---
title: "Project Corvus - Procurement of an Uncrewed Air System to support the Army Land Tactical Deep Find 24-hr Persistent Surveillance RequirementDeep Find"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06d322"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06d322"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d322.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d322.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "DEFENCE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPORT"
published: "2026-08-05"
---

# Project Corvus - Procurement of an Uncrewed Air System to support the Army Land Tactical Deep Find 24-hr Persistent Surveillance RequirementDeep Find

Buyer: DEFENCE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPORT  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06d322

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## Summary

The recent procurement process titled "Project Corvus - Procurement of an Uncrewed Air System to support the Army Land Tactical Deep Find 24-hr Persistent Surveillance Requirement" was managed by Defence Equipment and Support, a central government public authority based in Bristol, United Kingdom. The procurement falls under the industry category of unmanned aerial vehicles (CPV 35613000) and is part of the defence and security special regime. The process transitioned from a competitive tender to a direct award, following Section 43 of the Procurement Act 2023, due to none of the initial tenders meeting the mandatory requirements. As a result, on 5th August 2026, Tekever Ltd was selected for the contract, which includes the provision and support of an uncrewed air system capability over a defined period starting 31st August 2026, with future options for equipment enhancements and contract extensions.

This tender provides significant business growth opportunities, especially for companies with expertise in unmanned aerial technologies and defence systems. Large-scale businesses like Tekever Ltd, who have successfully demonstrated their capability to meet stringent technical requirements, stand to benefit from such contracts. The procurement method adopted—direct award—suggests a substantial level of trust and confidence from the buyer in the supplier's ability to deliver a niche and critical capability efficiently. Companies with robust technical demonstratives and a solid track record within the defence sector could find similar opportunities valuable in diversifying and expanding their portfolio in high-stakes government contracts.

## Notice

Project Corvus - Procurement of an Uncrewed Air System Capability to support the Army Land Tactical Deep Find 24-hr Persistent Surveillance Requirement. On 31st July 2025 Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), now National Armaments Director Group, published a UK 4 Tender Notice (Notice Identifier: 2025/S 000-044898) on the Find a Tender Service (FTS) Platform to inform the market that it intended to run a procurement for Project CORVUS under the competitive flexible procedure of the Procurement Act 2023. The Authority subsequently issued the Project Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) and invited 18 Bidders to respond to an Invitation to Tender (ITT). By the ITT closing date (13th February 2026) 8 Bidders had submitted a response to the ITT, however none of these responses were suitable. The Authority is now following the process as set out in Section 43 the Procurement Act of 2023. Section 43 of the Procurement Act 2023 permits a contracting authority, in certain circumstances, to switch from a competitive tendering procedure to a direct award. The Authority has considered the statutory conditions for reliance on section 43 and has concluded that they are satisfied in this case. In particular, the Authority considers that no suitable tender was received under the Procurement, as none of the tenders received satisfied the Authority's mandatory requirements when assessed by reference to the stated assessment methodology. The Authority has also concluded that a further competitive tendering procedure would not be possible in the circumstances, for operational reasons. The Authority therefore considers that a direct award under section 43 is justified and compliant with the Procurement Act 2023. As a result, and following the process in section 43(5), the Authority intends to award the Contract to Tekever Ltd as the only bidder in the Procurement to pass Stage 1 (Tender Board and Completeness Check), Stage 2 (Affordability Check), and Stage 3 (PASS/FAIL Tender Criteria) Question PF02 (Ability to Deliver Task Line 1) and also to submit detailed evidence supporting all of its technical responses. Tekever Ltd are not an "Excludable" or "Excluded" supplier in accordance with the Act. The estimated date the contract will be signed (subject to approvals) is 31 August 2026, however this may be subject to change The standstill period begins upon the publication of this notice (5 August 2026) and ends 8 working days later on 14 August 2026 @ 23.59 GMT. Any changes to this will be communicated by issuing a correction/amendment notice.

