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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Contracts for Innovation: UK Space Agency Unlocking Space for Defence (USD) and National Space Operations Centre (NSpOC) BOREALIS Resident Space Object (RSO) Characterisation Development

Department for Science, Innovation & Technology · Tender notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 26 Sept 2026, 05:42.

Opportunity overview

UK Space Agency’s Unlocking Space for Defence (USD) and the National Space Operations Centre (NSpOC) are offering funding to eligible organisations. It is anticipated that between three and five contracts will be awarded, each valued between £120,000 and £250,000 (inclusive of VAT), to eligible organisations to apply, to research and develop initial proof of concepts for characterisation of resident space objects and similar solutions that directly improve the quality of data being ingested within the BOREALIS system, contributing to enhanced characterisation analysis capabilities within NSpOC. This funding is from the UK Space Agency only and applicants should note this competition is wholly run and administered by the UK Space Agency. Applicants should note that as BOREALIS is a sovereign UK capability and this work is to develop solutions that eventually can be deployed into use, this competition is restricted to UK registered companies on grounds of national security. For the avoidance of doubt, this can include UK-registered universities. Full details are provided in the attached Competition Brief. This notice relates to the intended procurement for a contract which is an exempted contract under s 3(6) and Schedule 2, Part 2 (Subject-matter exempted contracts), paragraph 22 (Research and Development Services) of the Procurement Act 2023 (the 'Act'). Exempted contracts are not a public contract as defined in s3 of the Act and therefore are not required to be procured in accordance with the provisions of the Act that relate to a covered procurement.

Classification

  • CPV72212100 — Industry specific software development services

Lots

  • Lot 1£625k

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
ocds-h6vhtk-06df60
Status
active
Procurement Method
open
Procurement Method Details
Open procedure
Main Procurement Category
services
Above Threshold
Yes
How to submit
UKSA is using the Jaggaer eSourcing Portal for this procurement. All tender information and clarification questions MUST be submitted through the portal. Please review all attached information to ensure a full understanding of this requirement. All attachments can be found in the Supplier Attachments tab within the Jaggaer eSourcing Portal. To register on the Jaggaer eSourcing portal please use the link https://beisgroup.ukp.app.jaggaer.com/ and follow the instructions to register as a supplier. If you are already registered on the Jaggaer eSourcing Portal and wish to participate in this procurement, please use the link: https://beisgroup.ukp.app.jaggaer.com/ Once you are logged into the system, you will be able to locate the Procurement you wish to leave a bid on by clicking the ITTs Open to All Suppliers and searching for ‘USD & NSpOC BOREALIS Resident Space Object (RSO) Characterisation Development’. The ITT reference number is itt_2755. Applications will close at 15:00 on 4 September 2026 It will not be possible to submit applications beyond this deadline. https://beisgroup.ukp.app.jaggaer.com/go/66309082019FDBF042B8

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Procedure

Is Accelerated
Yes
Accelerated Rationale
State of urgency

Submission terms

Electronic Submission Policy
allowed

Languages

en

Tender Period

Ends
4 Sept 2026, 15:00

Enquiry period

Ends
24 Aug 2026, 17:00

Expected award period

Ends
21 Sept 2026, 23:59

Contract terms

Financial Terms
Contracts for Innovation are targeted at Small and Medium Enterprises. Your completed budget spreadsheet should include details of proposed payment milestones. Should a payment at kick-off be preferred to facilitate cashflow, please request this in your application. UKSA will not agree to any payments at kick-off above 25% of total contract value. Payment terms will be payment within 30 days of a valid invoice being accepted.

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Status
active

Value

Including VAT
750,000
Amount
625,000
Currency
GBP

Award criteria

Criteria

Criterion 1
Type
quality
Name
Proposed idea or technology
Description
Proposals are expected to provide a description of your proposed solution, including details of which Substantive Objectives (1-7) within the competition brief it addresses and how. Proposals can include images and diagrams but these will contribute to the 3 page limit.

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
40
Weight
percentageExact
Criterion 2
Type
quality
Name
Project Management
Description
Proposals are expected to demonstrate they are well planned and connected to key milestones. They should be deliverable within the specified timeframe and projects should have an effective structure in place for managing the administration of a project of this size. There should be a sound approach to planning to achieve objectives on time and within budget. Key risks should be identified and mitigated. You should set out the resources that will be needed to deliver your project (including any subcontractors/partners) and describe how each organisation has the skills, capabilities and experience to deliver intended benefits. You should identify any project management processes or methodologies and describe key risks and how these will be mitigated. You can also include a full risk register as an annex which will not be included in the page limit. You should include a project plan/Gantt chart within your answer, but note that this will not be included in the page limit.

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
30
Weight
percentageExact
Criterion 3
Type
quality
Name
Value For Money
Description
All projects will need to demonstrate they represent value for money for the taxpayer. This is demonstrated by providing appropriate budgets allocated to appropriate tasks. Information from the finance spreadsheet will be used to support the assessment of this question. Proposed milestones and associated payments should match those entered in the project management section of your application.

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
20
Weight
percentageExact
Criterion 4
Type
quality
Name
Benefit to the UK
Description
All projects will need to demonstrate the investment sought from the UK Government represents clear value for the UK public through measurable benefits to the UK economy, supply chain and public.

Numbers

Entry 1
Number
10
Weight
percentageExact

Suitability

Sme
Yes

Contract period

Starts
21 Sept 2026, 00:00
Ends
31 Mar 2027, 23:59

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
72212100
Description
Industry specific software development services

Published documents

Entry 1
Id
conflictOfInterest
Document Type
conflictOfInterest
Description
Not published
Entry 2
Id
A-20367
Document Type
biddingDocuments
Description
Competition Brief
Format
application/pdf
Entry 3
Id
A-20368
Document Type
biddingDocuments
Description
Annex B -Contracts for Innovation Additional Guidance
Format
application/pdf
Entry 4
Id
A-20369
Document Type
biddingDocuments
Description
Annex C - Finance Sheet.
Format
application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet
Entry 5
Id
A-20370
Document Type
biddingDocuments
Description
Annex D - IP Declaration
Format
application/octet-stream
Entry 6
Id
A-20371
Document Type
biddingDocuments
Description
Annex A - Contracts for Innovation Model Contract
Format
application/octet-stream
Entry 7
Id
075408-2026
Document Type
tenderNotice
Notice Type
UK4
Description
Tender notice on Find a Tender
Published
7 Aug 2026, 15:40
Format
text/html

Planning and budget

No Engagement Notice Rationale
Using R&D exemption

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Name
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Id
GB-PPON-PVWZ-3216-PVQL

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PVWZ-3216-PVQL

Address

Street Address
22 Whitehall
Locality
London
Postal Code
SW1A 2EG
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKI32

Contact

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicAuthorityCentralGovernment
Description
Public authority - central government

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · London · UKI32 · SW1A 2EG · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. 075408-2026Tender notice on Find a Tender ·