---
title: "Management of the UK Telecommunications Laboratory"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-0515f6"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-0515f6"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0515f6.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0515f6.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DESNZ & DSIT GROUP COMMERCIAL"
published: "2025-05-16"
---

# Management of the UK Telecommunications Laboratory

Buyer: DESNZ & DSIT GROUP COMMERCIAL  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-0515f6

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## Summary

The UK Telecommunications Laboratory (UKTL) management contract, valued at £18.3 million over a 12-month period, has been awarded to NPL Management Limited by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), functioning under the DESNZ & DSIT Group Commercial. This key procurement, categorised under research and development services on security and defence materials, and located in London, aims to enhance the UK's telecom security infrastructure. The project is currently at the Award stage with negotiations completed without publishing a contract notice, attributed primarily to technical reasons and protection of exclusive rights under the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011.

This contract provides significant business growth opportunities for firms specialising in telecoms security and resilience testing, development services, and secure telecommunications infrastructure. Companies with expertise in advanced telecom network protocols, cybersecurity, and high-frequency signal metrology would find themselves well-positioned to leverage future procurements in this field. The initiative necessitates collaboration with a network-specific and government bodies, offering a landscape for entities that focus on national-level telecommunications security research and development to expand their expertise and service offerings.

## Notice

The UK Telecommunications Laboratory (UKTL) serves as the national telecoms security and resilience testing and research facility of the United Kingdom. This helps maintain the security and resilience of the UK's communications networks. The contract is for provision of Deliverables and the supply of Services, for the operation of the UKTL Buildings as well as the designing and implementation of specialist activities and tasks.

### Procurement Information

The UK Telecommunications Laboratory (UKTL) serves as the national telecoms security and resilience testing and research facility of the United Kingdom. The UKTL aims to be recognised globally as a centre of excellence in telecom security, providing advanced test and evaluation capabilities to protect the country's essential national telecoms infrastructure. This helps maintain the security and resilience of the UK's communications networks. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) awarded a contract to National Physical Laboratory Management Limited for setting up and initially managing UKTL for 12 months, valued at PS18.3 million (excluding VAT). This procurement follows the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011. Publishing a contract notice in the Official Journal of the European Union is no longer applicable. The contract was awarded without prior publication of a notice on the UK e-notification service, adhering to Regulation 16(1)(a)(ii) of the DSPCR 2011, which allows such awarding "for technical reasons, or for reasons connected with the protection of exclusive rights", therefore the contract was awarded to a particular economic operator. The services required could only be provided by NPL Management Limited, due to the extensive interaction with various network-specific organisations as well as government bodies. These entities are integral to the development of UKTL, raising concerns about the allocation of exclusive rights during the establishment of the laboratory and necessitating a company that maintains neutrality. As a public corporation that offers neutrality, NPL Management Limited possesses the requisite expertise in laboratory setup and management. Although there are other public sector bodies that exhibit relevant qualities, their primary remits and expertise do not fulfil the unique requirements of a national-level telecommunications security laboratory. They lacked specialised knowledge in advanced telecom network protocols, cybersecurity threats specific to telecom infrastructure, and the metrology of high-frequency signals, which NPL possesses. Additionally, these entities do not operate high-security facilities for collaborative research on sensitive national security technology. NPL's expertise in measurement science, its specific and advanced capabilities in telecommunications and cyber security, its role as the UK's National Measurement Institute, and its status as a trusted public sector body with the necessary infrastructure and security clearance experience make it the only public sector organisation feasibly equipped to operate the UKTL for the period of time in question.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/022277-2025 |
| 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 | Not specified |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 16 May 2025 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 31 Mar 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 | £18,380,000 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DESNZ & DSIT GROUP COMMERCIAL |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | Not specified |
| Postcode | N/A |
| Country | Not specified |
| ITL 1 | Not specified |
| ITL 2 | Not specified |
| ITL 3 | Not specified |
| Local authority | Not specified |
| Electoral ward | Not specified |
| Westminster constituency | Not specified |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | NPL MANAGEMENT |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73400000 - Research and Development services on security and defence materials

## Release History

- 16 May 2025 at 13:30 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/022277-2025

## 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-0515f6. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-0515f6.json.