Find a TenderOpen for expressions of interest Tender notice
Published 24 Sept 2026, 20:22 BST

Official UK procurement notice

Pipelines - Support and Development

Authority: UK Hydrographic Office (Central government)

Two-stageServicesCompetitive flexible procedureAbove thresholdSME suitableVCSE suitable
Sectors: IT Services & Software (72) Delivery: Delivery location not published
Published estimate£5,500,000≈ £1.4m / year · £6,600,000 inc. VAT
Submission deadline 19 Oct 202617:00 BST · 24d 15h left
Clarification cut-off 14 Oct 202617:00 BST · questions to the authority
Contract term 4 yrsup to 9 yrs with extensions · starts 1 May 2027
Bids per lot · this authority 4.5all categories · n=4 · competition analysis ↓

What is being bought

Published requirement description

UKHO requires a supplier to provide support, maintenance and development services for its Product Aggregation Pipeline systems. The successful supplier will support existing operational services, maintain legacy and cloud-based platforms, deliver system enhancements, and provide development capability to support the ongoing modernisation of UKHO's digital navigation product aggregation services.

The contract will be for 4 years with the option to extend.

For more information about this opportunity, please visit the eSourcing portal at:

https://ukho.delta-esourcing.com/tenders/UK-UK-Taunton:-IT-services:-consulting%2C-software-development%2C-Internet-and-support./293S97B3VX

To respond to this opportunity, please click here:

https://ukho.delta-esourcing.com/respond/293S97B3VX

  • How the procedure runs: The process will consist of a 2 stage process: Participation stage ITT stage

CPV: IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

The lotProcurement structure

single lot · value published
Lot #1Lot 1Renewal 4 yrsSMEVCSEPublished value£5,500,000
Contract period: 1 May 2027 — 30 Apr 2031 (4 yrs) · up to 9 yrs with extensionsEligibility: SME eligibleVCSE eligibleTurnover guideline: ~£2,748,118/yr≈ 2× annual value
Value
£5,500,000 exc. VAT · £6,600,000 inc. VAT
Extensions
the authority reserves the right to extend by up to 5 years
72000000 IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support

Who is likely to bid for this lot ↓

What it takes to win
i

How this buyer will score bids.

The evaluation criteria and weights exactly as published on the notice, grouped by family (price, quality, social value and so on).

Evaluation split and conditions of participation as published — the tender pack may add more
How bids are scored
Price: 100%
Published sub-criteria (1)
  • Weightings and criteria to be provided at the ITT stage — 100%
Conditions of participation1
  • Technical & professional ability
    Supplier must be able to provide SC cleared Staff The supplier must have Maritime and Defence Experience The supplier must have experience in the skills and expertise in the areas outlined within the questionnaire.

Competition analysis · published record, not a forecast of who will bid

How UK Hydrographic Office buys IT services: consulting, software, internet (CPV 72) — and who usually turns up

UK Hydrographic Office’s own published record, next to the South West England market for the same work. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: IT services: consulting, software, internet (CPV 72) →

1

How the contest usually goes

Left: this authority. Right: the market where the work is delivered. Bids and award-vs-estimate pairs are per lot, from contested contracts only — direct awards (including PA 2023 transparency notices) report one bid by definition and are left out. On Procurement Act 2023 notices the count is the tenders assessed at the final stage, not every submission received; pairs compare like with like (VAT-exclusive, or VAT-inclusive on both sides). Empty means nothing was published, not filled in from elsewhere.

This authority

UK Hydrographic Office

contract notices in 36 months: 11 in division 72 (4 without competition · 1 route not published) · 30 in all categories (4 without competition · 3 route not published)

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 4 lots. 2 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 2) and 2 from older notices (bids received, middle 9).

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

4.5all categories · 36m · n=4 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 4 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

25%all categories · 36m · n=4 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 36 months: 4 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

1% belowall categories · 36m · n=4 pairs
Deadline → award date
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 24 months: 5 notices.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

77dall categories · 24m · n=5 notices
Notice updates
i

How often this buyer changes a notice after publishing it.

