Award

BVLOS Drone Operationalisation

NATIONAL GRID ELECTRICITY TRANSMISSION PLC

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

08 Jul 2025 at 16:06

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

22 May 2025 at 15:14

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

National Grid Electricity Transmission PLC has completed a significant contract award for the "BVLOS Drone Operationalisation" project, aimed at advancing autonomous drone capabilities for its network. Situated in London, this private utility organisation has directly contracted SEESAI LIMITED, an SME based in Chichester, United Kingdom, under the procurement method of direct award due to the absence of competition and the specialised technical requirements involved. The procurement stage is the award phase, concluded recently in July 2025, with the project's operational start expected the same month and initially running until March 2026. This contract, valued at £22,950,000, is within the services category and highlights the unique requirement for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations across the NGET network. The legal framework guiding this procurement is the Procurement Act 2023, recognising the need for a singular supplier due to technical complexities and safety authorizations from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

This tender marks a notable opportunity for businesses involved in advanced drone technology, especially those with a focus on network inspection and management services. Companies like SEESAI LIMITED, with deep technical expertise and the ability to meet complex operational security requirements, are exceptionally well-suited for such projects. The procurement's emphasis on specialised operational methodologies and advanced proprietary technologies—along with the option for extending the contract based on performance and market factors—provides a sustainable growth avenue for SMEs looking to expand their footprint in high-technology services for critical utility infrastructures. The direct award nature of the process underscores the importance of developing unique capabilities that meet stringent industry standards, offering a competitive edge in securing future contracts.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

BVLOS Drone Operationalisation

Notice Description

Continued development of an autonomous drone capability to scale routine BVLOS operations across the NGET network.

Procurement Information

Competition is absent for technical reasons and there are no reasonable alternatives (Procurement Act 2023, Schedule 5, paragraph 6): Through extensive work with National Grid since 2021, sees.ai has developed a distinct operational capability for conducting closequarter, detailed Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) inspection missions on live transmission network assets from a remote location, including extended transits and the use of advanced communications links. As of May 2025, we understand Sees.ai to be the only company holding the specific and advanced Operational Authorisation from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)) required to deploy an exclusive capability critical for the delivery of National Grid's specific, advanced network inspection requirements. Operationalisation of this capability is enabled by continuation of joint intellectual property (IP) rights development; advanced proprietary technology; unique operational methodologies; and specialised in-house expertise, cultivated since 2018. National Grid undertakes Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) network asset inspections internally. Other inspection methodologies do not meet National Grid's complex and evolving demands for routine, scalable, and data-rich network oversight. The technical complexity and demonstrated operational safety maturity required by the CAA for the issue of the requisite Operational Authorisation to deliver this work establishes a high technical barrier, resulting in an absence of competition from other third-party suppliers. There are no other reasonable alternatives to Sees.ai currently offering a service of directly comparable scope, precision, safety, or operational efficiency; nor has it been demonstrated to the CAA the critical technical infrastructure, proven methodology, and requisite safety case to meet the standards for obtaining authorisation to carry out this work.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-051f03
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/038390-2025
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
SME

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

73100000 - Research and experimental development services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£22,950,000 £10M-£100M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
8 Jul 20257 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
21 May 20259 months ago
Contract Period
7 Jul 2025 - 31 Mar 2026 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
NATIONAL GRID ELECTRICITY TRANSMISSION PLC
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
box.gp.ukbuyernget@nationalgrid.com
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
WC2N 5EH
Post Town
Central London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI3 Inner London - West
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI35 Westminster and City of London
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Westminster
Electoral Ward
St James's
Westminster Constituency
Cities of London and Westminster

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

SEESAI

Further Information

Notice Documents

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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