Official UK procurement notice
Air Traffic Control (ATC) and Operational Control Satcom Data Link Service - UK5
Authority: Ministry of Defence (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionProvision of C-17 Air Traffic Control (ATC) and Operational Control Satcom Data Link Service valued at USD 778,944.00 for 56 months to be paid on a monthly basis.
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · no lot value publishedProcedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Direct award
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Notice status
- Awarded without competition
- Procurement threshold
- Unspecified in notice
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Direct award (no call for competition)
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 23 Oct 2026, 12:26 BST
- Last source update
- 23 Oct 2026, 12:26 BST
- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-100427- Latest notice
- Transparency notice (UK5)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-078edcFind a Tender
- Why no open competition
- Switching Direct Award
- Published justification
The Define and Procure team, part of the UK Ministry of Defence, intends to award a contract to ARINC Incorporated (“ARINC”) for continued licencing and support to the C-17 Satcom Datalink Service.
The contract will be for a term of 5 years with an estimated value of USD 778,944.00
The Authority originally issued Invitation to Tender number 715779462. It then issued a UK12 procurement termination notice to allow for review of the requirement.
Following that review, the Authority is satisfied that the requirement is such that only ARINC holds the relevant software and licensing rights and system-specific technical knowledge required.
The C-17 Satcom Datalink Service relies on ARINC software and associated code. The software configuration was incorporated into the RAF C-17 fleet by Boeing and cannot be modified or replaced without significant technical intervention.
Accordingly, it is intended that the contract be directly awarded to ARINC under section 41 of the Procurement Act 2023 and paragraph 6 of Schedule 5
Notice history
2 events · 1 release on Find a Tender · since 23 Oct 2026- Transparency notice published23 Oct 2026, 12:26 BSTUK5
- Contract signature expected4 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARINC Incorporated17 Jan 2027 – 16 Sept 2031 | US$778,944 | — | Standstill |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
1 commercial party on the notice- ARINC IncorporatedAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (1)
Official links; attachments are not copiedNotices published for this procedure
- Transparency notice Transparency notice on Find a Tender