Middle number of amendments per notice. Deadline extensions and corrections both count.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in all categories, last 24 months: 59 notices.

Last 24 months.

0all categories · 24m · n=59 notices
Awarded without competition
i

How often this buyer awards without a competition.

Direct or limited awards as a share of its notices that say which procedure was used. These routes are legal in defined cases. This is just the record.

Based on this buyer’s tenders in this industry (CPV 72), last 36 months: 10 notices.

Last 36 months.

40%division 72 · 36m · n=10 notices
Bids per lot moderate · n=4
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 4 lots on 4 contested notices · all categories, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 25%
  • 2–3 25%
  • 4–6 25%
  • 7+ 25%

Median 4.5 · 4 lots on 4 contested notices · all categories.

Winning award vs estimate moderate · n=4
i

How often winners come in below, near or above the estimate.

Each lot with both an estimate and an award is placed by how far the award sat from the estimate.

Based on 4 lot pairs · all categories, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 50%
  • Within ±2% 50%
  • Above estimate 0%

4 lot pairs · all categories.

The market · authority’s region

South West England · IT services: consulting, software, internet (CPV 72)

contract notices delivered in South West England in 36 months: 553 in division 72 (245 competed, 121 route not published) · the notice publishes no delivery location, so the authority’s registered region is used

Bids per lot
i

How many companies usually bid for work like this.

Middle value of published bid counts, one per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 72), last 36 months: 115 lots. 71 lots are from Procurement Act 2023 notices (bids assessed, middle 5) and 44 from older notices (bids received, middle 4).

Nothing is filled in from UK-wide numbers. An empty tile means nothing usable was published.

4division 72 · 36m · n=115 lots
Single-bid lots
i

How often only one company bid.

Share of lots that received exactly one bid, on the same competitions as the bids figure.

Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 72), last 36 months: 115 lots.

High means a thin market or an incumbent that is hard to beat.

12%division 72 · 36m · n=115 lots
Award vs estimate
i

Do awards for work like this land above or below the estimate.

Estimate against award per lot, for this buyer or this region in the same sector.

Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 72), last 36 months: 71 pairs.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

at estimatedivision 72 · 36m · n=71 pairs
Deadline → award date
i

How long buyers here take to decide after bids close.

Middle value in days from the deadline to the first award notice, on competitions that published both dates.

Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 72), last 36 months: 77 notices.

Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.

Last 36 months.

61ddivision 72 · 36m · n=77 notices
SME bidders
i

How much of this market goes to small and medium firms.

SME bidders where buyers published the split, otherwise SME winners.

Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 72), last 36 months: 91 lots.

Last 36 months.

73%division 72 · 36m · n=91 lots
Winners based in the region
i

How much work like this goes to companies based in the delivery region.

Awards in this category delivered here where the winner’s registered address is in the region.

Based on this region’s tenders in this industry (CPV 72), last 36 months: 245 awards.

Registered address, so a national firm with a local branch counts as outside.

Last 36 months.

67%division 72 · 36m · n=245 awards
Bids per lot robust · n=115
i

How the number of bidders is spread across lots.

Each lot with a published bid count is put in a band: one bid, two to three, four to six, seven or more. Real competitions only.

Based on 115 lots on 114 contested notices · division 72, last 36 months.

  • 1 bid 12%
  • 2–3 25%
  • 4–6 33%
  • 7+ 30%

Median 4 · 115 lots on 114 contested notices · division 72.

Winning award vs estimate robust · n=71
i

How often winners come in below, near or above the estimate.

Each lot with both an estimate and an award is placed by how far the award sat from the estimate.

Based on 71 lot pairs · division 72, last 36 months.

A past pattern, not a price to bid.

  • Below estimate 39%
  • Within ±2% 39%
  • Above estimate 21%

71 lot pairs · division 72.

moderate · n=4
i

Where this tender’s estimate would land if the usual pattern repeats.

We apply the buyer’s usual movement between estimate and award (or the region’s) to the estimate on this notice.

