---
title: "SACC/00113 - Provision of Link 16 Network Management System (L16 NMS) - VTN"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-04e523"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-04e523"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04e523.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04e523.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "MINISTRY OF DEFENCE"
published: "2025-02-20"
---

# SACC/00113 - Provision of Link 16 Network Management System (L16 NMS) - VTN

Buyer: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-04e523

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-04e523)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04e523.json)

## Summary

The Ministry of Defence, through its Situational Awareness Command and Control Delivery Team, has completed a procurement process for the provision of Link 16 Network Management System (NMS) under the title "SACC/00113 - Provision of Link 16 Network Management System (L16 NMS) - VTN". The process focused on data network management services within the defence sector and was conducted as a limited negotiation without the publication of a contract notice. The contract, valued at £1.6 million excluding VAT, with options for extension, is aimed at supporting Link 16 Network Management within the UK for two years. The official date for the award of the contract is 20th February 2025, and the awarded supplier is Thales UK Limited.

This tender presents substantial opportunities for businesses that possess the technical expertise and capability to support specialised network management systems in the defence sector. Companies involved in the development and maintenance of data network management services, particularly those experienced in military communication systems, would be well-suited to compete in such tenders. Given that Thales UK Limited holds proprietary rights and technical knowledge essential for this contract, businesses looking to engage in similar future opportunities should consider forming strategic partnerships or developing niche technical capabilities that address the specific requirements of defence procurement contracts.

## Notice

SACC/00113 - Provision of Link 16 Network Management System (L16 NMS) - VTN Situational Awareness Common and Control Delivery Team, part of Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) within the UK Ministry of Defence, intends to award a Single Source Contract for the In-Service Support of a Link 16 Network Management System (NMS), with Thales UK Limited for a period of 2 years with options. Please note the Contract has not yet been placed. This VTN is for transparency purposes only.

### Lot Information

Lot 1

VTN - JNMS The Situational Awareness Command and Control (SACC) Team, part of the UK Ministry of Defence (the Authority), intends to award a contract for the In-Service Support of a Link 16 Network Management System (NMS), with Thales UK Limited (the Contractor) for a period of 2 years with options. The estimated value of this Contract is PS1.6M ex VAT excluding options. 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 (DSPCR) 2011 as amended (in particular by SI 2019/697 and SI 2020/1450). 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 for technical reasons as the Contractor owns the relevant technical information relating to the equipment and only the Contractor has the required technical expertise and know-how necessary to fulfil the Authority's requirement. United Kingdom (UK) Defence has an enduring requirement to manage and monitor all Link 16 activity within the UK and support up to 2 deployed operations. The NMS allows the Network Management operators to monitor network activity and modify the network architecture to provide optimal Link 16 network operating conditions. NMS also monitors all Link 16 activity to ensure compliance with the MOD/Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) UK Frequency Clearance Agreement (FCA). The current equipment set up is unique and the software installed on the equipment is owned and supported by the Contractor. As the OEM with proprietary rights for the software that is installed on the equipment, support can only be provided by Thales UK Limited, as only they hold the technical information, tools and expertise required. In the immediate term changing the system would have a potentially detrimental impact and could result in an inability to utilise the Link 16 network across all platforms in the UK Flight Information Region (FIR). This would significantly curtail pan domain platform's ability to train for operations. The Cyber Risk profile is Low. The reference for the Risk Assessment is: RAR-240620A07.

Options: 2x 1 year In-Service Support Options

### Procurement Information

VTN - JNMS The Situational Awareness Command and Control (SACC) Team, part of the UK Ministry of Defence (the Authority), intends to award a contract for the In-Service Support of a Link 16 Network Management System (NMS), with Thales UK Limited (the Contractor) for a period of 2 years with options. The estimated value of this Contract is PS1.6M ex VAT excluding options. 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 (DSPCR) 2011 as amended (in particular by SI 2019/697 and SI 2020/1450). 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 for technical reasons as the Contractor owns the relevant technical information relating to the equipment and only the Contractor has the required technical expertise and know-how necessary to fulfil the Authority's requirement. United Kingdom (UK) Defence has an enduring requirement to manage and monitor all Link 16 activity within the UK and support up to 2 deployed operations. The NMS allows the Network Management operators to monitor network activity and modify the network architecture to provide optimal Link 16 network operating conditions. NMS also monitors all Link 16 activity to ensure compliance with the MOD/Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) UK Frequency Clearance Agreement (FCA). The current equipment set up is unique and the software installed on the equipment is owned and supported by the Contractor. As the OEM with proprietary rights for the software that is installed on the equipment, support can only be provided by Thales UK Limited, as only they hold the technical information, tools and expertise required. In the immediate term changing the system would have a potentially detrimental impact and could result in an inability to utilise the Link 16 network across all platforms in the UK Flight Information Region (FIR). This would significantly curtail pan domain platform's ability to train for operations. The Cyber Risk profile is Low. The reference for the Risk Assessment is: RAR-240620A07.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/006279-2025 |
| 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 | 20 Feb 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 20 Feb 2025 |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## 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 | Not specified |

## Supplier

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

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 72315200 - Data network management services

## Release History

- 20 Feb 2025 at 14:41 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/006279-2025

## 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-04e523. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-04e523.json.