Security Information Event and Management Software and Professional Services

CPV: Software-related services

Procedure method

Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition

Legal basis

CELEX · 32014L0025 Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016 (Directive 2014/25/EU)

Procurement category

Services

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

16 May 2025, 15:42 BST

Last source update

16 May 2025, 15:42 BST

FTS notice number

2025/S 000-022341

Classification (CPV)

Software-related services

Delivery area

UK

Official registry OCID

ocds-h6vhtk-051626 Find a Tender

Why no open competition

The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator due to absence of competition for technical reasons

Published justification

Following a comprehensive and competitive procurement process, a direct award to Elastic is being proposed based on the following critical factors:

(i)Compliance with National Power Outage (NPO) Requirements:

The procurement exercise established that only two solutions that sit high in the Gartner Quadrant, Splunk and Elastic, are capable of meeting the stringent National Power Outage (NPO) requirements. These requirements explicitly preclude the use of cloud-based SIEM solutions. Furthermore, both technologies are compatible with the selected Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) and have readily available engineering expertise within the open market. This significantly reduces delivery risk and ensures continuity of service.

(ii)Technical Recommendation and Internal Validation:

The selected SOC MSSP has provided a strong recommendation in favor of Elastic, citing its suitability to meet the NPO constraints and operational needs. In parallel, the NESO Chief Security Office (CSO) has conducted an internal assessment of Elastic and confirmed it aligns with their functional and security requirements. This dual endorsement reinforces confidence in the technical and strategic fit of the solution. Furthermore, Elastic is already being used in CNI and the business for health monitoring purposes, so there is some experience in supporting it.

(iii)Cost Efficiency:

From a financial standpoint, Elastic is significantly more cost-effective option compared to Splunk. The estimated annual cost of implementing and maintaining Splunk is over eight times higher than that of Elastic. This substantial cost differential highlights the strong value for money achieved through a direct award to Elastic, making it the more economically viable solution.

In light of the above considerations, namely compliance with critical NPO constraints, alignment with MSSP and CSO assessments, and marked cost savings, a direct award to Elastic is both justified and strategically sound.

1 further award records carry no date or value.

No document links were published on the notice.