---
title: "Space Weather R2O Maintenance - Lancaster University"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-078cf3"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-078cf3"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078cf3.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078cf3.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Met Office"
published: "2026-10-21"
---

# Space Weather R2O Maintenance - Lancaster University

Buyer: Met Office  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-078cf3

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## Summary

The Met Office commissioned research and development to assess the quality of riometer observations and their suitability for operational use in its Optimised D-Region Absorption Model (ODRAM). Riometer measurements vary in quality, and existing guidance from instrument owners may be limited. The work is intended to develop an assessment that automatically assigns quality flags to the data, potentially as simple as “use” or “do not use”, and to determine whether the observations can be used in ODRAM operationally. The service was awarded to Lancaster University. Delivery locations cover England, including the North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, South East, and South West.

The procurement is complete: Lancaster University was selected and the contract was signed on 21 October 2026. The contract runs from 22 October 2026 to 31 July 2027. Its value is £48,356 excluding VAT and £58,027.20 including VAT. The Met Office used a selective route to award under a framework, below the relevant threshold; the call-off was not competitive. The procurement was for one lot, and the award is active. No award evaluation criteria are stated in the available process details.

This award shows demand for specialist research and development in space-weather data quality and operational modelling. Suppliers well placed for comparable work would need to understand riometer observations, assess variable-quality scientific datasets, and develop automated quality-control methods that can flag data as suitable or unsuitable for operational use. They would also need to evaluate whether measurements can be assimilated into a model such as ODRAM in an operational setting, rather than provide research findings alone. The selected supplier was a large university, indicating that research capability and the capacity to undertake this specialist assessment were relevant to the requirement. The work was awarded through a framework rather than an open competition, so credible suppliers would also need access to an appropriate framework route.

## Notice

Observations from riometers can be assimilated into the Optimised D-Region Absorption Model (ODRAM). However, the riometer observations are of variable quality and, even where guidance on the quality is available from the instrument owners, this guidance can be of limited use. The objectives of this project are to create: * An assessment of the quality of the riometer data, which would automatically put quality flags on these data. As the intention is to feed the riometer observations into an operational system, the quality flags could be as simple as 'use' and 'do not use'. * An assessment of the suitability of using riometer observations within ODRAM in an operational setting.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099525-2026 |
| Notice type | UK7 - Contract Details Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Selective |
| Procurement method details | Below threshold - award under framework |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | Large |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 21 Oct 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | 22 Oct 2026 - 31 Jul 2027 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £48,356 |

## Status

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

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Met Office |
| Locality | EXETER |
| Postcode area | Exeter |
| Postcode | EX1 3PB |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLK South West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLK4 Devon |
| ITL 3 | TLK43 Devon CC |
| Local authority | Exeter |
| Electoral ward | Pinhoe |
| Westminster constituency | Exmouth and Exeter East |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | Lancaster University |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

### Codes

- 73100000 - Research and experimental development services

## Release History

- 21 Oct 2026 at 14:14 - Award - UK7 - Contract Details Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099525-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/099525-2026
  21st October 2026 - Contract details notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/api/1.0/ocdsReleasePackages/ocds-h6vhtk-050b18
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents
- https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/

## 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-078cf3. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-078cf3.json.