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NSpOC: Sovereign Sensor - Active RF Radar Capability

Department for Science, Innovation & Technology

This public procurement record has 5 releases in its history.

PlanningUpdate

17 Aug 2026 at 13:21

UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
PlanningUpdate

17 Aug 2026 at 13:19

UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Planning

03 Aug 2026 at 10:29

UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Planning

22 May 2026 at 08:35

UK1 - Pipeline Notice
Planning

21 May 2026 at 08:51

UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, through the UK Space Agency’s National Space Operations Centre programme, intends to procure a sovereign, high-power, approximately 1 MW-class active radio-frequency radar capability. The radar will be manufactured and supplied for deployment in the Southern Hemisphere, with the final location to be determined. It will support UK space surveillance and tracking and space-domain awareness by detecting, tracking and maintaining custody of resident space objects, including small debris and operational satellites in low Earth orbit. The scope includes radar hardware, antenna, signal generation, timing and processing systems, power, cooling and thermal management, software, integration with wider Government systems, training, spectrum permissions, cyber assurance, support and maintenance, project management, and collaboration on installation and commissioning.

This procurement is at the planning stage and is not yet an invitation to tender. The buyer expects to use a regulated, above-threshold competitive flexible procedure with selection, followed by dialogue and final tenders. The indicative contract period is 1 August 2027 to 1 August 2030, with a possible extension to 31 March 2032. The hardware requirement has a maximum value of £25,000,000 excluding VAT, or £30,000,000 including VAT. Requests to participate are expected from the week commencing 14 September 2026, with an expression-of-interest deadline of 30 October 2026. Invitations to tender are anticipated on 30 November 2026, dialogue from 15 February to 12 March 2027, final tenders on 9 April 2027 and award by 30 July 2027. These dates remain indicative and subject to approvals. Suppliers will need an NDA before accessing selection documents and will be assessed through eligibility, pass/fail conditions and a scored six-page technical summary; a minimum score of 60 applies and, if more than five bids are received, only the five highest-scoring suppliers will proceed.

This will suit radar manufacturers, space-surveillance and tracking specialists, and technology businesses able to lead a complex sovereign sensor deployment, including suitable small and medium-sized enterprises. Strong candidates will need experience developing, manufacturing or deploying space-domain-awareness equipment and the ability to deliver a 24-hour autonomous system capable of high-volume tracking, precise measurements, software integration and secure remote operation. The appointed supplier will also need to manage spectrum rights, cyber assurance, training, support and maintenance, and coordinate closely with DSIT and a separate infrastructure contractor during installation and commissioning. At least one project-team member must hold SC or DV clearance by contract award. Bidders must demonstrate ISO 27001 certification and Cyber Essentials Plus or CMMC Level 2 or Level 3 at selection stage. Larger organisations may also need a modern-slavery statement, while software subcontractors must meet the required cyber assurance standard.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

