Award

IMEO Methane Monitoring

UK SPACE AGENCY

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Award

29 Aug 2025 at 12:46

Summary of the contracting process

The UK Space Agency, a central government public authority located in Didcot, United Kingdom, has concluded a procurement process titled "IMEO Methane Monitoring". This contract, classified under the services industry category for environmental monitoring, pertains to the provision of satellite-derived methane data that will support both the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) and UK climate commitments. The procurement was in the award stage as of 29th August 2025, with the contract period set from 8th September 2025 to 31st March 2026. The process followed a direct award procurement method due to the specific technical requirements of IMEO, with GHGSAT (UK) LIMITED located in London being the awarded supplier.

This tender presents significant business growth opportunities, particularly for firms specialising in advanced environmental monitoring technologies. Companies with capabilities to deliver high-resolution satellite data that offer precise methane leak detection and verification would be well-suited to compete in similar public procurement opportunities. The uniqueness of this opportunity lies in the technical requirements that GHGSAT was able to fulfil, which highlights the emerging demand for specialised and innovative solutions in the environmental sector, particularly with regard to supporting international and domestic methane mitigation efforts.

Find more tenders on our Open Data Platform.
How relevant is this notice?

D3 Tenders Premium

Win More Public Sector Contracts

AI-powered tender discovery, pipeline management, and market intelligence — everything you need to grow your public sector business.

Notice Title

IMEO Methane Monitoring

Notice Description

UKSA will contract GHGsat to provide Satellite derived Methane data to the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) and UK Government. The contract will allow the UK to fulfil international agreements and support domestic policy making e.g. towards achieving net zero by 2050. Recent information can be found on the Government Climate Change Dashboard, but this procurement will enable accurate monitoring and reporting on GHG emissions. Aims: Advance the UK's Leadership in Methane Mitigation: To reinforce the UK's international leadership in methane monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV), aligning with its climate commitments and diplomatic goals. Support Global Methane Monitoring Efforts: To strengthen the IMEO's capacity to detect, validate, and respond to methane emissions globally through the integration of high-resolution GHGSat data. Bridge Data Gaps in Methane Emissions: To address critical gaps in global methane emissions data by providing access to satellite imagery with higher sensitivity and accuracy than publicly available alternatives.

Procurement Information

The IMEO require this data to continue their work on global methane alerts and validation. IMEO speficically require the vertical column densities of Methane data that GHGsat data provide which can then be utilised alongside data from other satellites. GHGsat is the only currently viable option for this data as they are the only high-resolution imagery that is suitable to pin-point location that can be utilised alongside their current processes and has regular effort visit times. Stating that: 'The particular advantage brought by the GHGSat data includes its lower detection limit compared to other satellite missions and its ability to obtain observations quickly'. While the market for atmospheric methane monitoring via satellite has advanced rapidly-driven by a growing number of public and private missions-there remains considerable variation in spatial resolution, geographic coverage, and detection thresholds across providers. On review of the market and as stated by IMEO, GHGsat are currently the only Methane data provide that offer the technical requirements and data availability required by IMEO so that it can be incorporate into their MARS system. Market review Broadly, the available technologies fall into two categories: facility-scale point source imagers, such as GHGSat, which are capable of detecting and quantifying emissions from specific facilities; and area flux mappers, such as TROPOMI, which offer wide-area coverage and are better suited for identifying regional trends over time. The International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) requires satellite systems that can be tasked to monitor specific locations and deliver data with sufficiently low detection limits to accurately identify both the source and location of methane leaks. As such, the IMEO request focuses exclusively on point source imagers, which align with IMEO's operational needs. Area flux mappers are already used by IMEO to provide broad overviews and to signpost where the point source satellites should be tasked. There is only one current potential alternative to GHGSat, which launched its first satellite in August 2024. However, with limited satellites currently in orbit, it does not yet offer a revisit frequency short enough to meet the technical requirements for the IMEO MARS system and is therefore unsuitable as an alternative to GHGsat data. GHGSat has both high methane sensitivity and high detection accuracy, which gives it a higher probability of detecting methane emissions in different scenarios. In summary, GHGSat has a lower detection threshold, enabling the observation of smaller emission fluxes, which is not currently available from any other methane emission provider on the market. For this reason, GHGsat is currently the only option available that can provide data to a suitable technical level for the MARS programme. This represents a major advantage for MARS (IMEO's Methane Alert and Response Systems) when validating if emissions have ceased following notification, as GHGSat data increases our confidence that the emissions have ceased due to a mitigation action rather than the emissions source simply dropping below the detection limits of public satellites. In addition, the flexibility and high revisit frequency of the GHGSat satellites is a significant advantage for tracking specific leaks intensively and validating their emitting/mitigated status faster.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-059077
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/052463-2025
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

