Award

Project Beehive - USV (Unmanned Surface Vessel) and GCS (Ground Control System) Procurement

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

10 Mar 2026 at 15:05

Tender

15 Dec 2025 at 14:38

Planning

05 Nov 2025 at 17:03

Summary of the contracting process

The Ministry of Defence has concluded the contracting process for the procurement of a fleet of 20 Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs) and Ground Control Systems (GCS) through Project Beehive. With a focus on defence and security, the contract, valued at £12.3 million gross, has been competitively awarded under the selective procurement method. The project enables the Royal Navy to further its capabilities in tactic, warfare, and capability development, particularly in the South and South West regions of the UK. The procurement was carried out using a competitive flexible procedure, with key dates including the standstill period ending on 20th March 2026, and the contract running from 23rd March 2026 to 31st March 2027.

This tender offers significant growth opportunities for businesses specialising in defence technologies and uncrewed vehicle systems. Suitable candidates include large corporations with experience in specialised maritime technologies, open architecture systems, and OEM integration capabilities. Notably, Kraken Works Ltd, a large entity with considerable scale, won the contract, highlighting lucrative opportunities for established players in the industry. The procurement underscores the importance of staying at the forefront of technology to maintain operational relevance against peer threats, providing a competitive edge in the defence sector.

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Notice Title

Project Beehive - USV (Unmanned Surface Vessel) and GCS (Ground Control System) Procurement

Notice Description

The Royal Navy requires A fleet of 20 Uncrewed Surface Vessel orUSVs for SURFLOT, these platforms will be utilised for training, Tactic Development, Warfare Development, Capability Development, and operations in the UK Are of Responsibility and beyond. This project is to be a spiral development, with the initial platform requirement of USV's to be TRL 4/5, with open architecture for future development, this capability is key to maintaining operational relevance against peer threats. The Hybrid Navy transition will require development and testing of new technologies and whilst much of this work will be conducted by Navy Development, Disruptive capabilities, and technology officer, the SURFLOT Fleet of USVs will act as test beds to provide Learning from experience. Engineering support for OEM integration of spiral capabilities will be considered as part of the bid process. Works of this Project will have a focus on the South, South west regions.

Planning Information

This Project will be placed using Commercial X’s Dynamic market, using the competitive flexible procedure, suppliers must on board onboard to proceed with this project. Please ensure that you onboard to the Commercial X Dynamic Market to participate.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-05db5c
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021405-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Tender, Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
SME, VCSE
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation

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


CPV Codes

34521000 - Specialised boats

35511400 - Amphibious crafts and ships

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£10,250,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
£10,250,000 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
£10,250,000 £10M-£100M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
10 Mar 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
10 Nov 2025Expired
Award Date
5 Mar 20261 months ago
Contract Period
23 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 1-2 years
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

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

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
LONDON
Postcode
SW1A 2EU
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

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

KRAKEN WORKS

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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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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                            "description": "Specialised boats"
                        }
                    ],
                    "deliveryAddresses": [
                        {
                            "region": "UK",
                            "country": "GB",
                            "countryName": "United Kingdom"
                        }
                    ],
                    "relatedLot": "1"
                }
            ],
            "standstillPeriod": {
                "endDate": "2026-03-20T23:59:59+00:00"
            },
            "contractPeriod": {
                "startDate": "2026-03-23T00:00:00+00:00",
                "endDate": "2027-03-31T23:59:59+01:00"
            },
            "relatedLots": [
                "1"
            ],
            "documents": [
                {
                    "id": "021405-2026",
                    "documentType": "awardNotice",
                    "noticeType": "UK6",
                    "description": "Contract award notice on Find a Tender",
                    "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021405-2026",
                    "datePublished": "2026-03-10T15:05:47Z",
                    "format": "text/html"
                }
            ],
            "assessmentSummariesDateSent": "2026-03-05T00:00:00+00:00",
            "milestones": [
                {
                    "id": "1",
                    "type": "futureSignatureDate",
                    "dueDate": "2026-03-23T23:59:59+00:00",
                    "status": "scheduled"
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
}