Award

Production and Installation of Integrated UHF SATCOM & EFMTE 4.2 Baseline Equipment for the Royal Navy's Type 26 Batch 2 Ships

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

01 Dec 2025 at 15:07

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has completed the award stage of a contract for the production and installation of UHF SATCOM & EFMTE 4.2 baseline equipment on the Royal Navy's Type 26 Batch 2 ships. STS Defence Ltd has been awarded this contract to implement this satellite communications equipment, valued at approximately £12.9 million. This project, classified under the satellite communications equipment category, is crucial for Information Exchange Requirements (IER) supporting voice and data. The procurement, carried out by Defence Digital Commercial, follows a limited procurement method—specifically, a negotiated procedure without prior publication. Located in Corsham, England, the contract period commenced on 4th November 2025 and will extend until 1st May 2033. The procurement stage is complete, and the award was published on 1st December 2025.

This procurement presents significant opportunities for firms specialising in satellite communications and defence technologies, particularly those with predefined skill sets matching MoD requirements. Although the contract was awarded through a limited process due to the specialised nature of the work, it underscores the importance of building technical capacities within SMEs, like STS Defence Ltd, that are involved in niche defence markets. Businesses capable of forming strategic collaborations or those with experience in designing and implementing sophisticated military communications systems may find similar future contracts promising for growth and innovation. The effort required for accreditation by entities such as the Naval Command Headquarters further highlights the significant technical threshold required for participation in such defence-related projects.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Production and Installation of Integrated UHF SATCOM & EFMTE 4.2 Baseline Equipment for the Royal Navy's Type 26 Batch 2 Ships

Notice Description

Defence Digital Commercial, part of the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MoD), has awarded a contract for the production and installation of Integrated UHF SATCOM & EFMTE 4.2 baseline satellite communications equipment for the Royal Navy's T26 fleet Ships 4 to 8 to STS Defence Ltd. This equipment will provide a communications service to support Information Exchange Requirements (IER) for simultaneous voice and data. Please note, a Voluntary ex ante transparency notice has previously been published for this contract on the Find a Tender website, which can be seen here: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/029245-2024 STS Defence Limited have previously designed a bespoke UHF SATCOM 4.2 Design capability in partnership with SNXP Limited which is accredited for use by the MoD on the T26 Fleet. The installation of this capability in T26 Ship 1 was carried out by STS Defence Limited under a task on an existing MoD Contract. This Contract was competed, and STS Defence Limited was awarded the contract. Thereafter, the installation of this capability in T26 Ships 2 and 3 was directly awarded to STS Defence Limited under a separate contract for Technical Reasons pursuant to Regulation 16(1)(a)(ii) of the DSPCR 2011, which is also applicable to this contract. Contractual timelines for the delivery of this Integrated UHF SATCOM & EFMTE 4.2 baseline equipment capability into T26 Ships 4 to 8 are already embedded within the existing Type 26 Ship Building Contract (Contract Ref. No. SHIPACQ036) as a requirement to enable repeat supply and fit. Only STS Defence and SNXP Limited have the technical ability and experience necessary to produce and install this Integrated UHF SATCOM & EFMTE 4.2 baseline equipment capability into T26 Ships 4 to 8 in a manner that is accredited for use by the MoD and meets the required timescales. It is not viable for another supplier to deliver an alternative design that meets the MoD's technical requirements within the necessary timescales. Further, the STS Defence/SNXP SATCOM design has been approved by Naval Command Headquarters (NCHQ) to ensure it is fit for use. This design and accreditation process took several years to complete. To bring in a third-party supplier to design new equipment, obtain MoD approval and accreditation for the new design and then build and install it on T26 Ships 4 to 8 would incur significant and disproportionate additional time and cost consequences to the MoD, which would also result in significant delays to Vessel Acceptance Date (the date by which MoD are required to have agreed that the newly built T26 Ship has been delivered to an acceptable level against the requirements defined in the T26 Ship Building Contract (Contract Ref. No. SHIPACQ036)), thereby causing an unacceptable capability gap to the Royal Navy.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-ac3fe779-8956-4dd7-aa89-4a3192c91b7b
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/e57808a4-70dd-4aa1-8f9d-640f3e9438bb
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Limited
Procurement Method Details
Negotiated procedure without prior publication (above threshold)
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

32 - Radio, television, communication, telecommunication and related equipment

CPV Codes

32531000 - Satellite communications equipment

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£12,964,134 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£12,964,134 £10M-£100M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
1 Dec 20252 months ago
Submission Deadline
29 Sep 2025Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
4 Nov 20253 months ago
Contract Period
4 Nov 2025 - 1 May 2033 Over 5 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
CORSHAM
Postcode
SN13 9NR
Post Town
Swindon
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK7 Gloucestershire and Wiltshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK72 Wiltshire
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Wiltshire
Electoral Ward
Corsham Ladbrook
Westminster Constituency
Chippenham

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

STS DEFENCE

Further Information

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

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