90 - Sewage, refuse, cleaning and environmental services


CPV Codes

90711500 - Environmental monitoring other than for construction

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£248,750 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
29 Aug 20255 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
29 Aug 20255 months ago
Contract Period
7 Sep 2025 - 31 Mar 2026 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
UK SPACE AGENCY
Contact Name
Not specified
Contact Email
commercial@ukspaceagency.gov.uk
Contact Phone
Not specified

Buyer Location

Locality
DIDCOT
Postcode
OX11 0DF
Post Town
Oxford
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ14 Oxfordshire CC
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Vale of White Horse
Electoral Ward
Hendreds
Westminster Constituency
Didcot and Wantage

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

GHGSAT (UK

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.

{
    "tag": [
        "compiled"
    ],
    "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-059077-2025-08-29T13:46:18+01:00",
    "date": "2025-08-29T13:46:18+01:00",
    "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-059077",
    "initiationType": "tender",
    "parties": [
        {
            "id": "GB-PPON-PRTY-4245-MTJY",
            "name": "UK Space Agency",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                "id": "PRTY-4245-MTJY"
            },
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Quad Two Building 1st Floor, Rutherford Avenue, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus",
                "locality": "Didcot",
                "postalCode": "OX11 0DF",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKJ14"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "commercial@ukspaceagency.gov.uk"
            },
            "roles": [
                "buyer"
            ],
            "details": {
                "classifications": [
                    {
                        "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE",
                        "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment",
                        "description": "Public authority - central government"
                    }
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "id": "GB-COH-12401677",
            "name": "GHGSAT (UK) LIMITED",
            "identifier": {
                "scheme": "GB-COH",
                "id": "12401677"
            },
            "additionalIdentifiers": [
                {
                    "scheme": "GB-PPON",
                    "id": "PHWC-1414-DPPQ"
                }
            ],
            "address": {
                "streetAddress": "Cannon Place",
                "locality": "London",
                "postalCode": "EC4N 6AF",
                "country": "GB",
                "countryName": "United Kingdom",
                "region": "UKI31"
            },
            "contactPoint": {
                "email": "phampton@ghgsat.com"
            },
            "roles": [
                "supplier"
            ],
            "details": {
                "scale": "large",
                "vcse": false
            }
        }
    ],
    "buyer": {
        "id": "GB-PPON-PRTY-4245-MTJY",
        "name": "UK Space Agency"
    },
    "tender": {
        "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-059077",
        "legalBasis": {
            "id": "2023/54",
            "scheme": "UKPGA",
            "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents"
        },
        "title": "IMEO Methane Monitoring",
        "description": "UKSA will contract GHGsat to provide Satellite derived Methane data to the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) and UK Government. The contract will allow the UK to fulfil international agreements and support domestic policy making e.g. towards achieving net zero by 2050. Recent information can be found on the Government Climate Change Dashboard, but this procurement will enable accurate monitoring and reporting on GHG emissions. Aims: Advance the UK's Leadership in Methane Mitigation: To reinforce the UK's international leadership in methane monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV), aligning with its climate commitments and diplomatic goals. Support Global Methane Monitoring Efforts: To strengthen the IMEO's capacity to detect, validate, and respond to methane emissions globally through the integration of high-resolution GHGSat data. Bridge Data Gaps in Methane Emissions: To address critical gaps in global methane emissions data by providing access to satellite imagery with higher sensitivity and accuracy than publicly available alternatives.",
        "status": "complete",
        "procurementMethod": "direct",
        "procurementMethodDetails": "Direct award",
