---
title: "Heavy Lift Challenge"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-02c120"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-02c120"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02c120.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02c120.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "MINISTRY OF DEFENCE"
published: "2021-10-28"
---

# Heavy Lift Challenge

Buyer: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-02c120

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-02c120)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02c120.json)

## Summary

The public procurement process titled "Heavy Lift Challenge" is managed by the Ministry of Defence, based in Bristol, UK. The procurement falls under the services industry, specifically focused on research and development services related to autonomous Heavy Lift Uncrewed Air Systems. The procurement method utilised is an open procedure, and this tender is currently in the active stage. Key dates include a tender submission deadline of 26th July 2021 and a contract value of £20,000,000, which aims to facilitate the development of innovative solutions for the maritime domain.

This tender presents significant opportunities for growth particularly for small to medium enterprises (SMEs) specialising in autonomous systems, research and development, and consultancy services. Businesses that can demonstrate expertise in uncrewed air system technologies and meet the Authority's defined Minimum Viable Product requirements could benefit greatly. The framework's competitive nature encourages suppliers to showcase innovative capabilities and explore collaborative development, making it an attractive prospect for companies aiming to expand their market presence in cutting-edge defence solutions.

## Notice

The Heavy Lift Challenge (HLC) Framework (the Framework) has been created by the Authority in order to accelerate the development of a range of autonomous Heavy Lift Uncrewed Air Systems for use predominantly, but not exclusively, in the maritime domain.

### Lot Information

20,000,000

Heavy Lift Challenge The Heavy Lift Challenge (HLC) Framework (the Framework) has been created by the Authority in order to accelerate the development of a range of autonomous Heavy Lift Uncrewed Air Systems for use predominantly, but not exclusively, in the maritime domain. The intention is to address the lack of current options in the market by increasing the number of delivery ready platforms in order to help support and develop the Authority's understanding of the potential capabilities and uses for of such autonomous systems. The Authority will facilitate accelerated development of a number of Supplier Uncrewed Air Systems (UAS) to meet or exceed the requirements of an Authority defined Minimum Viable Product. Our intent is to ensure that Defence will have access at the speed of relevance to current and future emerging cutting-edge capabilities for use within the Royal Navy and other domains. The Authority will facilitate, via the use of this competitive framework, an environment whereby suppliers are able to demonstrate current capabilities, set out product development and commercial exploitation roadmaps and work with both the Authority and potentially with other suppliers to accelerate pace of development and reduce time to market. The purpose of the HLC Framework is therefore to support and inform the development of Maritime operating concepts and enable assessment, analysis, exploration and evaluation of the use of un-crewed air systems (UAS) for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) payload delivery. The Framework is designed specifically to: i) provide Sponsor / User confidence in the potential for UAS systems to provide recoverable, adaptable, remotely piloted air systems, capable of accurately delivering heavy payloads at range; ii) enable the Authority to identify and as appropriate fund the most viable solutions in the market for accelerated further development in order to meet the Authority's minimum requirement (the Minimum Viable Product or "MVP") within the times stated, iii) provide the Authority with a mechanism for end users to potentially acquire for further evaluation or other use those solutions which demonstrably meet or exceed the MVP.

Lot 1

The Heavy Lift Challenge (HLC) Framework (the Framework) has been created by the Authority in order to accelerate the development of a range of autonomous Heavy Lift Uncrewed Air Systems for use predominantly, but not exclusively, in the maritime domain. The intention is to address the lack of current options in the market by increasing the number of delivery ready platforms in order to help support and develop the Authority's understanding of the potential capabilities and uses for of such autonomous systems. The Authority will facilitate accelerated development of a number of Supplier Uncrewed Air Systems (UAS) to meet or exceed the requirements of an Authority defined Minimum Viable Product. Our intent is to ensure that Defence will have access at the speed of relevance to current and future emerging cutting-edge capabilities for use within the Royal Navy and other domains. The Authority will facilitate, via the use of this competitive framework, an environment whereby suppliers are able to demonstrate current capabilities, set out product development and commercial exploitation roadmaps and work with both the Authority and potentially with other suppliers to accelerate pace of development and reduce time to market. The purpose of the HLC Framework is therefore to support and inform the development of Maritime operating concepts and enable assessment, analysis, exploration and evaluation of the use of un-crewed air systems (UAS) for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) payload delivery. The Framework is designed specifically to: i) provide Sponsor / User confidence in the potential for UAS systems to provide recoverable, adaptable, remotely piloted air systems, capable of accurately delivering heavy payloads at range; ii) enable the Authority to identify and as appropriate fund the most viable solutions in the market for accelerated further development in order to meet the Authority's minimum requirement (the Minimum Viable Product or "MVP") within the times stated, iii) provide the Authority with a mechanism for end users to potentially acquire for further evaluation or other use those solutions which demonstrably meet or exceed the MVP.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/027124-2021 |
| Notice type | Tender Notice |
| Procurement type | Framework |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 28 Oct 2021 |
| Submission deadline | 26 Jul 2021 |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 25 Oct 2021 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £20,000,000 |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £20,000,000 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Active, Cancelled |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | MINISTRY OF DEFENCE |
| Locality | BRISTOL |
| Post town | Bristol |
| Postcode | N/A |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK5 West of England |
| ITL 3 | TLK52 Bath & North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire |
| Local authority | South Gloucestershire |
| Electoral ward | Stoke Park & Cheswick |
| Westminster constituency | Filton and Bradley Stoke |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 2 |
| Supplier names | MALLOY AERONAUTICS; W AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

## Release History

- 28 Oct 2021 at 21:45 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/027124-2021
- 28 Jun 2021 at 21:45 - Tender - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/014765-2021

## Notice URLs

- https://www.contracts.mod.uk/web/login.html
- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-02c120. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-02c120.json.