{ "tag": [ "compiled" ], "id": "ocds-h6vhtk-06c2ae-2026-07-02T15:41:26+01:00", "date": "2026-07-02T15:41:26+01:00", "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-06c2ae", "initiationType": "tender", "parties": [ { "id": "GB-PPON-PVZW-3234-DTLY", "name": "Met Office", "identifier": { "scheme": "GB-PPON", "id": "PVZW-3234-DTLY" }, "address": { "streetAddress": "Met Office", "locality": "Exeter", "postalCode": "EX1 3PB", "country": "GB", "countryName": "United Kingdom", "region": "UKK43" }, "contactPoint": { "email": "procurement.enquiries@metoffice.gov.uk" }, "roles": [ "buyer" ], "details": { "url": "https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/", "classifications": [ { "id": "publicAuthorityCentralGovernment", "scheme": "UK_CA_TYPE", "description": "Public authority - central government" } ] } }, { "id": "GB-PPON-PJLP-5141-RMQQ", "name": "The university of Reading", "identifier": { "scheme": "GB-PPON", "id": "PJLP-5141-RMQQ" }, "address": { "streetAddress": "University of Reading", "locality": "Reading", "postalCode": "RG6 6AH", "country": "GB", "countryName": "United Kingdom", "region": "UKJ11" }, "contactPoint": { "email": "les12h2@reading.ac.uk" }, "roles": [ "supplier" ], "details": { "scale": "large", "vcse": false, "publicServiceMissionOrganization": false, "shelteredWorkshop": false } } ], "buyer": { "id": "GB-PPON-PVZW-3234-DTLY", "name": "Met Office" }, "tender": { "id": "FASTER", "legalBasis": { "id": "2023/54", "scheme": "UKPGA", "uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents" }, "title": "Space Weather R2O Maintenance - University of Reading", "description": "'Space Weather Implementation, Measurement, Modelling and Risk' (SWIMMR), was a PS19.9m UKRI SPF funded programme led by STFC from 2019, and which largely concluded in 2023. Several of the projects were targeted at space weather scientific modelling gaps, with the aim of bringing them into operation for forecast capabilities in the Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre (MOSWOC). The project 'S3' stood up systems and enabled collaboration between academic partners and the Met Office space weather programme, bringing a platform 'sandbox environment' and portal for monitoring outputs into use at the Met Office (MO) where our scientists worked with several academic partners to bring their models into use. Whilst the original SWIMMR programme made this collaboration possible, there is much work remaining to bring the models into working operational use by the target date of September 2026, the Research to Operations to Research (R2O2R) project is the next stage in this Programme. The Space Weather CSA with the Department for Science and Technology (DSIT) sets out a required output for the Met Office to Support the validation, integration and exploitation of new capabilities and data delivered through the SPF SWIMMR Programme. Met Office Space Weather (MOSW) has agreed with funding partner DSIT to deliver several targets for the next phase of work: Evidence of user need and user requirement to shape model use and output (MOSWOC being the primary user, with several end-users being the recipients of forecasting products). Technical and scientific requirements within MOSW for fully onboarding, working with and supporting the models and/or their outputs in operational settings. (Whilst the 'S3' platform and portal were helpful for the early stages of model collaboration, they are not able to support long term model and output development and operation). In terms of the projects to achieve modelling capability, we have agreed a number of these and their priority levels with the academic institutions who own the models.", "status": "complete", "procurementMethod": "direct", "procurementMethodDetails": "Direct award", "procurementMethodRationale": "The deliverables within this contract are directly associated with models and code that have been developed and are owned by the partner (supplier) to a defined level of maturity under the SWIMMR Programme. The partner retains the intellectual property rights (IPR) for the model code and provides access to the Met Office under licence. As such, the partner is uniquely positioned to deliver the required maintenance, support and enhancement services. The purpose of the contract is to ensure the continued operation, maintenance and incremental improvement of the models within the Met Office Space Weather service. This work requires detailed technical understanding of the model architecture, development history and underlying scientific methodologies, all of which reside with the original developers at Reading. Continued support of the models is dependent on access to both the proprietary codebase and the specialist expertise held by Reading. Replicating this capability with an alternative supplier would require significant time, cost and risk, and would introduce unacceptable impacts to operational continuity and model performance. In summary, due to the proprietary nature of the model code and the reliance on expert knowledge held by Reading, there is no alternative supplier capable of delivering these services. The Met Office therefore requires access to the code and expertise that are solely held by Reading to ensure the ongoing operation and reliability of the service.", "procurementMethodRationaleClassifications": [ { "id": "singleSuppliersIntellectualPropertyExclusiveRights" }, { "id": "singleSuppliersTechnicalReasons" } ], "lots": [ { "id": "1", "status": "complete" } ], "documents": [ { "id": "conflictOfInterest", "documentType": "conflictOfInterest", "description": "Not published" } ] }, "awards": [ { "id": "1", "status": "pending", "value": { "amountGross": 197856, "amount": 164880, "currency": "GBP" }, "mainProcurementCategory": "services", "aboveThreshold": true, "suppliers": [ { "id": "GB-PPON-PJLP-5141-RMQQ", "name": "The university of Reading" } ], "items": [ { "id": "1", "additionalClassifications": [ { "scheme": "CPV", "id": "73100000", "description": "Research and experimental development services" } ], "deliveryAddresses": [ { "region": "UKK", "country": "GB", "countryName": "United Kingdom" }, { "region": "UKK", "country": "GB", "countryName": "United Kingdom" } ], "relatedLot": "1" } ], "contractPeriod": { "startDate": "2026-07-17T00:00:00+01:00", "endDate": "2027-03-31T23:59:59+01:00", "maxExtentDate": "2030-03-31T23:59:59+01:00" }, "hasRenewal": true, "renewal": { "description": "3 annual extensions" }, "relatedLots": [ "1" ], "documents": [ { "id": "062407-2026", "documentType": "awardNotice", "noticeType": "UK5", "description": "Transparency notice on Find a Tender", "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/062407-2026", "datePublished": "2026-07-02T15:37:49+01:00", "format": "text/html" }, { "id": "062412-2026", "documentType": "awardNotice", "noticeType": "UK6", "description": "Contract award notice on Find a Tender", "url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/062412-2026", "datePublished": "2026-07-02T15:41:26+01:00", "format": "text/html" } ], "milestones": [ { "id": "1", "type": "futureSignatureDate", "dueDate": "2026-07-16T23:59:59+01:00", "status": "scheduled" } ], "date": "2026-07-01T00:00:00+01:00", "standstillPeriod": { "endDate": "2026-07-15T23:59:59+01:00" } } ], "language": "en" }