Defence Online

Type of document: Contract Notice
Country: United Kingdom
Publication Ref: 010862/S 000-2026
Nature of contract: Service contract
Procedure: Not specified
Regulation of procurement: Not applicable
Type of bid required: Not applicable

UKPGA UK4: Tender Notice

I) Contracting Authority/Entity
I.1) Name and addresses
Official name: Ministry of Defence
National registration number: PHVX-4316-ZVGZ

Postal address: MOD Abbey Wood
Town: Bristol
Region: Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
Postal code: BS34 8JH
Country: United Kingdom

Contact Person: Jessica Applegate
Email: desspace-comrcl@mod.gov.uk

Internet address

I.3) Communication
Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted
Electronically
Responses to the PSQ must be completed and submitted on the Defence Sourcing Potal (DSP) by 12:00 GMT 6th March 2026.
www.contracts.mod.uk

I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Public authority – central government

II) Object
II.1.1) Title
UK4 – PRIMUS II Ground Station Support Solution
Reference number: 715693462

II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
Special regime
DefenceSecurity

II.1.4) Short description
Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), is looking to secure a support solution to provide maintenance and technical support for an Authority owned Ground Station Terminal. The requirement is for a period of three (3) years, with the potential to extend to an additional two (2) years via costed options.
This procurement shall be procured through the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), Space Technology Solutions (RM6370) Dynamic Market. The DM contains a list of qualified suppliers who meet specific membership conditions and are eligible to participate in procurements. Should Suppliers wish to recieve the PSQ are not yet on the DM, please engage with the Authority, who may be able to assit with expediting your application.
Interested suppliers are required to be registered on the DM, and Defence Sourcing Portal (DSP) to engage and complete the Procurement Selective Questionnaire (PSQ). Should Tenderers be Invited to Negotiate (ITN), the Authority will evaluate the Tenderers capacity and capability against the evaluation criteria.
For more details please refer to the official guidance, and the Space Technology Solutions DM. / Space Technology Solutions – CCS
It is the Authority’s intention to down-select approximately 5 highest scoring Tenderers, who will then be ITN providing they meet the overall score of a pass within the PSQ. The Authority reserve the right to a fail a tenderer should they not meet the minimum pass criteria at the Evaluation Stage, and subsequently not be ITN.
Overview:
PRIMUS is a UK-located Ground Terminal designed to provide an interface between the Authority’s operations centre (Or the Authority’s authorised operation centres) and the space segment (SSeg).
PRIMUS, is based on a 7.3-Meter S and X-band solution, sited within a Radome. It has been scoped to send and receive data from a MOD-owned satellite, whilst the Authority views PRIMUS as an enduring capability, intended to support numerous future Operational Concept Demonstrators (OCDs) that currently exist in various stages of development.
The duration of the Authority’s In-Service Support (ISS) requirements covers a three-year core contract for the maintenance and operational readiness of the asset.
Background:
PRIMUS has been conceived under the auspices of the Authority’s ISTARI programme as its foremost conceptual demonstrator through which ground segment hardware, software and architecture associated with current and future missions has been, and will continue to be, procured, developed and integrated.
The objective of PRIMUS is to develop an operational demonstration of the required hardware architecture that both informs and qualifies the MoD’s ground control segment concept, as well as integrating into the wider ISTARI architecture, enabling MoD execution of the Tasking, Collection, Processing, Exploitation, and Dissemination (TCPED) cycle. A core objective is to realise a solution which is applicable to supporting imminent missions, whilst also ensuring enduring capability through compatibility with future MoD activities where required.
Requirement:
PRIMUS is part of the UK Government’s broader efforts to maintain, secure and update its satellite communications capabilities, ensuring remote data links for Defence purposes.
The Authority requires provision of maintenance and support, which will include both hardware and software elements. The requirements span numerous considerations ranging from routine preventative maintenance to training and management of critical spares, commensurate with Line-3 support.
Miscellanous:
PRIMUS has been designed with future capability in mind, allowing for – thanks to the terminal’s modular design and line replaceable units – potential upgrades. The Modular design preferred on the basis of achieving relatively easy swap-out of small RF components such as feeds/waveguides/Low Noise amplifiers etc., by supplier-trained engineers.
The Cyber Risk Profile for this procurement identified by the Cyber Risk Assessment is:
Reference: Level 2
PRIMUS is equipped with the OEM’s licensed software and, as such, the terms governing the use of this proprietary software are prescribed within an existing and enduring licensing agreement between the OEM and the Authority. Suppliers are advised they are not explicitly covered under the agreement, and may be required to establish a relationship with the OEM in relation to licence software.
Tenderers are to be advised that this contract shall have a rolling start date, due to on-going dependencies associated with the terminal.

