Planning

Tactical Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) Managed Service

HOME OFFICE

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Planning

04 Feb 2026 at 09:54

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Planning

19 Jun 2025 at 08:03

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Home Office is in the planning stage of a procurement process to secure a supplier for the "Tactical Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) Managed Service." This initiative falls under the services industry category, specifically targeting the fields of unmanned aerial vehicles, intelligence, and data services. The procurement is designed to support the Border Security Command's Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance operations across UK Territorial Waters. The opportunity is significant, with a gross value of £34.8 million over a three-year contract, potentially extending an additional year. Key dates include an aspirational contract award by December 2026, with mobilisation in the same month, and a formal tendering process anticipated to commence by May 2026. Interested suppliers must partake in initial market engagement activities, with deadlines for expressions of interest and supplier questionnaires set for February 2026.

This tender presents substantial growth opportunities for businesses specialising in RPAS technology and associated surveillance and data services. Companies capable of delivering comprehensive managed services that include detecting, identifying, and tracking capabilities within a multilayered ISR framework will find this procurement particularly aligned with their offerings. Businesses should be prepared to deliver at least 5000 on-task sensor coverage hours annually, with a focus on supporting search, rescue, and recovery operations within the region. Given the governmental nature and future-focused procurement strategy, SMEs looking to expand their portfolios in governmental contracts would greatly benefit, provided they are registered under the relevant Dynamic Purchasing System such as the Crown Commercial Service Space Enabled and Geospatial Services RM6235.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Tactical Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) Managed Service

Notice Description

The Home Office seeks an experienced commercial provider to supply capable Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) to support the Border Security Command's (BSC) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations. The RPAS must be capable of detecting, identifying, and tracking vessels and individuals within the defined area of operations, operating as part of a multi layered ISR framework that includes manned aviation, maritime assets, and land based infrastructure. The systems will provide enhanced situational awareness to inform operational decision making and support the effective tasking and coordination of operational assets. The primary operational requirement is for RPAS' that can conduct routine surveillance flights to detect, track, and identify vessels and people to support the primary Search, Rescue and Recovery (SRR) Vessels within the area of operations. The SRR vessels will operate primarily within UK Territorial Waters (TTW) and the wider UK Area of Operations, including the English Channel. RPAS' information will be transmitted in real-time to an existing Command and Control facility to enable real-time coordination of responses to threats. RPAS' will also be required to perform targeted surveillance to record high-quality video footage to support Criminal and Financial Investigation (CFI) prosecutions. The Home Office have a requirement for one (1) Supplier to provide RPAS' for 5000 on-task sensor coverage hours per year, over three (3) separate task lines, for the purpose of supporting BSC operations. The Home Office requires availability of two (2) task lines to provide year-round coverage including weekends and public holidays. An additional third task line will be required for approximately six-months per year. The contract will be for three (3) years fixed with a possible plus one (1) year extension, if mutually agreed at the time by both parties. There is a requirement for the service to be fully operational within four months of the contract being awarded (Contract Award will be on/or before 30th November 2026). There will be an expected mobilisation period starting on the 01st of December 2026

Planning Information

Border Security Command require a supplier who can provide this as a managed service to meet an aspirational award date of 12/2026. Suppliers will need to register in the first instance on the Authority's eSourcing portal - https://homeoffice.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html Suppliers who can offer a solution and provide the required services are requested to send an expression of interest to Katey.Young4@homeoffice.gov.uk. The subject title of the email should read Tactical Airborne - Expression of Interest, and the email should confirm your organisation's name, one contact name, one e-mail address and one telephone number. These contact details must be those used to register on the Home Office e-Sourcing Portal on Jaggaer Following expressions of interest suppliers will be given access to the event on the Authority's eSourcing portal, where they will be issued with a Non-Disclosure Agreement, to be signed and returned to the Authority, via the eSourcing portal. Once received the supplier questionnaire will be made available for completion. Note, this questionnaire will be issued from the 6th February 2026. The deadline for completed supplier questionnaires will be 17/02/2026. This will be followed by an Industry Day, to outline the requirements and provide further information on the procurement process. This is anticipated to be held within the first week of March, however this is subject to change. The date will be confirmed and communicated in due course. Please note, the contact details provided by interested suppliers at the point of expression of interest will also be used to accept/verify their attendance for this MS Teams webinar engagement event. This Prior Information Notice (PIN) is not a call for competition. Suppliers will need to express interest in any future tender opportunity once a formal notice is published. This PIN relates solely to this market engagement exercise. It is not a pre-qualification questionnaire and does not form part of any selection process. The content of this PIN, including the nature of works, services and estimated value, may be subject to change. This PIN has been published twice, one under Public Contract Regulations (PCR2015) and one under the Procurement Act 2023 (PA23). The Authority has determined that the likely procurement route will be via a further competition using the Crown Commercial Service Space Enabled and Geospatial Services RM6235 Dynamic Purchasing System https://www.crowncommercial.gov.uk/agreements/RM6235 , so any potential bidders will need to be registered on this Dynamic Purchasing System when the Authority commences their tendering process, anticipated to take place in May 2026.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-054f91
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/009787-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Not specified
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

35 - Security, fire-fighting, police and defence equipment

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

CPV Codes

35613000 - Unmanned aerial vehicles

35720000 - Intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance

72300000 - Data services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£29,000,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
4 Feb 20262 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
1 May 20263 months to go
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
31 Mar 2027 - 31 Mar 2030 3-4 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Planned
Lots Status
Planned
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
HOME OFFICE
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
katey.young4@homeoffice.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SW1P 4DF
Post Town
South West 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

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

Download

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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