The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is reviewing 27 contenders for spots on its major projects panel as it prepares to award spots on an expanded roster by the end of the year.

The department received 65 expressions of interest before the 1 August deadline, all of which were issued with an invitation to tender.

The deadline for submitting tenders was the beginning of October, at which point 27 compliant tenders were received.

An evaluation of the bids is now underway – the final stage in the tender process before contracts are awarded before the end of December.

Earlier this year, the MoD said it was planning to expand the panel, which also supports significant commercial activities within the department, from seven to 10 firms

The current line-up of firms – Simmons and Simmons, Fieldfisher, Wragge & Co, Pinsent Masons, Denton Wilde Sapte, Mills & Reeve and Shepherd and Wedderburn – were all appointed to four year terms in 2010.

Simmons had lost its position in the previous 2006 review, which also saw Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Herbert Smith and Burges Salmon kicked to the curb as the MoD's roster was trimmed down from 12 firms to eight.

Five more firms are going for positions as preferred advisors this year than in 2010, when 22 firms tendered offers.