This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

AwardUpdate

14 Jul 2026 at 08:59

Award

14 Jul 2026 at 08:38

Summary of the contracting process

The Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, located at 22 Whitehall, London, has completed a direct procurement for the National Space Operations Centre's Global Data Marketplace (NSpOC GDM). This procurement is within the public authority category and focuses on industry-specific software packages in the United Kingdom. The process, categorised as an award stage, was completed on 14th July 2026. The direct award method was justified due to intellectual property rights and technical reasons, and the contract is set to commence on 3rd August 2026, with an initial end date of 31st March 2027, extendable to 31st March 2028, should it be necessary.

This tender presents significant growth opportunities for large-scale businesses that specialise in providing software solutions for space data analysis. It is ideal for companies already having an operational and comprehensive platform that can seamlessly integrate with NSpOC's existing systems, allowing for rapid tasking and data delivery. Given the specific requirements that precluded open competition, this contract favours firms with existing capabilities rather than those requiring development and onboarding phases. Business entities well-suited to such operations, particularly those able to offer a broad array of data sources across phenomenologies, stand to gain competitive advantages in the public sector space data market.

How relevant is this notice?

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.

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06ca5e
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/065970-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK5 - Transparency 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
14 Jul 2026Yesterday
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
14 Jul 2026Yesterday
Contract Period
2 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
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
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

BLUESTAQ

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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