Based on 4 lots, so only the direction is shown, not a pound figure.

A benchmark, not a price to bid.

Awards in UK Hydrographic Office (all categories, n=4 pairs) land a median 1% below. Too few pairs to turn into a pound figure with any confidence — read the percentage as a rough direction, not this notice’s estimate converted.
Coverage and what to read with care
  • Each tile explains itself. The on a figure says what it is, how it is counted and which scope this notice’s own record came from (class, division, all categories, or the authority’s 24-month row). The two columns are never blended and nothing is filled from a UK-wide figure; an empty tile means the source published nothing usable. Long form: Methodology.
  • Coverage. Roughly 40 % of notices publish a bid count; about half publish an ITL1 delivery location, so the market column reads the authority’s registered region when the notice has none (labelled). About 30 % of award-vs-estimate pairs are exact matches — the buyer published the award at the estimate. n is on every figure; a thin sample is muted, never hidden.
  • “Match” and “relevance” are model scores from the nightly matcher, not published facts. Find a Tender does not publish who is bidding. Never shown: contact details, payment behaviour, or a recommended price.

Procedure terms & legal framework

From the official record
Procedure method
Competitive flexible procedure
Legal basis
UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
Procurement category
Services
Notice status
Open for expressions of interest
Procurement threshold
Above threshold (FTS publication)
Regulatory regime
Standard
Commercial structure
Stand-alone contract (no framework)
Competition type
Competitive procedure
GPA / WTO covered
Unspecified in notice
Recurring procurement
No (one-off requirement)
First published
24 Sept 2026, 20:22 BST
Last source update
24 Sept 2026, 20:22 BST
Award evaluation window
Submission end — 27 Jan 2027, 23:59 GMT
Latest notice
Tender notice (UK4)
Classification (CPV)
IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
Delivery area
Not published
Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-0779fe Find a Tender
How it runs
The process will consist of a 2 stage process: Participation stage ITT stage

How to participate & submission route

Official notice Submit via Delta eSourcing
Submission portal named on this notice: Delta eSourcing · Who buys & how to bid on Delta
Public notice page · account needed to bidElectronic submission allowedLanguage: EN
Access & registration note: Free Select account; no DUNS asked at signup
Expression of interest (EOI)
19 Oct 2026, 17:00 BST
Tender submission deadline
19 Oct 2026, 17:00 BST
Clarification deadline
14 Oct 2026, 17:00 BST
Submission channel
Official e-sourcing portal
Electronic submission
Allowed
Accepted languages
en
Detailed submission instructions & authority contactsFrom official release
Published estimate £5,500,000 excludes VAT (£6,600,000 including VAT).

Timeline

6 published dates · Europe/London
  1. Tender notice publishedearlier today
    24 Sept 2026, 20:22 BST
  2. Clarification questions byin 20 days
    14 Oct 2026, 17:00 BST
  3. Expressions of interest byin 25 days
    19 Oct 2026, 17:00 BST
  4. Submission deadlinein 25 days
    19 Oct 2026, 17:00 BST
  5. Award decision expected byin 125 days
    27 Jan 2027, 23:59 GMT
  6. Contract startsin 218 days
    1 May 2027, 00:00 BST

Commercial outcome & contract awards

Nothing awarded yet
Awards (0)
No award published
Contracts (0)
No contract published
Bid statistics
No aggregate bid statistics published

Notice history

1 event · 1 release on Find a Tender
  1. Tender notice published
    24 Sept 2026, 20:22 BSTUK4

Contracting authority & participating public bodies

UK Hydrographic Office

Contracting authorityPublic authority - central government GB-PPON: PZZG-9616-WGXT UK Hydrographic Office, Admiralty Way, Taunton, South West, TA1 2DN 01823483168

Official documents & specifications (2)

Official links; attachments are not copied

Tender pack and attachments

  • Conflict of interest declarationtenderConflict of interest declarationNot published

Notices published for this procedure

  • Tender notice tenderTender noticeUK4Tender notice on Find a Tender