Award

Gothic Aps Support and Maintenance Contract

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE, C&C, C&C

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

12 Feb 2021 at 14:32

Summary of the contracting process

The UK Ministry of Defence is currently engaged in the procurement process for the "Gothic APS Support and Maintenance Contract," focusing on system and support services within the defence industry. This process is at the award stage, with the contract recently signed on 7th December 2020, totalling £2,361,000. The contract will be delivered in Cambridgeshire and is structured for a duration of two years with options for up to an additional two years, predicated on the unique technical needs addressed by 1Spatial Group Ltd, the awarded supplier.

This tender represents a significant opportunity for software maintenance and development businesses, particularly those with experience in complex aeronautical software systems. Companies capable of supporting bespoke software applications and possessing technical expertise in system modifications would be well-suited to compete in future bidding opportunities, especially given the specific nature of the work required and the proprietary technology involved in the Gothic APS system. Businesses in the software development sector, particularly those focusing on governmental and defence-related projects, may find avenues for growth through partnerships or subcontracting arrangements related to this contract.

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Notice Title

Gothic Aps Support and Maintenance Contract

Notice Description

The UK Ministry of Defence intends to place a contract with 1Spatial Group Ltd on a Single Source basis for a duration of 2 years, with options of up to an additional 2 years. The Contract is for software maintenance and repair services and will provide support and maintenance for the bespoke software and applications that make up the GOTHIC Aeronautical Production Systems (APS). Justification for Single Source is made on Technical grounds due to the requirement for 1Spatial Group Ltd to undertake modifications and upgrades to the Gothic code.

Lot Information

Lot 1

The UK Ministry of Defence intends to place a contract with 1Spatial Group Ltd on a Single Source basis for a duration of 2 years plus a further 1 year option. The Contract is for software maintenance and repair services and will provide support and maintenance for the bespoke software and applications that make up the GOTHIC Aeronautical Production Systems (APS). Justification for Single Source is made on Technical grounds due to 1Spatial Group Ltd having to undertake modifications and upgrades to the Gothic code.

Options: The requirement will be for two years with options of up to two further years let via sixth month options to a maximum duration of four years. The first six month option will be invoked three months prior to expiry of the initial two year period, with all subsequent options to be invoked under a minimum thirty day notice period.

Procurement Information

The contract has not been awarded; this notice is published for transparency. The value of the contract has been estimated. 1Spatial Group Ltd are the only company who can carry out the services relating to the Gothic APS Support and Maintenance Contract on technical grounds under the DSPCR regulations Clause 16(1)(a)(ii). This is due to the complexity of the software: No1 AIDU relies on the Gothic APS software to produce Aeronautical Information (AI) products for UK Defence aviation activities on an Internationally mandated legislative cycle of 28 days known as Aeronautical Information Regulation And Control (AIRAC). 1Spatial Group Ltd own the IPR for the Gothic (source code). The MOD own the IPR for APS. The APS code is dependent on the Gothic proprietary core technology, the two are integrated and the bespoke software will not function without the proprietary software underpinning it. Gothic consists of approximately six million lines of source code, including extensive comments. Bugs in the Gothic or APS code are required to be fixed and enhancements provided as a result of changes to the specification or new requirements from front line users. It would be prohibitively expensive and virtually impossible to fix bugs or enhance the software based on decompiled versions of this volume of code. The Gothic APS system includes many highly complex and specialised proprietary components including the topology engine, the rules language, the computational geometry, geodetic calculations, the Gothic database etc. Furthermore, a very wide range of languages and technologies are utilised. It is not possible for another supplier to do the work because of the complexity of the software and the linkages between what is owned by MOD and 1Spatial, which would mean opening up both areas of code to fix bugs or provide a change request.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0292cd
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/002918-2021
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 without publication of a contract notice
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support


CPV Codes

72250000 - System and support services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
£2,361,000 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
12 Feb 20215 years ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
7 Dec 20205 years ago
Contract Period
Not specified - Not specified
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE, C&C, C&C
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
defcomrclcc-jfc3all@mod.gov.uk
Contact Phone
+44 3067701854

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
TLH12 Cambridgeshire CC

Local Authority
Wiltshire
Electoral Ward
Corsham Ladbrook
Westminster Constituency
Chippenham

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

1SPATIAL GROUP

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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