---
title: "CETUS Trials and Evaluation"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-050312"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-050312"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-050312.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-050312.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "SUBMARINE DELIVERY AGENCY"
published: "2026-06-25"
---

# CETUS Trials and Evaluation

Buyer: SUBMARINE DELIVERY AGENCY  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-050312

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## Summary

The Submarine Delivery Agency, a central government public authority based in Bristol, United Kingdom, completed a public procurement process titled "CETUS Trials and Evaluation" in the defence and security industry category. This process involved the direct award of a contract to M Subs Limited, a small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) located in Plymouth, for the trials and evaluation of the CETUS vessel. The procurement was aimed at enhancing operational capability and effectiveness of the armed forces by de-risking underwater autonomy with comprehensive trials. The procurement method was a direct award due to M Subs' unique qualifications as the sole designer of the CETUS vessel, with the contract active from 24 June 2026 to 1 May 2028.

This tender presents significant opportunities for businesses, particularly those experienced in military research and technology services, seeking to expand their operations into the defence sector. While the initial award was directly granted to M Subs due to proprietary knowledge factors, future stages may allow for competitive tendering for different payloads, opening the project to a broader range of suppliers. As the SDA plans to procure various payloads through competitive bidding in coming years, there is a potential window for innovative businesses capable of contributing to military operational capabilities. This scenario would be well-suited to technology firms and defence contractors familiar with autonomous underwater vehicles and military application development.

## Notice

Defence and security - necessary to enhance or maintain operational capability, effectiveness, readiness for action, safety or security of the armed forces The SDA require Trials and Evaluation (T&E) to be undertaken using the CETUS vessel that is currently being developed by M Subs. T&E is required to de-risk underwater autonomy and demonstrate military utility through payload testing. As the sole designer and manufacturer of CETUS, M Subs hold all technical and proprietary knowledge of the vessel's form and function, and as such are uniquely positioned to safely operate the vessel in the execution of trials. Initial trials are a repeat of S201 trials XLAUV trials previously performed by M Subs on a smaller vessel within Project Manta), which M Subs delivered through the DASA Open call (competitive) contracting. Knowledge of these trials is advantageous in allowing these activities to be repeated consistently and efficiently. While there are alternative commercial operators of AUVs, none currently hold the necessary system knowledge to operate this unique system appropriately. Choosing an alternative supplier risks delay, increased cost, or higher system risks (e.g. of system damage) while this knowledge is gained. This would impede development of this capability, which the Authority has a military imperative to advance. Once the initial trials have been undertaken there will be greater scope for the Authority to compete longer term operation of the system once it is better understood by all parties allowing a meaningful competition to be undertaken. Separate to the operation of CETUS, the Authority intends to competitively seek different payloads from the open market in the coming years, allowing a broad range of suppliers to participate in advancing military capability within this project.

### Procurement Information

The SDA require Trials and Evaluation (T&E) to be undertaken using the CETUS vessel that is currently being developed by M Subs. T&E is required to de-risk underwater autonomy and demonstrate military utility through payload testing. As the sole designer and manufacturer of CETUS, M Subs hold all technical and proprietary knowledge of the vessel's form and function, and as such are uniquely positioned to safely operate the vessel in the execution of trials. Initial trials are a repeat of S201 trials XLAUV trials previously performed by M Subs on a smaller vessel within Project Manta), which M Subs delivered through the DASA Open call (competitive) contracting. Knowledge of these trials is advantageous in allowing these activities to be repeated consistently and efficiently. While there are alternative commercial operators of AUVs, none currently hold the necessary system knowledge to operate this unique system appropriately. Choosing an alternative supplier risks delay, increased cost, or higher system risks (e.g. of system damage) while this knowledge is gained. This would impede development of this capability, which the Authority has a military imperative to advance. Once the initial trials have been undertaken there will be greater scope for the Authority to compete longer term operation of the system once it is better understood by all parties allowing a meaningful competition to be undertaken. Separate to the operation of CETUS, the Authority intends to competitively seek different payloads from the open market in the coming years, allowing a broad range of suppliers to participate in advancing military capability within this project.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/059923-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 25 Jun 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 15 Apr 2025 |
| Contract period | 23 Jun 2026 - 1 May 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £6,680,147 |
| Contracts value | £6,680,147 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | SUBMARINE DELIVERY AGENCY |
| 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 | 2 |
| Supplier names | M SUBS; M-SUBS |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73410000 - Military research and technology

## Release History

- 25 Jun 2026 at 14:00 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/059923-2026
- 15 Jun 2026 at 14:25 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/056285-2026
- 15 Apr 2025 at 10:32 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/015189-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/059923-2026
  25th June 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/056285-2026
  15th June 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/015189-2025
  15th April 2025 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/submarine-delivery-agency
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.msubs.com/

## 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-050312. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-050312.json.