The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) is the executive agency of the Ministry of Defence responsible for science and technology research for UK defence and security, headquartered at Porton Down in Wiltshire with additional sites at Portsdown West and Fort Halstead. It procures specialist research, scientific equipment, laboratory services, cyber and weapons research and consultancy in support of UK military capability.
At a glance
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory has awarded £488.2m across 554 suppliers, with 154 live contracts.
Why: Top supplier share 27% · 12 open notices now · 7 awards in last 90 d (£1.9m) · SME share 42% (Cabinet Office target 33%) · 0 modifications in last 90 d.
About this buyer
Mission, scope and statutory context.
The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) is the executive agency of the Ministry of Defence responsible for science and technology research for UK defence and security, headquartered at Porton Down in Wiltshire with additional sites at Portsdown West and Fort Halstead. It procures specialist research, scientific equipment, laboratory services, cyber and weapons research and consultancy in support of UK military capability.
Spend profile
Award value by month — rolling 24 months. Line shows 12-month moving average.
Contract pipeline
Forward flow — planned notices through to completed awards in the last 90 days.
Planned
10
Open (bidding)
12
Awarded (90d)
7
Frameworks open
0
Procurement mix
How this buyer procures — by procedure, instrument, and publication source.
Contract type
Instrument type
Awarded contracts · 154 live
All contracts with a published award notice where Defence Science and Technology Laboratory is the contracting authority.
| Title | Supplier | CPV | Value | Awarded | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stores Options Appraisal | Perfect Circle JV Limited | 71241000 | £50k | 21 Apr 2026 | active |
| Level 3 Laboratory Technician | CSR Scientific Training Ltd | 80570000 | £42k | 15 Apr 2026 | active |
| Technical Services Radio Upgrade | — | 32344210 | £170kest. | — | active |
| DSTL0000061143 | METTLER-TOLEDO LIMITED | — | — | active | |
| Contract Award Notice for IPMO 1447; RIBA 3-4 deliverables for a new build | Morgan Sindall Construction & Infrastructure Ltd | 71220000 | £909k | 27 Mar 2026 | active |
| Confocal Microscope | CARL ZEISS MICROSCOPY LIMITED | 38600000 | £808k | 13 Apr 2026 | active |
| Incinerator Hoval Coffins | S. H. L. REFRACTORIES (U.K.) LIMITED | — | — | active | |
| USRP X310 KIT | DIGI-KEY CORPORATION | 73000000 | £96k | 23 Mar 2026 | active |
| ZCU102 Programmable Logic IC Development Tools / SKU106 Programmable Logic IC Development Tools | MOUSER ELECTRONICS | 73000000 | £6k | 24 Mar 2026 | active |
| ZCU102 Programmable Logic IC Development Tools / SKU106 Programmable Logic IC Development Tools | INC. | 73000000 | £6k | 24 Mar 2026 | active |
Top suppliers · by total award value
Ranked by cumulative awarded value. YoY = last 12 months vs prior 12 months.
Category spend breakdown
By CPV division · lifetime awards
Activity heatmap
Award volume by CPV division × month. Darker = more £ awarded.
Commercial & procurement leadership
Who signs off contracts, owns frameworks and runs SME engagement.
Curated leadership roster
Chief commercial officer, framework owners, SME lead and clinical sign-offs per buyer. Top-50 contracting authorities first, rolling out by sector.
Modifications · 0 in 90 d
Variations logged under Procurement Act 2023 s.74. Above-tolerance modifications attract a flag.
No modifications recorded in the last 90 days.
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory has not filed a modification notice in the selected window.
Compliance & transparency
FOIA performance, statutory disclosures & prompt payment.
FOIA & prompt-payment ingestion
Notice timeliness and modification flags are derivable today. FOIA refusal rate, prompt-payment %, KPI reporting and net-zero plans need new data sources — work scoped, ingestion next quarter.
SME & social value
Performance against Cabinet Office targets & PPN 06/20.
target 33%
Peer benchmark
vs other buyers in the same type. Highlighted row = this buyer.
Compare against the peer group
£149 / seat / month. Configurable peer groups, rolling trendlines, and CSV / PDF exports for board packs.
News mentions
Major UK press & trade publications.
Sign in to read news mentions
Article previews are free with an account — the underlying data is gated to satisfy publisher agreements.
Statutory & accountability
Legal status, identifiers & accountable officers.
Identifiers & contact
- Type
- Contracting authority
- Region
- UKK15
- Contact
- Lynda Kerens
- TrainingandHR@dstl.gov.uk
Board & accountable officers
Accountable officer + board roster
Pulled from gov.uk for arm's-length bodies and from Companies House for company-form buyers — chair, CEO, SRO and sign-off authority per contract band.
Resources
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