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National Space Operations Centre: Global Data Marketplace (NSpOC GDM)

Department for Science, Innovation & Technology

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

06 Aug 2026 at 17:53

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
AwardUpdate

14 Jul 2026 at 09:59

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Award

14 Jul 2026 at 09:38

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology procured the National Space Operations Centre’s Global Data Marketplace, a live operational platform providing space domain awareness data across multiple phenomenologies, including different sensor and data types. The platform connects to a global supplier network, supports tasking within one hour of an order, enables rapid delivery and high revisit rates for target objects, and provides automated delivery through a Unified Data Library or an API into the BOREALIS system. It also supports licensing decisions based on operational need, such as sharing data with UK Government partners or NATO allies. The software platform is delivered for activity in the United Kingdom.

The procurement is complete and was awarded on 6 August 2026 through a direct award. The Department awarded the single lot to Bluestaq Ltd under the legal provisions for particular intellectual property rights and the absence of competition for technical reasons. The award is valued at £500,000 excluding VAT, or £600,000 including VAT. The contract runs from 1 September 2026 to 31 March 2027, with an option to extend to 31 March 2028 if the full call-off value is not used during the financial year. The award is active, and the scheduled signature date was 31 August 2026. The requirement was assessed as suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises, although the selected supplier is Bluestaq Ltd.

This award demonstrates demand for an immediately operational space domain awareness data marketplace rather than a platform requiring development, supplier onboarding or implementation. A credible competitor for a future requirement would need an established global network covering multiple phenomenologies, broad access to suppliers and sensors, and the ability to coordinate those sources through one platform. It would also need rapid tasking, fast automated data delivery, high revisit rates and integration through a Unified Data Library or API into BOREALIS. Evidence of operational readiness from contract commencement would be important. Suppliers should be able to manage case-by-case licensing, including controlled sharing with UK Government and NATO partners, and address the intellectual property and technical integration issues associated with the platform.

How relevant is this notice?

Notice Information

Notice Title

National Space Operations Centre: Global Data Marketplace (NSpOC GDM)

Notice Description

The National Space Operations Centre (NSpOC) is seeking a supplier for a live operational platform that can provide SDA data across a range of different phenomenologies. The requirement is for a platform that: * Connects to a global supplier network covering multiple SDA phenomenologies * Supports rapid tasking of that network (within 1 hour of order being placed) * Supports rapid data delivery and high re-visit rates for target objects * Capable of automated delivery, either via a UDL or via API into the BOREALIS system * Is already operational and capable of fulfilling these requirements immediately upon contract commencement without development, onboarding or implementation activity ("day zero ready") * Allows for specification of licencing provisions on a case-by-case basis according to operational need (e.g. sharing with UK Government partners vs sharing with NATO allies)

Procurement Information

Direct award is justified under PA23 Schedule 5(5) for "particular intellectual property rights" and schedule 5(6) "competition is absent for technical reasons", on the following basis: 1) NSpOC's requirement is for a live operational platform that: a. Connects to a global supplier network covering multiple SDA phenomenologies b. Supports rapid tasking of that network (within 1 hour of order being placed) c. Supports rapid data delivery and high re-visit rates for target objects d. Capable of automated delivery, either via a UDL or via API into BOREALIS C2 system e. Is already operational and capable of fulfilling these requirements immediately upon contract commencement without development, onboarding or implementation activity ("day zero ready") f. Allows for specification of licensing provisions on a case-by-case basis according to operational need (e.g. sharing with UK Government partners vs sharing with NATO allies) Based on market knowledge developed through procurement of SDA services, engagement with SDA suppliers and review of available commercial offerings, the Authority is unaware of any alternative operational platform capable of meeting all the requirements listed above. Any competitor platform would need to be newly developed and its supplier network grown, all of which would duplicate the work already done by Bluestaq, would require the development of an alternative platform and onboarding of suppliers before becoming operational and require significant financial investment which would not provide a value for money solution. This would not meet the critical requirement of "day zero ready". The Authority is not aware of any existing platform that currently provides equivalent operational coverage across suppliers, sensors and phenomenologies. No other supplier can provide access through a single operational platform to such a breadth of data sources and phenomenologies: owing to the substantial overheads of hardware deployment and maintenance, SDA companies tend to specialise in one particular phenomenology (optical/radar/space-based). Reliance on multiple specialist suppliers would require the Authority to establish, maintain and operationally coordinate multiple contractual arrangements in order to achieve equivalent capability coverage. Justification relating to Intellectual Property Rights relates to the Global Data Marketplace's IPR and the interaction of the GDM and a UDL, which is held by Bluestaq.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ca5e
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/074994-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Goods
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
SME
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

48 - Software package and information systems

CPV Codes

48100000 - Industry specific software package

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£500,000 £500K-£1M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
6 Aug 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
6 Aug 20261 months ago
Contract Period
1 Sep 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active
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

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

BLUESTAQ LIMITED

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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