### Procurement Information

Previous Notices references: 2025/S 000-024998 (UK1 Notice) 2025/S 000-027744 (UK2 Notice) 2025/S 000-041060 (UK3 Notice) 2025/S 000-044898 (UK4 Notice) Description: On 31st July 2025 Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), now National Armaments Director Group, published a UK 4 Tender Notice (Notice Identifier: 2025/S 000-044898) on the Find a Tender Service (FTS) Platform to inform the market that it intended to run a procurement for Project CORVUS under the competitive flexible procedure of the Procurement Act 2023. The Authority subsequently issued the Project Specific Questionnaire (PSQ) and invited 18 Bidders to respond to an Invitation to Tender (ITT). By the ITT closing date (13th February 2026) 8 Bidders had submitted a response to the ITT, however none of these responses were suitable. The Authority is therefore following the process as set out in the Procurement Act of 2023, Section 43. Section 43 of the Procurement Act 2023 permits a contracting authority, in certain circumstances, to switch from a competitive tendering procedure to a direct award. The Authority has considered the statutory conditions for reliance on section 43 and has concluded that they are satisfied in this case. In particular, the Authority considers that no suitable tender was received under the Procurement, as none of the tenders received satisfied the Authority's mandatory requirements when assessed by reference to the stated assessment methodology. The Authority has also concluded that a further competitive tendering procedure would not be possible in the circumstances, for operational reasons. The Authority therefore considers that a direct award under section 43 is justified and compliant with the Procurement Act 2023. As a result, and following the process in section 43(5), the Authority intends to award the Contract to Tekever Ltd as the only bidder in the Procurement to pass Stage 1 (Tender Board and Completeness Check), Stage 2 (Affordability Check), and Stage 3 (PASS/FAIL Tender Criteria) Question PF02 (Ability to Deliver Task Line 1) and also to submit detailed evidence supporting all of its technical responses. Tekever Ltd are not an "Excludable" or "Excluded" supplier in accordance with the Act. The Authority's current intentions are subject to the following conditions: i) That the terms of the CORVUS Contract are agreed with Tekever Ltd and not significantly altered from the terms that were circulated with the advertised competitive flexible procedure; ii) The Ministry of Defence's governance and approvals processes being met; iii) The Authority reserve the right to abandon or terminate the direct award process at any stage prior to contract award. If the Authority does not proceed to award, it will publish a Procurement Termination Notice pursuant to section 55 of the Procurement Act 2023. iv) If the Authority does intend to proceed to award, the Authority will publish a UK6: Contract Award Notice (CAN) prior to signing the CORVUS contract in order to instigate the formal standstill period. This notice is for transparency purposes and does not constitute a formal standstill period being initiated. However, by way of summary: The Army are seeking to replace the Watchkeeper system with a new Uncrewed Air System (UAS) to deliver the Land Tactical Deep Find (LTDF) 24hr persistent surveillance requirement; under the title Project CORVUS. Project CORVUS is a CAT B procurement that was launched in order to procure a new UAS to meet the Army's LTDF requirement. The Customer initially requires 2 x Task Lines, each able to provide 24 hours of persistent surveillance. The CORVUS capability will require to be supported for 5 years from Minimum Deployable Capability. There will be Contractual Options included to increase the number of Task Lines and extended years of support should the capability prove its cost effectiveness. The estimated Contract Value below is based on the Value of the 5-Year Core Contract (PS136,370,354), plus the additional Options for equipment and extensions to the Contract. These are as per the advertised maximum thresholds in the DEFFORM 47 and subsequent clarification documents. The estimated date the contract will be signed (subject to approvals): 31 August 2026, however this may be subject to change.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/074233-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Goods |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 5 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 23 Jul 2026 |
| Contract period | 30 Aug 2026 - 31 Aug 2031 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £220,000,000 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | DEFENCE EQUIPMENT AND SUPPORT |
| 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 | 1 |
| Supplier names | TEKEVER |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 35 - Security, fire-fighting, police and defence equipment

### Codes

- 35613000 - Unmanned aerial vehicles

## Release History

- 5 Aug 2026 at 13:04 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/074233-2026
- 24 Jul 2026 at 11:26 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/070248-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/074233-2026
  5th August 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/070248-2026
  24th July 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/api/1.0/ocdsReleasePackages/ocds-h6vhtk-05034c
- https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/defence-equipment-and-support
- 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-06d322. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06d322.json.