II.1.7) Total value of the procurement
Value (including VAT)
2,160,000
Value (excluding VAT)
1,800,000
Currency
GBP

II.2) Description
II.2.1) Title
Contract/Lot No
1

II.2.2) CPV codes
Main CPV codes
32400000
32500000
32531000
32570000
32581000
50330000
50332000
71356000
71356300
72250000
72260000
72267000
72268000

II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code
UK – United Kingdom

II.2.5) Award Criteria
Price
Name: Most Advantageous Tender (MAT)
Weighting: Award criteria will be stated in the procurement ITN documents, which will be issued to tenderers who are formally invited to the ITN stage.

II.2.6) Estimated Value
Value (excluding VAT)
1,800,000
Currency
GBP

II.2.7) Contract dates (estimated)
Start
2026-09-01 00:00
End
2029-09-01 23:59
Duration
3 years 1 day
Possible extension
2031-09-01 23:59
Extended duration
5 years 1 day
This contract is subject to renewal
Yes
Description of renewals
The Authority intend to include atleast two (2) options which allow the potential extension to contract by one (1) year via costed options.

II.2.11) Information about options
Options: Yes
Description of options
The Authority reserve the right (but shall not be obligated) to invoke option(s) to extend the duration of the contract by twelve (12) months ((3 )(+ 1) + 1 )) making a potential total duration of 5 years.

III) Legal, economic, financial and technical information
III.1) Conditions for participation
III.1.1) Suitability to pursue the professional activity, including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers
Particular suitability
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)

III.1.3) Technical and professional ability
Additional technical selection criteria
Selection criteria as detailed in the PSQ documents.

III.1.7) Main financing conditions and payment arrangements and/or reference to the relevant provisions governing them
Potential suppliers must note the mandatory requirement for electronic trading using the Contracting, Purchasing and Finance (CP&F) electronic procurement tool. All payments for Contractor Deliverables under the Contract shall be made via CP&F. You can find details on CP&F at

IV) Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.1) Type of procedure
Competitive flexible procedure
Accelerated procedure
Justification
Using dynamic market

IV.1.10) Identification of the national rules applicable to the procedure
Information about national procedures is available at
Defence, Equipment and Support (DE&S) is conducting this Competitive flexible procedure over two (2) stages:
Stage 1: Conditions of Participation / Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ)
The Authority shall use the PSQ response to create a shortlist of Tenderers who:
(1) are eligible to participate and;
(2) best meet, in terms of capacity and capability, the selection criteria set out in this notice and the PSQ
Stage 2: Invitation to Negotiate (ITN)
Tenders are to be evaluated on a Most Advantageous Tender (MAT) basis, using a combination of price and non-price criteria. Bidders who are successful at Stage 1, shall receive the ITN, where full details of the award criteria shall be defined.

IV.2) Administrative information
IV.2.1) Tender period dates
Enquiry deadline
2026-02-20 17:00
Estimated award decision date
2026-07-01 23:59

IV.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted
English

Deadline for requests to participate
2026-03-06 12:00

VI) Complementary information
Link to source/bidding documents

Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes

VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
2026-02-06 11:31