---
title: "ACTF2 - Keysight - GNSS Simulator Support"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-077805"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-077805"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077805.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077805.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Defence Equipment and Support"
published: "2026-09-22"
---

# ACTF2 - Keysight - GNSS Simulator Support

Buyer: Defence Equipment and Support  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-077805

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-077805)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077805.json)

## Summary

Defence Equipment and Support, the Ministry of Defence organisation responsible for equipment support, procured through-life support services for a Keysight GSS9000 global navigation satellite system simulator installed in Anechoic Chamber Test Facility 2 at MOD Boscombe Down. The requirement covers maintenance and repair of the simulator, software support and licensing, technical support, calibration and verification, obsolescence management, and training support. It is a specialist engineering and technology support service involving satellite-navigation simulation, software, hardware and calibration processes. The work is associated with the United Kingdom and supports the simulator’s continued operation in a defence test facility. The procurement is classified as services and includes engineering support, software support, mechanical and electrical engineering, information-technology equipment maintenance, and global navigation and positioning systems support.

This procurement has reached completion and Keysight Technologies UK Limited was selected for the single lot. The authority used a direct award under Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023, relying on technical reasons: competition was considered absent and no reasonable alternative supplier was identified. The awarded value is £400,000 excluding VAT and £480,000 including VAT. The contract period runs from 11 January 2027 to 10 January 2032. A contract signature milestone was scheduled for 4 January 2027. The award is above the relevant threshold. The rationale states that Keysight is the original equipment manufacturer and sole design authority, with the proprietary technical data, diagnostic tools, calibration equipment, engineering knowledge and processes required to support the simulator’s hardware, software and firmware.

This requirement indicates demand for highly specialised support of defence-grade GNSS simulation equipment rather than general IT maintenance. A credible future competitor would need demonstrable expertise in the relevant simulator hardware, software and firmware, together with the ability to perform OEM-level diagnostics, repair, software licensing and technical support. It would also need proven capability in precise calibration and verification of simulated GNSS environments, including access to suitable calibration equipment, technical data and controlled engineering processes. Experience managing component obsolescence and maintaining system availability in a defence test environment would be important, as would the capacity to provide structured training support. Suppliers should also be able to evidence robust engineering governance and the specialist resources needed for long-term through-life support.

## Notice

Provision of a five-year Through Life Support contract for the Keysight GSS9000 GNSS Simulator installed within the Anechoic Chamber Test Facility 2 at MOD Boscombe Down. The contract will be worth approximately PS500,000 and will include maintenance and repair, software support and licensing, technical support, calibration and verification, obsolescence management and training support.

### Procurement Information

The Authority (the Space Delivery Team within NAD-G) intends to award a contract to Keysight Technologies UK Limited (Keysight) for the provision of Through Life Support (TLS) services for the Keysight GSS9000 GNSS Simulator installed within the Anechoic Chamber Test Facility 2 (ACTF2) at MOD Boscombe Down. The required TLS services include maintenance and repair, software support and licensing, technical support, calibration and verification, obsolescence management and training support. The contract will be awarded by Direct Award under Section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023. The Authority considers that the conditions set out in Schedule 5 Paragraph 6 (Technical Reasons) are satisfied because competition is absent for technical reasons and no reasonable alternative supplier exists. Keysight is the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and sole Design Authority for the GSS9000 GNSS Simulator. Keysight alone possesses the technical expertise and engineering knowledge required to service and support the hardware, software, firmware and associated proprietary calibration processes necessary for the operation of the simulator suite and the accurate simulation of GNSS environments. No other economic operator possesses the technical expertise, engineering know-how, specialised OEM diagnostic tools, calibration equipment, proprietary technical data and associated calibration processes required to effectively service and maintain the Keysight GNSS Simulator. As a result, Keysight alone holds the capability necessary to maintain, calibrate, update and support all software, firmware and hardware aspects of the simulator to the standards required to sustain operational integrity and system availability. Accordingly, the Authority considers that only Keysight can provide the required TLS services and that, due to the absence of competition for technical reasons, no reasonable alternative supplier exists.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/089875-2026 |
| Notice type | UK5 - Transparency 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 | 22 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 11 Jan 2027 - 10 Jan 2032 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £400,000 |
| 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 | Defence Equipment and Support |
| Locality | BRISTOL |
| Postcode area | 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 | Keysight Technologies UK Limited |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 38 - Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses)
- 50 - Repair and maintenance services
- 71 - Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services
- 72 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

### Codes

- 38112100 - Global navigation and positioning systems (GPS or equivalent)
- 50312600 - Maintenance and repair of information technology equipment
- 71334000 - Mechanical and electrical engineering services
- 71336000 - Engineering support services
- 72261000 - Software support services

## Release History

- 22 Sep 2026 at 21:29 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/089875-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/089875-2026
  22nd September 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://www.contracts.mod.uk
- 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-077805. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-077805.json.