---
title: "Provision of Defence Aviation Confliction Awareness Planning Tool"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-05fa9a"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-05fa9a"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05fa9a.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05fa9a.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "MINISTRY OF DEFENCE"
published: "2026-04-02"
---

# Provision of Defence Aviation Confliction Awareness Planning Tool

Buyer: MINISTRY OF DEFENCE  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-05fa9a

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## Summary

The Ministry of Defence in the United Kingdom has finalised a procurement process for the "Provision of Defence Aviation Confliction Awareness Planning Tool." This contract, effective from 20 March 2026 to 17 February 2027, with a potential six-month extension, was directly awarded to BAE Systems (Operations) Limited due to their exclusive intellectual property rights over the required technology. The direct award contract, valued at £3,162,045 (gross amount £3,794,454), falls under the services category, specifically system management software development services, and is intended to maintain operational capability critical for air safety and mission planning. This procurement was completed as a direct award since no other suppliers can deliver the proprietary service due to the existing patent constraints.

This contract presents a significant opportunity for businesses with established capabilities in defence and aviation technology sectors, particularly for those with an interest in proprietary system developments for governmental needs. It highlights the potential growth for large-scale companies that possess unique technical skills or proprietary technologies. While direct competition was not possible due to patent holdings, businesses looking to engage with the Ministry of Defence may consider investing in niche, high-specialisation areas that could uniquely position them for future procurement opportunities where such exclusivity does not apply. Companies in similar sectors might explore collaborative ventures or research and development to innovate new solutions outside current proprietary restrictions.

## Notice

The Provision of Defence Aviation Confliction Awareness Planning Tool.

### Procurement Information

The Authority intends to enter a direct award contract in accordance with Schedule 5, paragraph 5 of the Procurement Act 2023 as competition is absent due to the ownership of intellectual property rights. BAE Systems (Operations) Ltd, the incumbent supplier, hold the patent (ref EP2561500) to the CADS system. The service is proprietary and only the incumbent supplier holds the Intellectual property rights and technical capability. Given the breadth of the patent, it is not credible for the market to design around it. While the patent is in force in the UK, the Authority cannot compete this capability without the agreement of the Patent Proprietor, and this has not been granted. Therefore, BAE Systems (Operations) Ltd are currently the only supplier who can continue to deliver the flight deconfliction service. Immediate continuation of service maintains operational capability critical in the maintenance of air safety and mission planning.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030898-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 2 Apr 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 19 Dec 2025 |
| Contract period | 20 Mar 2026 - 17 Feb 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £3,162,045 |
| Contracts value | £3,162,045 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | MINISTRY OF DEFENCE |
| Locality | WALTER'S ASH |
| Post town | Hemel Hempstead |
| Postcode | HP14 4UE |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLJ South East (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLJ1 Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire |
| ITL 3 | TLJ13 Buckinghamshire |
| Local authority | Buckinghamshire |
| Electoral ward | Ridgeway West |
| Westminster constituency | Mid Buckinghamshire |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | BAE SYSTEMS (OPERATIONS |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

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

### Codes

- 72212781 - System management software development services

## Release History

- 2 Apr 2026 at 12:40 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030898-2026
- 9 Mar 2026 at 18:04 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021090-2026
- 19 Dec 2025 at 15:07 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085003-2025

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/030898-2026
  2nd April 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/021090-2026
  9th March 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/085003-2025
  19th December 2025 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence
- 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-05fa9a. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-05fa9a.json.