---
title: "709378450 - Autonomy Software Development and Maintenance"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-042e7d"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-042e7d"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-042e7d.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-042e7d.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "MINISTRY OF DEFENCE"
published: "2024-09-13"
---

# 709378450 - Autonomy Software Development and Maintenance

Buyer: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-042e7d

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## Summary

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has awarded a contract for the development and maintenance of autonomy software to SeeByte Ltd, a specialised software developer based in Edinburgh, UK. This procurement process aims to ensure continued support for the software used in the Royal Navy's autonomous vehicles. The contract, valued at £50 million, was signed on 15th May 2024 and falls under the services category within the defence sector. The procurement was conducted using a limited negotiation method without a public tender notice, justified by technical reasons and the lack of suitable alternative providers. Key personnel involved include Mr Peter Allsop and Mr Garry Ogborne from the MoD's Mine Hunting Capability Team in Bristol.

This tender creates significant opportunities for businesses involved in the defence and software development industries, particularly those focused on military applications. Companies with expertise in developing and maintaining advanced software systems for autonomous vehicles will find this contract highly relevant. As the software is intrinsic to the Royal Navy's operational capabilities, the awarded contract underscores the importance of developing proprietary technologies that can integrate seamlessly into existing military infrastructure. The project duration allows for potential extensions, offering sustained business prospects and the opportunity to engage deeply with the defence sector.

## Notice

Procurement of software development and maintenance services for Autonomy Software.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Procurement of software development and maintenance services for Autonomy Software. Additional information: This notice is not a request for expressions of interest so please do not apply to be invited to tender. This notice advises that the Authority has decided to negotiate a contract with the named supplier on a single source basis, and is published for reasons of transparency. Link to DSP Opportunity: https://www.contracts.mod.uk/go/39479209018D219DD6EE

Options: There will be 2 contractual options, each facilitating an additional year of services, within a maximum contract term of 5 years.

### Procurement Information

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 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 requirement is for the continued support and development of SeeByte's suite of proprietary software which was privately developed by SeeByte. This software is widely used in different applications by the Royal Navy and works collectively and collaboratively to optimise the operation and effectiveness of its autonomous vehicles (both surface and underwater). This requirement is a direct continuation of the same services previously procured by the MoD, initially under the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory's Science & Technology (S&T) programme and more recently by MHC. Ensuring contractual cover to facilitate the continuing support and evolutionary development of this software is critical to maintaining the Royal Navy's existing capability. Given the history of the development of this software by SeeByte Limited, integrated into Royal Navy autonomous vehicles, there is no other reasonable alternative software available on the market that would meet the MoD's continuing requirements.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/029433-2024 |
| 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 | 13 Sep 2024 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 23 Nov 2023 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £50,000,000 |

## 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

- 72231000 - Development of software for military applications

## Release History

- 13 Sep 2024 at 13:32 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/029433-2024
- 19 Jan 2024 at 12:58 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/001916-2024

## Notice URLs

- http://www.des.mod.uk
- https://des.mod.uk/
- https://www.contracts.mod.uk/go/39479209018D219DD6EE

## 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-042e7d. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-042e7d.json.