---
title: "Project Beehive - USV (Unmanned Surface Vessel) and GCS (Ground Control System) Procurement"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05db5c"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05db5c"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05db5c.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05db5c.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "MINISTRY OF DEFENCE"
published: "2026-03-10"
---

# Project Beehive - USV (Unmanned Surface Vessel) and GCS (Ground Control System) Procurement

Buyer: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05db5c

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## Summary

The Ministry of Defence has concluded the contracting process for the procurement of a fleet of 20 Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs) and Ground Control Systems (GCS) through Project Beehive. With a focus on defence and security, the contract, valued at £12.3 million gross, has been competitively awarded under the selective procurement method. The project enables the Royal Navy to further its capabilities in tactic, warfare, and capability development, particularly in the South and South West regions of the UK. The procurement was carried out using a competitive flexible procedure, with key dates including the standstill period ending on 20th March 2026, and the contract running from 23rd March 2026 to 31st March 2027.

This tender offers significant growth opportunities for businesses specialising in defence technologies and uncrewed vehicle systems. Suitable candidates include large corporations with experience in specialised maritime technologies, open architecture systems, and OEM integration capabilities. Notably, Kraken Works Ltd, a large entity with considerable scale, won the contract, highlighting lucrative opportunities for established players in the industry. The procurement underscores the importance of staying at the forefront of technology to maintain operational relevance against peer threats, providing a competitive edge in the defence sector.

## Notice

The Royal Navy requires A fleet of 20 Uncrewed Surface Vessel orUSVs for SURFLOT, these platforms will be utilised for training, Tactic Development, Warfare Development, Capability Development, and operations in the UK Are of Responsibility and beyond. This project is to be a spiral development, with the initial platform requirement of USV's to be TRL 4/5, with open architecture for future development, this capability is key to maintaining operational relevance against peer threats. The Hybrid Navy transition will require development and testing of new technologies and whilst much of this work will be conducted by Navy Development, Disruptive capabilities, and technology officer, the SURFLOT Fleet of USVs will act as test beds to provide Learning from experience. Engineering support for OEM integration of spiral capabilities will be considered as part of the bid process. Works of this Project will have a focus on the South, South west regions.

### Planning Information

This Project will be placed using Commercial X’s Dynamic
market, using the competitive flexible procedure, suppliers must
on board onboard to proceed with this project.
Please ensure that you onboard to the Commercial X Dynamic Market to participate.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021405-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Competitive flexible procedure |
| Tender suitability | SME, VCSE |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Planning, Tender, Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 10 Mar 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | 10 Nov 2025 |
| Award date | 5 Mar 2026 |
| Contract period | 23 Mar 2026 - 31 Mar 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | £10,250,000 |
| Lots value | £10,250,000 |
| Awards value | £10,250,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | MINISTRY OF DEFENCE |
| Locality | LONDON |
| Post town | South West London |
| Postcode | SW1A 2EU |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLI London |
| ITL 2 | TLI3 Inner London - West |
| ITL 3 | TLI35 Westminster and City of London |
| Local authority | Westminster |
| Electoral ward | St James's |
| Westminster constituency | Cities of London and Westminster |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | KRAKEN WORKS |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 34 - Transport equipment and auxiliary products to transportation
- 35 - Security, fire-fighting, police and defence equipment

### Codes

- 34521000 - Specialised boats
- 35511400 - Amphibious crafts and ships

## Release History

- 10 Mar 2026 at 15:05 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021405-2026
- 15 Dec 2025 at 14:38 - Tender - UK4 - Tender Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082960-2025
- 5 Nov 2025 at 17:03 - Planning - UK2 - Preliminary Market Engagement Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/071410-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021405-2026
  10th March 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082960-2025
  15th December 2025 - Tender notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/071410-2025
  5th November 2025 - Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://contracts.mod.uk/
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/api/1.0/ocdsReleasePackages/ocds-h6vhtk-054901
- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence
- https://www.krakentechnology.com
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## 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-05db5c. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05db5c.json.