who can bid and how to register. For UK defence contracts across every buyer, including contract awards, see DefenceLens: UK defence tenders and contract awards.

Ministry of Defence tenders are published on the UK’s official Find a Tender service — but they sit alongside tens of thousands of notices from every other public buyer. Periscope, our intelligence engine, sweeps official sources every 30 minutes, keeps only defence and security notices, and tracks each one from pipeline to award. This page shows the live picture for MOD-named buyers.

3,272
MOD procurements tracked
14
Open MOD opportunities
2,345
MOD contract awards

Figures updated 25 Oct 2026, 16:01 · Data since May 2026 · UK only; EU (TED) coverage is on Prime

Find a Tender data last refreshed 25 October 2026 at 15:58 GMT.

Latest open MOD tenders

See every open MOD tender →

Worked examples from live MOD tenders

Open MOD tenders picked automatically from our latest data, and what each notice tells a bidder. Open a notice to read it in full.

  1. Acquisition of SKYDIO X10D Uncrewed Air System UK4

    Ministry of Defence · Published 20/10/2026 · deadline 19/11/2026 · 31 days to respond

    Procedure: Open procedure

    • Above the threshold under the Procurement Act 2023: the buyer will ask for your core supplier information, held on Find a Tender, during the procurement.
    • Responses go through the Defence Sourcing Portal, so you need a supplier account there to bid. DefenceLens shows this notice with the “Bid via DSP” label.
  2. CTCRM Laundry Rental procurement

    Ministry of Defence · Published 20/10/2026 · deadline 04/11/2026 · 15 days to respond

    Procedure: Below threshold - open competition

    • Below the threshold: there is no fixed minimum tendering period, so the buyer sets how long you have.
    • Responses go through the Defence Sourcing Portal, so you need a supplier account there to bid. DefenceLens shows this notice with the “Bid via DSP” label.
  3. UBIQUITY FPV Training

    Ministry of Defence · Published 12/10/2026 · deadline 06/11/2026 · 25 days to respond

    Procedure: Competitive flexible procedure

    • Above the threshold under the Procurement Act 2023: the buyer will ask for your core supplier information, held on Find a Tender, during the procurement.
    • Multi-stage procedure: the first deadline is often for requests to participate or expressions of interest, not full tenders.
    • Responses go through the Defence Sourcing Portal, so you need a supplier account there to bid. DefenceLens shows this notice with the “Bid via DSP” label.

How long MOD tenders stay open

For an above-threshold competitive tender under the Procurement Act 2023, the normal minimum tendering period is 25 days where tenders are submitted electronically and all tender documents are available from the start. It is 30 or 35 days if either condition is not met, and can be as short as 10 days after a qualifying planned procurement notice or in a genuine state of urgency. Below-threshold tenders have no fixed minimum.

In our data, open-procedure tenders of that kind from the MOD and its agencies (90 with deadlines that have passed) allowed a median of 32 days between the notice appearing on Find a Tender and the deadline. Half allowed between 28 and 41 days.

See how long MOD tenders stay open for the method and figures by buyer.

Who can bid for MOD tenders

  • Any capable supplier can bid. The MOD says it does not keep preferred supplier lists and wants new entrants in its supply chain. Each tender's conditions of participation decide whether you can take part, so read them first.
  • Find a Tender registration. In competitive procurements under the Procurement Act 2023, buyers ask for your core supplier information, which you keep on Find a Tender's central digital platform. Procurements started under the earlier rules don't use it.
  • Cyber security. MOD contracts apply cyber requirements through DEFCON 658, and Defence Cyber Certification at the right level can be accepted as evidence. Check the level each contract asks for.
  • Security clearance only where the contract needs it. Many contracts need none at bid stage. Where one does, Facility Security Clearance must be sponsored by a contracting authority; you can't apply for it yourself.
  • Small businesses. SMEs can bid in their own right, and the MOD runs an SME Pathway to reduce barriers to bidding. Our guide to bidding for MOD contracts covers each step with official sources.

Registering and bidding on the Defence Sourcing Portal

  1. Find the opportunity. MOD tenders are published on Find a Tender and on the Defence Sourcing Portal (DSP). You can browse DSP opportunities without an account.
  2. Check where to respond. The notice's submission details say where bids go. For MOD tenders that is usually the DSP; some buyers use their own systems, such as Dstl's R-Cloud for research.
  3. Register as a supplier on the DSP. You need a supplier account to bid through the portal. The portal's user guide explains registration; leave time for it before the deadline.
  4. Keep your Find a Tender details up to date. DSP registration is separate from your core supplier information on Find a Tender, and a Procurement Act tender may need both.
  5. Respond in the portal before the deadline. Read the tender documents, raise clarification questions as the notice instructs, and submit your response in the DSP before the deadline shown on the notice.

How our “Bid via DSP” label helps

DefenceLens reads each notice's official submission details. Where they name the Defence Sourcing Portal, the notice shows a “Bid via DSP” label and a button to the portal page given in the notice, so you can see before you start which tenders need a DSP account. You can also list only open tenders bid through the DSP. This comes from the published notice; we don't collect data from the portal itself.

How to find MOD tenders

  1. Start from the official record. UK public procurement notices must first be published on Find a Tender. Since 24 February 2025, new defence and security procurements follow the Procurement Act 2023, which replaced the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011 (procurements started earlier stay under the old rules). Our glossary explains each notice type, and our guide to bidding for MOD contracts covers registration through to award.
  2. Search by buyer family, not just “MOD”. Ministry of Defence, DE&S, Dstl, DIO, DASA and the Submarine Delivery Agency all buy separately. A buyer-only search on the department misses most of the market.
  3. Watch the pipeline, not just open tenders. Pipeline and planned-procurement notices under the Procurement Act 2023 tell you what’s coming months before the tender — the bids you win are usually the ones you saw early.
  4. Study who’s winning. Award notices name the winning supplier and value. That tells you which competitors hold which contracts, when they expire, and where a first-time winner just broke in — see who’s winning defence contracts.

MOD tenders — frequently asked questions

Where are MOD tenders published?
Under the Procurement Act 2023, UK public procurement notices — including Ministry of Defence tenders — must first be published on the Find a Tender service (FTS). The MOD's Defence Sourcing Portal (DSP) hosts all of the MOD's advertised requirements: you can view opportunities without an account, and if a procurement is run through the DSP you need to register on it to bid. Periscope, our intelligence engine, sweeps official sources every 30 minutes and links each notice back to its official source.
How do I find MOD tenders relevant to my business?
Filter by buyer (Ministry of Defence, DE&S, Dstl, DIO), by CPV code (the 35xxxxxx range covers military equipment), or by keyword. On DefenceLens you can combine all three and restrict results to open opportunities with a live deadline.
Do I need security clearance to bid for MOD contracts?
Not for every contract. Requirements vary by contract: many support, facilities and supply contracts need no clearance at bid stage, while others require facility or personnel clearance before or after award. Each notice sets out its own conditions of participation — always check the official notice.
What is the difference between the MOD, DE&S and Dstl as buyers?
The Ministry of Defence is the department itself; Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) buys and supports equipment for the armed forces; the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) buys research and innovation; the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) buys estates and construction; and UK Defence Innovation (formerly the Defence and Security Accelerator, DASA) funds innovative proposals through open competitions.
Can small businesses win MOD contracts?
Yes — the MOD has published SME action plans and awards contracts to first-time suppliers regularly. DefenceLens flags first-time winners in its award data, which is a useful signal of how open a market segment is to new entrants.

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