This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

Award

07 Jul 2026 at 10:25

Planning

25 Jun 2026 at 13:07

Summary of the contracting process

The Submarine Delivery Agency, a central government authority based in Bristol, UK, is overseeing a procurement process entitled "SCYLLA 2A Interim" in the defence and security industry. The current status of this contract is marked as complete following a direct award to L3Harris MAPPS Ltd. The procurement process aimed to address key issues from previous trials with unmanned underwater vehicles, a critical component of naval operations. The contract period is set from 1st September 2026 to 31st March 2027, and involves works with an allocated gross amount of £4,500,000. The project benefits from strategic collaborations under the AUKUS Pillar II programme and leverages prior work with the US Navy to ensure systems interoperability.

This tender represents a significant opportunity for large-scale defence contractors, particularly those with expertise in naval technology and underwater exploration services. Businesses that can offer innovative solutions within the context of defence technology, particularly those capable of collaborating on international defence projects, would find this contract beneficial for growth. The procurement strategy of direct award reflects a preference for suppliers with pre-existing experience and intellectual property rights related to naval trials, as demonstrated by L3Harris MAPPS Ltd. Companies aiming to enter into or expand within the UK defence sector could view such opportunities as stepping stones for expanding their portfolios and enhancing their credentials in high-profile government partnerships.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

SCYLLA 2A Interim

Notice Description

This contract will cover the activities required to resolve key issues identified during the previous trial carried out by the supplier, and prepare the hardware for any future trials should the authority decide to proceed. This contract is for 6 months to resolve outstanding issues from the previous trials, and expertise from Trials 1A and 1B are required to resolve this. Any work for future trials will include pre-market engagement and if any potential suppliers are identified then a competition will be held.

Procurement Information

L3Harris have already delivered trials 1A and 1B, and are therefore the only supplier with the ability to resolve the outstanding snagging issues and ensure the US Navy and UK Navy SAFECAP are aligned. This requirement is also required for in year delivery, therefore current SQEP'd personnel are required to be able to deliver this in this short timeframe, with experience of the 1A and 1B trials. Currently this work has already been proven in the US, therefore, this single source award exploits the efforts made by the US Navy in this area. The capability must be interoperable and interchangeable with the US Navy and therefore must use the same AUV, with that in mind we will continue with L3Harris for the following reasons: 1. To continue the journey of development for the main scoping of delivery of the 2A trial, capitalising on lessons learned from L3 Harris from the first set of trials, as subject matter experts to date and their familiarity with Astute class submarines. 2. L3 Harris and Department of Defence (DoD) currently hold the IPR rights to necessary core components of Phase 2 of Scylla. Due to these IPR restrictions sourcing an alternative solution or an alternative supplier would result in loss of compatibility, operational delays and increased costs, adversely impacting the successful delivery of this project. In addition this could also prevent interoperability with the DoD system, where we currently benefit from their efforts on the programme and cohesive relationship under the AUKUS Pillar II programme; which could have a political impact if any IPR restrictions were to be circumvented .

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06bd28
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/063553-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Planning, Award

Procurement Classification

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

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

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

45 - Construction work

71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services


CPV Codes

35512400 - Unmanned underwater vehicles

45243500 - Sea defences construction work

71351924 - Underwater exploration services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£3,600,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£3,600,000 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
7 Jul 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
1 Jul 2026Expired
Award Date
7 Jul 20261 weeks ago
Contract Period
31 Aug 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 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
SUBMARINE DELIVERY AGENCY
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
BRISTOL
Postcode
BS34 8JH
Post Town
Bristol
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK5 West of England
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK52 Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
South Gloucestershire
Electoral Ward
Stoke Park & Cheswick
Westminster Constituency
Filton and Bradley Stoke

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

L3HARRIS MAPPS

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

View full OCDS Record for this contracting process

JSON Markdown

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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