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UK4 Notice - DDAITF/008 Computer Vision Capability - Model Arena Comp

Ministry of Defence

This public procurement record has 1 release in its history.

Tender

03 Sep 2026 at 09:38

UK4 - Tender Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Ministry of Defence is procuring computer vision software development and related IT services for UK Defence. The requirement is to develop and deploy computer-vision components for autonomous drones operating in a land-domain, AI-enabled drone-swarming system. Suppliers will provide models that detect military-relevant objects and support a baseline for experimentation and iterative deployment. The work is intended to develop towards operational use cases and may extend into other sensing-specific artificial intelligence domains and decision-making layers. Delivery is across the United Kingdom, with Stage 2 activity alongside UK-based military exercises. The procurement is sponsored by the Rapid AI Delivery Taskforce and forms part of a wider Defence AI Model Arena industry co-creation activity.

The procurement has reached tender: the Ministry of Defence invited offers through a selective, two-stage competitive flexible procedure using the Commercial X Dynamic Market and Model Arena. It comprises one lot, valued at £2,500,000 excluding VAT (£3,000,000 including VAT). Expressions of interest were due by 15 September 2026 at 23:59 BST. A supplier drop-in session was scheduled for 9 September 2026 at 13:00; Stage 1 was scheduled for 16 September to 11 October 2026, followed by Stage 2 from 14 to 30 October 2026. Evaluation was scheduled to conclude by 4 January 2027. The contract period is 4 January to 31 March 2027, with a possible extension to 31 March 2028. Stage 1 uses pass/fail qualification and technical assessment of reliability, robustness and latency. Stage 2 scores social value, commercial and technical submissions, including performance, iteration, feedback and collaboration.

This opportunity suits suppliers with proven computer-vision and machine-learning capability, particularly teams able to develop object-detection models for military or similarly demanding environments. Participants must register with the Model Arena and apply to the Commercial X Dynamic Market through the Defence Sourcing Portal, with a completed Central Digital Platform profile. Suppliers need the technical capacity to submit a model for testing against a labelled dataset, measure and improve performance, and respond quickly to user and exercise feedback. Stage 2 requires collaborative, hackathon-style working with Defence, using increasingly representative data and iterative model development. Security requirements apply from Stage 2 onwards. The requirement favours teams able to demonstrate reliable, robust and low-latency applications and support continued co-creation towards operational deployment.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

UK4 Notice - DDAITF/008 Computer Vision Capability - Model Arena Comp

Notice Description

The Defence AI Model Arena is opening a new competition for suppliers developing computer vision (CV) capability relevant to UK Defence; this use case is sponsored by the Rapid AI Delivery Taskforce (Taskforce RAID). We are looking for suppliers who can demonstrate strong model performance against a military object detection use case and who are interested in working collaboratively with Defence to improve that capability using representative data and feedback from live exercise activity. The competition will use the Model Arena's "demonstration by doing" approach: suppliers will be assessed on how their models actually perform against the use case, rather than on written proposals alone. The use case is to develop and deploy the CV - based components for autonomous drones in the land domain, operating within an AI enabled drone swarming system. This phase is focused on establishing an effective baseline for experimentation and iterative deployment. The intention is to evolve this capability and implement other sensing-specific AI domains and multiple layers of decision-making behaviour; any potential successful supplier would be a core component of an industry co-creation ecosystem. Why take part: - The Model Arena gives suppliers an opportunity to demonstrate capability directly against a real Defence requirement and receive evidence-based feedback on model performance. - For suppliers progressing to Stage 2, it also provides an opportunity to work much more closely with the Defence user community, understand the operational problem in greater depth and develop capability using increasingly representative data. - For successful suppliers selected for Stage 3, it provides the ability to rapidly develop models and demonstrate suitability for continued co-creation. - The intent is to create a level playing field for suppliers while helping Defence identify the strongest technical solutions and teams for continued development. We will hold a supplier drop-in session on: Wed 9 Sep 2026 at 13:00. Sign Up: DAIC Model Arena AI Enabled Swarming - https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=7WB3vlNZS0iuldChbfoJ5QJeL8KOb3JCg77bbCuH5XFURDg2Q0NNTlk0SEkwOTBPNkdCS0hFT0YyWi4u&route=shorturl The session will provide more detail on: 1. The use case. 2. Stage 1 dataset and evaluation approach. 3. Technical submission requirements. 4. The Stage 2 co-creation activity. 5. Commercial; and 6. Supplier questions. Suppliers considering entering the competition are strongly encouraged to attend. Please note the session will be recorded and made available on request. Indicative Key Dates: - 9 September 2026 - Supplier drop-in session - 16 September - Stage 1 begins (Suppliers MUST be registered on both the Model Arena and Commercial X dynamic Market - details on how to register are contained within this notice) - 11 October - Stage 1 Concludes - 14 October - Stage 2 begins - 30 October - Stage 2 concludes. Evaluations Begin. - Early 2027 - Stage 3

Lot Information

Lot 1

Renewal: It is expected that completing this phase to the desired standard will result in a continued engagement into FY 27/28 to further develop and refine the model. Extension options will be included to ensure commercial viablity of this option.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-06f0e7
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/083303-2026
Current Stage
Tender
All Stages
Tender

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK4 - Tender Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Selective
Procurement Method Details
Competitive flexible procedure
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Not specified

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

CPV Codes

72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

72231000 - Development of software for military applications

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£2,500,000 £1M-£10M
Lots Value
£2,500,000 £1M-£10M
Awards Value
Not specified
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
3 Sep 20261 weeks ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
Not specified
Contract Period
4 Jan 2027 - 31 Mar 2027 1-6 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Active
Lots Status
Active
Awards Status
Not Specified
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
Ministry of Defence
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
WHITEHALL
Postcode
SW1A 2HB
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)

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