NSpOC: Sovereign Sensor - Active RF Radar Capability

Notice Description

**This notice supercedes UK3 Planned Procurement Notice reference 2026/S 000-009745, which was issued on 3rd February 2026. Please note the timetable provided remains indicative and subject to internal approvals** The UK Space Agency (UKSA), as part of the National Space Operations Centre (NSpOC) programme, intends to commence a competitive procurement for the deployment of a sovereign, high-power (~1 MW class) space surveillance radar in the Southern Hemisphere (final location is still to be determined but bidders should note the requirement to deploy into the Southern Hemisphere) to enhance the UK's Space Surveillance & Tracking (SST) and Space Domain Awareness (SDA) capability. It is expected that the radar system will operate as a key national asset, providing enhanced detection, tracking and custody of resident space objects, particularly small-size debris and operational satellites in Low Earth Orbit. It will deliver significant improvements to UK resilience, space safety, collision avoidance, re-entry monitoring, fragmentation detection, and wider civil-military situational awareness objectives. The radar shall be capable of detecting a target with radar cross-section of -22 dBsm (approx. 5cm) at 1,000 km slant range, with probability of detection Pd >= 95% and probability of false alarm Pfa <= 10-5, using a Swerling 3 target fluctuation model with a maximum of 100ms integration time. The system shall produce Azimuth (0.01deg), Elevation (0.01deg), Range (10m), Range Rate (~0.1 m/s) and Radar Cross Section (supplier in m2) measurements. Values in brackets are 1 sigma uncertainties. The requirement is for 24 hour remote, autonomous operation and achieving 10,000 tracks per day at a minimum (equivalent to 417 tracks per hour). The budget for this hardware requirement is capped at PS25,000,000 exclusive of VAT and will cover the following elements: * Radar hardware (including, but not limited to, antenna systems, signal generation/timing/processing hardware, power systems, cooling and thermal management) * Radar software (noting the Authority is likely to specify software covers both edge and cloud elements, with a 10 year licence including free security and basic maintenance updates) * Software development to integrate software with wider Government systems (including capture and implementation of user stories/change requests to better exploit the equipment provided) * Two separate training courses - one focused on tasking/sensor capabilities and one focused on hardware support and maintenance * Obtaining spectrum rights and permissions: whilst the Authority will support the appointed contractor with this, responsibility will rest with the appointed contractor * Software and hardware support and maintenance for the initial 3 year contract term * Cyber assurance * Project and contract management (including interface with the infrastructure contractor) * Collaboration around installation and commissioning at final deployment location The following is currently expected to be in scope of the infrastructure and enabling works contract, which is expected to be valued at PS5,000,000 exclusive of VAT. Prospective bidders should note that at least some staff are likely to require SC or DV clearance for this requirement. To assist prospective bidders with planning, an indicative requirements list is provided below. Depending on final deployment location, some of these elements may not be required: * Planning investigation and, if required, planning consents * Site surveys and ground works (including environmental and site safety surveys) * Enabling works to prepare the site for radar deployment (e.g. construction of concrete base) * Site civils and foundations (design and build) * Power and data connectivity * Potential utilities connections as required (e.g. drainage) * Collaboration around installation and commissioning at final deployment location * Temporary or permanent access to site, as required * Site security (e.g. perimeter fencing, CCTV, gates) * Site support * Project and contract management (including interface with the radar hardware contractor) The following is expected to be in scope of neither contract: * Ongoing utilities costs * Spare components (the radar contractor will be expected to include in the pricing schedule the cost of spare components) A suitable location for deployment has been identified but discussions cannot progress further until the actual equipment specification and characteristics are known. The appointed contractor will therefore be required to work closely with the Contracting Authority and the appointed infrastructure contractor to ensure successful deployment. Bidders will be provided with details of the broad location and constraining assumptions at PSQ stage to assist with technical responses, but should note the final location is unlikely to be disclosed until tender stage. The Contracting Authority will only enter into discussions relating to deployment locations with bidders under NDA, noting that detailed discussions will not be possible at SQ stage. Please note the Contracting Authority will not respond to any further queries raised on the technical specification or conditions of participation at this point: these will need to be raised as formal clarifications at PSQ stage via the e-tendering portal.

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: Time extension may be required if known risks materialise (e.g. delays in securing permissions) or if additional time is required to train personnel ahead of handover.

Planning Information

DSIT conducted a previous round of pre-market engagement on Friday the 17th of April. Following this, it is our intention to make some changes to this procedure in response to supplier feedback. We would like to invite suppliers to a webinar to outline these updates on Thursday the 16th of July 14:00 - 15:00. We will be outlining a number of changes to the procedure: * Splitting the original contract (UKSAC26_0005) into two separate contracts. This contract (UKSAC26_0046) will cover the manufacture of the radar capability (including software capabilities). It will not cover the enabling works associated with the radar, though the appointed supplier will be expected to support installation and to work with DSIT and the appointed infrastructure contractor to ensure successful installation and handover. UKSAC26_0047 will cover the enabling works and installation of the radar. * We will update on our position in relation to international primes in relation to this tender. It is still DSIT's intention to issue this procurement as a national security exempt procedure, but we have listened to feedback and considered how to better manage the security risks associated with this tender. * We will provide an update on the anticipated location of deployment based on the feasibility study currently underway. * We will provide an update on the anticipated timetable and procedure, which we expect to remain broadly similar to that set out at the previous pre-market engagement event. If you wish to attend the webinar, please email commercial@ukspaceagency.gov.uk. We will offer a limited number of 1:1 engagement slots on the same basis as before following the webinar (these sessions will be minuted and the contents kept confidential to the project team) - we will prioritise these slots for those companies intending to prime the radar equipment tender (not the infrastructure tender, which separate pre-market engagement will be undertaken for). If you wish to request a slot, please specify this when emailing.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-069e5c
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/078126-2026
Current Stage
Planning
All Stages
Planning

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK3 - Planned Procurement Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

38 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)

CPV Codes

38115100 - Radar surveillance equipment

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£25,000,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
£25,000,000 £10M-£100M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
17 Aug 20264 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
14 Sep 2026Expired
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
1 Aug 2027 - 1 Aug 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
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
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 2EG
Postcode Area
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

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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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