This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

08 Jul 2026 at 10:38

Award

02 Jul 2026 at 14:23

Award

02 Jul 2026 at 14:19

Summary of the contracting process

The procurement process led by the Met Office in Exeter, United Kingdom, revolves around a contract titled "Space Weather R2O Maintenance - BGS (UKRI)" in the public authority central government industry category. Located in the region of UKK43, the process has reached the Award stage, with activity to commence from 17th July 2026 and extend potentially until 2030. This contract, awarded directly due to the specific intellectual property and technical expertise required, focuses on the continual enhancement and maintenance of space weather modelling systems, initially supported under the SWIMMR Programme, with the British Geological Survey as a partner. The work aims at operational readiness by September 2026, with significant institutional backing from the Department for Science and Technology.

This tender presents opportunities for large research and development organisations specialising in space weather models and geomagnetic studies. Such businesses, well-versed in experimental development services, can leverage the contract’s emphasis on the British Geological Survey's SPIDER model, which deals with Geomagnetically Induced Currents (GIC) impacting key infrastructure across Great Britain. Companies possessing proprietary technological systems and a capacity for sustained model performance improvements find themselves aptly positioned to participate and influence the UK's space weather forecasting capabilities, enhancing both their market presence and expertise in this niche domain.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Title

Space Weather R2O Maintenance - BGS (UKRI)

Notice Description

'Space Weather Implementation, Measurement, Modelling and Risk' (SWIMMR), was a PS19.9m UKRI SPF funded programme led by STFC from 2019, and which largely concluded in 2023. Several of the projects were targeted at space weather scientific modelling gaps, with the aim of bringing them into operation for forecast capabilities in the Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre (MOSWOC). The project 'S3' stood up systems and enabled collaboration between academic partners and the Met Office space weather programme, bringing a platform 'sandbox environment' and portal for monitoring outputs into use at the Met Office (MO) where our scientists worked with several academic partners to bring their models into use. Whilst the original SWIMMR programme made this collaboration possible, there is much work remaining to bring the models into working operational use by the target date of September 2026, the Research to Operations to Research (R2O2R) project is the next stage in this Programme. The Space Weather CSA with the Department for Science and Technology (DSIT) sets out a required output for the Met Office to Support the validation, integration and exploitation of new capabilities and data delivered through the SPF SWIMMR Programme. Met Office Space Weather (MOSW) has agreed with funding partner DSIT to deliver several targets for the next phase of work: Evidence of user need and user requirement to shape model use and output (MOSWOC being the primary user, with several end-users being the recipients of forecasting products). Technical and scientific requirements within MOSW for fully onboarding, working with and supporting the models and/or their outputs in operational settings. (Whilst the 'S3' platform and portal were helpful for the early stages of model collaboration, they are not able to support long term model and output development and operation). In terms of the projects to achieve modelling capability, we have agreed a number of these and their priority levels with the academic institutions who own the models. The partner, British Geological Survey ("BGS"), led the 'SAGE' (ground effects) project within the SWIMMR Programme. Through this work, BGS developed the SPIDER model - an integrated nowcast and forecasting capability for modelling the effects of Geomagnetically Induced Currents (GIC) across the Great Britain high-voltage power network, pipelines and railways in near real-time. Under the R2O Maintenance contract, BGS will provide ongoing support, maintenance and incremental improvement of the SAGE system and its SPIDER model component, ensuring it continues to operate effectively within the Met Office operational environment. This includes sustaining model performance, addressing defects, implementing updates where required, and supporting the interpretation and application of model outputs within the Space Weather service.

Procurement Information

The deliverables within this contract are directly associated with models and code that have been developed and are owned by the partner (supplier) to a defined level of maturity under the SWIMMR Programme. The partner retains the intellectual property rights (IPR) for the model code and provides access to the Met Office under licence. As such, the partner is uniquely positioned to deliver the required maintenance, support and enhancement services. The purpose of the contract is to ensure the continued operation, maintenance and incremental improvement of the models within the Met Office Space Weather service. This work requires detailed technical understanding of the model architecture, development history and underlying scientific methodologies, all of which reside with the original developers at BGS.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06c29f
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/064100-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details 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

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services


CPV Codes

73100000 - Research and experimental development services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£242,000 £100K-£500K
Contracts Value
£242,000 £100K-£500K

Notice Dates

Publication Date
8 Jul 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
1 Mar 20264 months ago
Contract Period
16 Jul 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Active

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
MET OFFICE
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
EXETER
Postcode
EX1 3PB
Post Town
Exeter
Country
England

Major Region (ITL 1)
TLK South West (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLK4 Devon
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLK43 Devon CC
Delivery Location
Not specified

Local Authority
Exeter
Electoral Ward
Pinhoe
Westminster Constituency
Exmouth and Exeter East

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

BRITISH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

Further Information

Notice Documents

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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