AWARD OUTCOME
What happened
The Ministry of Defence has concluded a five-year contract for groom support for Military Working Horses across five named Army locations. The contract was signed on 12 October 2026 and starts on 1 November 2026.
Published outcomeTHE COLLEGES' PARTNERSHIP LIMITED is the verified supplier for award 2, covering lots 1 to 5. The published contract value is £7,238,140 gross for the contract as a whole.
Market significanceThis is a multi-site, seven-day equine-support requirement combining husbandry, training, exercise, veterinary and farrier support, ceremonial readiness, transport duties, equipment care and reporting.
AWARDED SUPPLIERS AND LOTS
1 supplier record analysed
THE COLLEGES' PARTNERSHIP LIMITED
99% confidenceAward 2 · Lots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 · 7238140 GBP · active
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Award 2 names the supplier and relates to lots 1–5. Contract 2, linked to award 2, has a gross value of GBP 7,238,140.
LIFECYCLE
Award or contract stage
Procurement status
98% confidenceCompleted procurement with an active contract record
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Tender status is "complete"; award 2 and contract 2 are both marked "active".
Contract signature
99% confidenceSigned 12 October 2026
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Contract 2 states dateSigned: 2026-10-12.
Contract period
99% confidence1 November 2026 to 31 October 2031
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Contract 2 period startDate is 2026-11-01 and endDate is 2031-10-31.
VALUES
Published values explained
Published contract value
99% confidence£7,238,140 gross
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Contract 2 value reports amountGross and amount of 7,238,140 GBP.
Value allocation
99% confidenceSingle published value for all five lots; no individual lot values supplied
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Contract 2 provides one total value, while award 2 covers related lots 1–5.
TIMELINE
Procurement timeline
Pipeline notice
98% confidence10 March 2026
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Release history lists pipeline notice 021348-2026 dated 2026-03-10.
Tender notice
98% confidence14 May 2026
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Release history lists tender notice 044354-2026 dated 2026-05-14.
Award notice
98% confidence4 September 2026
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Release history lists contract award notice 083720-2026 dated 2026-09-04.
Contract details notice
99% confidence14 October 2026
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Contract document 096892-2026 was published 2026-10-14; release history also records contract details notices on that date.
Contract commencement
99% confidence1 November 2026
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Contract 2 period startDate is 2026-11-01.
Contract end
99% confidence31 October 2031
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Contract 2 period endDate is 2026-10-31.
SCOPE
What was awarded
Requirement
99% confidenceSpecialist groom support for Military Working Horses
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The procurement title is "Provision of Groom Support" and the description calls for additional specialist equine staff.
Service coverage
99% confidenceSeven-day comprehensive equine support
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Description requires 7 days per week of husbandry, training and exercise, veterinary and farrier support, ceremonial readiness, transport and travelling-groom duties, equipment care, records, reporting, liaison and surge cover.
Named sites
99% confidenceHyde Park Barracks, London; Combermere Barracks, Windsor; Royal Military Academy Sandhurst; King George VI Lines, Woolwich; and Remount Barracks, Melton Mowbray
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The procurement description names these five locations.
Lots
99% confidenceFive lots, numbered 1 to 5
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Tender and award data list lots 1–5; no lot titles or individual descriptions are published.
Delivery regions
92% confidenceLondon (UKI), Leicestershire/Rutland/Northamptonshire (UKF2), and Berkshire/Buckinghamshire/Oxfordshire (UKJ11)
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Each award item lists delivery address regions UKI, UKF2 and UKJ11.
PROCEDURE
Procedure and competition
Procedure
99% confidenceOpen procedure
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Tender procurementMethod is "open" and procurementMethodDetails is "Open procedure".
Competition information
99% confidenceNumber of tenders and evaluation results unknown
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Information not supplied in the published notice data.
CONTRACT TERMS
Published contract terms
Term
99% confidenceFive years
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The published period runs from 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2031.
Extensions and options
99% confidenceUnknown
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Information not supplied in the published notice data.
Performance management
99% confidenceMonthly KPIs cover welfare outcomes, training and exercise throughput, and accuracy and timeliness of records; social-value performance is reported quarterly.
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Contract 2 agreedMetrics specifies the three monthly KPIs and one quarterly social-value KPI.
Social value
96% confidenceCommitments may include apprenticeships, accredited training, work experience, veteran employment opportunities and locally targeted recruitment, measured against annual commitments.
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The social value KPI describes these possible activities and requires quarterly evidence of delivery.
COMMERCIAL VIEW
Commercial observations
Operational complexity
95% confidenceThe contract requires multi-site availability and continuous weekly coverage, creating an operationally intensive delivery model.
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The scope specifies five locations, seven-day delivery and multi-site availability.
Assurance focus
98% confidencePublished KPIs emphasise horse welfare, exercise and training completion, and reliable management information.
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Contract metrics define welfare, training/exercise and records KPIs.
Value interpretation
98% confidenceThe £7.24m figure is a whole-contract gross value and should not be treated as a price for any individual lot or supplier allocation beyond the single named supplier.
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One contract value is published for contract 2, which covers lots 1–5 and has one supplier.
DATA QUALITY
Gaps and source limitations
Lot detail
99% confidenceFive lots are identified only by number; titles, descriptions and individual values are not published.
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Lot records 1–5 contain no titles, descriptions or values.
Award-record inconsistency
92% confidenceThe supplied award summary includes award 1 with a value and date, while the detailed OCDS award and contract linkage identifies award 2 as the supplier award and contract reference. This analysis uses the detailed award 2/contract 2 linkage and does not treat award 1 as a separate supplier award.
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Detailed JSON has award id 2 linked to contract 2; the separate award summary lists award ids 1 and 2 with overlapping lots and only award 1 containing a value/date.
Notice update
95% confidenceA later contract-details update was published on 14 October 2026, but its substantive changes are not supplied.
View supporting evidence
Release history lists 096895-2026 as a contract and award update.
SOURCE DATA LIMITATIONS
Information not supplied in the published notice
- Information not supplied in the published notice: tender volumes, evaluation scores, pricing breakdown, individual lot values, lot titles, extension options and reasons for supplier selection.
- The supplied award summary has overlapping award records: award 1 contains the published date and value, whereas detailed award and contract data link the supplier and contract to award 2. No unsupported separate award attribution has been made.
- The substantive content of the later contract-details update notice 096895-2026 is not included in the supplied data.
MARKET THEMES
Relevant award themes
Ministry of DefenceProvision of Groom SupportTHE COLLEGES' PARTNERSHIP LIMITEDMilitary Working Horsesequine supportFind a Tender
COMMON QUESTIONS
About this award
Who won the MOD Provision of Groom Support contract?
THE COLLEGES' PARTNERSHIP LIMITED, verified under company number 05606069, is named on award 2 for lots 1 to 5.
What is the value and duration of the contract?
The published gross contract value is £7,238,140. It runs from 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2031.
What services are included?
The requirement covers seven-day equine husbandry, training and exercise, veterinary and farrier support, ceremonial readiness, transport duties, equipment care, reporting and surge cover.
ProcuraAxis award analysis supplements, but does not replace, the official award notice, contract data or procurement documents. “Awarded” does not by itself prove that a contract has been signed.