        "procurementMethodRationale": "The IMEO require this data to continue their work on global methane alerts and validation. IMEO speficically require the vertical column densities of Methane data that GHGsat data provide which can then be utilised alongside data from other satellites. GHGsat is the only currently viable option for this data as they are the only high-resolution imagery that is suitable to pin-point location that can be utilised alongside their current processes and has regular effort visit times. Stating that: 'The particular advantage brought by the GHGSat data includes its lower detection limit compared to other satellite missions and its ability to obtain observations quickly'. While the market for atmospheric methane monitoring via satellite has advanced rapidly-driven by a growing number of public and private missions-there remains considerable variation in spatial resolution, geographic coverage, and detection thresholds across providers. On review of the market and as stated by IMEO, GHGsat are currently the only Methane data provide that offer the technical requirements and data availability required by IMEO so that it can be incorporate into their MARS system. Market review Broadly, the available technologies fall into two categories: facility-scale point source imagers, such as GHGSat, which are capable of detecting and quantifying emissions from specific facilities; and area flux mappers, such as TROPOMI, which offer wide-area coverage and are better suited for identifying regional trends over time. The International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) requires satellite systems that can be tasked to monitor specific locations and deliver data with sufficiently low detection limits to accurately identify both the source and location of methane leaks. As such, the IMEO request focuses exclusively on point source imagers, which align with IMEO's operational needs. Area flux mappers are already used by IMEO to provide broad overviews and to signpost where the point source satellites should be tasked. There is only one current potential alternative to GHGSat, which launched its first satellite in August 2024. However, with limited satellites currently in orbit, it does not yet offer a revisit frequency short enough to meet the technical requirements for the IMEO MARS system and is therefore unsuitable as an alternative to GHGsat data. GHGSat has both high methane sensitivity and high detection accuracy, which gives it a higher probability of detecting methane emissions in different scenarios. In summary, GHGSat has a lower detection threshold, enabling the observation of smaller emission fluxes, which is not currently available from any other methane emission provider on the market. For this reason, GHGsat is currently the only option available that can provide data to a suitable technical level for the MARS programme. This represents a major advantage for MARS (IMEO's Methane Alert and Response Systems) when validating if emissions have ceased following notification, as GHGSat data increases our confidence that the emissions have ceased due to a mitigation action rather than the emissions source simply dropping below the detection limits of public satellites. In addition, the flexibility and high revisit frequency of the GHGSat satellites is a significant advantage for tracking specific leaks intensively and validating their emitting/mitigated status faster.",
        "lots": [
            {
                "id": "1",
                "status": "complete"
            }
        ],
        "documents": [
            {
                "id": "conflictOfInterest",
                "documentType": "conflictOfInterest",
                "description": "Not published"
            }
        ],
        "procurementMethodRationaleClassifications": [
            {
                "id": "singleSuppliersTechnicalReasons"
            }
        ]
    },
    "awards": [
        {
            "id": "1",
            "title": "Methane Gas Satellite tracking - GHG Sat IMEO Data",
            "status": "pending",
            "value": {
                "amountGross": 298500,
                "amount": 248750,
                "currency": "GBP"
            },
            "mainProcurementCategory": "services",
            "aboveThreshold": true,
            "suppliers": [
                {
                    "id": "GB-COH-12401677",
                    "name": "GHGSAT (UK) LIMITED"
                }
            ],
            "items": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "additionalClassifications": [
                        {
                            "scheme": "CPV",
                            "id": "90711500",
                            "description": "Environmental monitoring other than for construction"
                        }
                    ],
                    "deliveryAddresses": [
                        {
                            "region": "UK",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        }
                    ],
                    "relatedLot": "1"
                }
            ],
            "contractPeriod": {
                "startDate": "2025-09-08T00:00:00+01:00",
                "endDate": "2026-03-31T23:59:59+01:00"
            },
            "relatedLots": [
                "1"
            ],
            "documents": [
                {
                    "id": "052463-2025",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK5",
                    "description": "Transparency notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/052463-2025",
                    "datePublished": "2025-08-29T13:46:18+01:00",
                    "format": "text/html"
                }
            ],
            "milestones": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "type": "futureSignatureDate",
                    "dueDate": "2025-09-08T23:59:59+01:00",
                    "status": "scheduled"
                }
            ]
        }
    ],
    "language": "en"
}