---
title: "Royal Navy Diving Threat Exploitation Group - Integration & Support of Neptune Autonomy Software"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-038b1f"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-038b1f"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-038b1f.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-038b1f.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "MINISTRY OF DEFENCE"
published: "2022-12-06"
---

# Royal Navy Diving Threat Exploitation Group - Integration & Support of Neptune Autonomy Software

Buyer: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-038b1f

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## Summary

The Ministry of Defence, represented by the Mine Hunting Capability Team, based in Bristol, United Kingdom, has recently awarded a contract for the integration and support of Neptune Autonomy Software into the Royal Navy Diving Threat Exploitation Group equipment. The procurement process was conducted using a limited procurement method, without publication of a contract notice, to meet specific technical requirements. The contract, with SeeByte Ltd as the supplier, is valued at £2 million and has a duration of 15 months. The procurement aims to enhance the autonomy and effectiveness of maritime mine countermeasures and underwater surveillance through the Neptune software solution.

This tender presents an opportunity for businesses specializing in IT services, consulting, software development, and support to engage in the provision of Neptune software and its integration into defence equipment. Companies with expertise in collaborative unmanned vehicle technologies and maritime security solutions would be well-suited to compete for this contract. The required software capabilities include low-level mission planning, autonomous missions, and mine threat identification, making it particularly attractive for businesses focusing on innovative solutions for maritime defense and intelligent surveillance.

## Notice

Provision of Neptune software and subsequent integration into RN Diving Threat Exploitation Group equipment, including associated software support

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Provision of Neptune software and subsequent integration into RN Diving Threat Exploitation Group equipment, including associated software support

### Procurement Information

The Mine Hunting Capability (MHC) Team, part of the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), intends to place an amendment to the current Autonomy Software Integration and Support Contract (Contract Reference: 701558388) with SeeByte Limited (SeeByte) for the integration of a common autonomy software solution into the equipment of the Royal Navy (RN) Diving Threat Exploitation Group (DTXG). The integration of this common autonomy software solution will involve the provision of software, its installation into the DTXG equipment and any low-level software development required over the contract term. The term of the proposed contract amendment will be for 15 months but this period will fall within the original term of the MHC Autonomy Software Integration and Support Contract. The maximum total value of the proposed amendment will not exceed PS2m for the entire 15-month period. This will increase the total value of the MHC Autonomy Software Integration and Support contract to PS4m. Currently, this DTXG equipment does not utilise a common protocol of technology and software, and subsequently cannot be integrated into the system architecture that is being developed as part of the wider MHC programme. This software solution is namely Neptune, which has been solely developed by and is only available via SeeByte. Neptune enables autonomy behaviours for Unmanned Vehicles and equipment to work collaboratively and effectively for the purpose of Maritime Mine Countermeasures and underwater intelligent surveillance and reconnaissance. The software also enables features such as: Low-Level mission planning, Autonomous missions and Mine Threat Identification and classification. In accordance with regulation 4 of The Defence and Security Public Contracts (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (SI 2019/697) this procurement falls to be regulated under the provisions of the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011 as amended (in particular by SI 2019/697 and SI 2020/1450). Prior publication of a contract notice in the Official Journal of the European Union is no longer appropriate. It is considered that the award of the contract amendment without prior publication of a contract notice in the UK e-notification service (in accordance with the relevant legislation) is lawful in accordance with regulation 16(1)(a)(ii) of the DSPCR 2011 (as amended) for Technical Reasons. This is because only SeeByte's Neptune software can meet the MoD's requirements and only SeeByte, as the original software developer, can install it into the DTXG equipment and carry out any necessary low level software development activities. To ensure the appropriate level of commonality, compatibility and supportability, it is deemed that the DTXG requirement for integration of a common autonomy software solution must be delivered via the Neptune suite of software available from SeeByte. The Neptune software is the current solution already being integrated into existing MHC platforms, and is also in use by a number of UK Allies. The requirement for inter-operability with these other platforms is a critical factor in the successful integration into, and future functionality of, the DTXG equipment. As the developer of the Neptune suite of software, only SeeByte Ltd possess the requisite access to the applicable software source code to be integrated into the DTXG equipment, and the requisite tools and technical ability to modify the software as may become necessary during the course of that integration.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/034522-2022 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Negotiated without publication of a contract notice |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 6 Dec 2022 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 6 Dec 2022 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £2,000,000 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Not specified |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | MINISTRY OF DEFENCE |
| Locality | BRISTOL |
| Post town | Bristol |
| Postcode | BS34 8JH |
| 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 | TLM75 City of Edinburgh |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | SEEBYTE |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

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

## Release History

- 6 Dec 2022 at 15:20 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/034522-2022

## Notice URLs

- https://des.mod.uk

## 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-038b1f. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-038b1f.json.