View official notice ↗Official source
The UK Space Agency (UKSA) is conducting a competitive procurement for the delivery of concept studies to explore potential technical and commercial approaches for the provision of a space‑based time transfer capability that is independent of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). The requirement is part of the Space-Based Time Transfer Service (Space BaTTS) Research & Development Programme to develop, validate, and assess technology concepts that could fulfil an unmet government requirement for GNSS-independent global timing, provide UK overseas territories with backup timing solutions, and provide the UK mainland with an additional layer of timing resilience. This competition focuses on early‑stage, pre‑commercial research and development activity only. UKSA intends to award multiple contracts under this competition. Each contract will require the supplier to undertake a time‑limited study examining a proposed concept. The studies are expected to assess technical feasibility, performance characteristics, delivery considerations, risks and indicative costs, and to provide evidence to help UKSA develop a clearer understanding of the available solution space. The requirements are deliberately outcome‑focused and do not prescribe a single technical solution. Suppliers are encouraged to propose innovative and differentiated approaches, which may vary in technical design, maturity and scope. As a result, individual contract values may vary, subject to any stated maximum contract value. Appointment under this competition does not commit UKSA to any subsequent procurement for further development or operational delivery. Any future phases or follow‑on activity would be subject to separate consideration, funding approval and, where appropriate, further competition. This notice relates to the intended procurement for a contract which is an exempted contract under s 3(6) and Schedule 2, Part 2 (Subject-matter exempted contracts), paragraph 22 (Research and Development Services) of the Procurement Act 2023 (the 'Act'). Exempted contracts are not a public contract as defined in s3 of the Act and therefore are not required to be procured in accordance with the provisions of the Act that relate to a covered procurement. Full details of the requirement, evaluation and contractual arrangements are set out in the tender documentation.
UK, GB
No lot description published.
Award criteria
Proposed idea or technology (40%)
Project Management (30%)
Value for Money (20%)
Benefit to the UK (10%)
| Item | Category | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Feasibility study | Not published |
Benchmarked against retained Find a Tender procedures with CPV division 79. The category anchor is Feasibility study (79314000); this is a deliberately broad market comparator. The comparison is shown at several levels rather than pretending one company or region is always the best benchmark.
| Comparison set | Procedures | Reported bids per procedure | Named award suppliers | Price evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market: CPV division 79 | 7,258 | 4 median · 34.5 average (2,630 of 7,258 with a bid count) | 3.2 average (2,968 of 7,258 with named award suppliers) | Not published |
| Same buyer | 5 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Delivery region: UK | 2,066 | 4 median · 70.3 average (723 of 2,066 with a bid count) | 5.2 average (858 of 2,066 with named award suppliers) | Not published |
| Similar published value (0.5×–2×) | 469 | 5 median · 8.4 average (8 of 469 with a bid count) | 2.1 average (8 of 469 with named award suppliers) | Not published |
“Reported bids” is an official aggregate, sometimes reported per lot; it is the closest available competition measure. “Named award suppliers” are winners, not all applicants.
Not enough comparable procedures currently publish both a GBP tender value and a usable lowest-valid-bid value to calculate a responsible price-reduction benchmark. Tenderline deliberately does not infer a saving from named award suppliers or from missing award values.
No planning milestones published.
No linked framework, prior procurement or reprocurement published.
Diagnostic view. “Not published” means this current release does not provide a value.
| OCID | ocds-h6vhtk-069001 |
|---|---|
| Latest release ID | 048506-2026 |
| Latest release timestamp | Tue May 26 2026 09:40:40 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) |
| Source | find-a-tender |
| Official notice URL | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/048506-2026 |
| Tender status | active |
| Procurement method | open |
| Procurement method details | Open procedure |
| Main procurement category | services |
| Above threshold | Yes |
| Legal basis | 2023/54 |
| Tender period: start | Not published |
| Tender period: end | 2026-09-21T15:00:00+01:00 |
| Expression of interest deadline | Not published |
| Enquiry deadline | 2026-08-14T15:00:00+01:00 |
| Award period: start | Not published |
| Award period: end | 2026-12-08T23:59:59+00:00 |
| Submission method details | UKSA is using the Jaggaer eSourcing Portal for this procurement. **DO NOT apply directly to the buyer. All tender information MUST be submitted through the portal.** Please review all attached information to ensure a full understanding of this requirement. All attachments can be found in the Supplier Attachments tab within the Jaggaer eSourcing Portal. To register on the Jaggaer eSourcing portal please use the link https://beisgroup.ukp.app.jaggaer.com/ and follow the instructions to register as a supplier. If you are already registered on the Jaggaer eSourcing Portal and wish to participate in this procurement, please use the link: https://beisgroup.ukp.app.jaggaer.com/ Once you are logged into the system, you will be able to locate the Procurement you wish to leave a bid on by clicking the ITTs Open to All Suppliers and searching for ‘Space-Based Time Transfer Service (Space BaTTS) Research & Development’. The ITT reference number is itt_2601. Alternatively, follow this link to the ITT: https://beisgroup.ukp.app.jaggaer.com/go/73279654019E63A4283E Applications will close at 15:00 GMT (UK time) on 21st September 2026. It will not be possible to submit applications beyond this deadline. |
| Submission languages | en |
| Electronic catalogue policy | Not published |
| Total tender value | £1,680,000 |
| Tender lots in source | 1 |
| Tender items in source | 1 |
| Tender documents in source | 2 |
| Awards in latest release | 0 |
| Contracts in latest release | 0 |
| Parties in latest release | 1 |
| Date | Event | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 26 May 2026 | tender | 048506-2026 |
| 19 May 2026 | planningUpdate | 045615-2026 |
| 6 May 2026 | planning | 041513-2026 |
| 1 May 2026 | planning | 040336-2026 |
Unmodified official OCDS data retained by Tenderline for this procurement process.
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"description": "The UK Space Agency (UKSA) intends to commence a competitive procurement for the delivery of concept studies to explore potential technical and commercial approaches for the provision of a space-based time transfer capability that is independent of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). \nThe requirement is part of the Space-Based Time Transfer Service (Space BaTTS) Research & Development Programme to develop, validate, and assess technology concepts that could fulfil an unmet government requirement for GNSS-independent global timing, provide UK overseas territories with backup timing solutions, and provide the UK mainland with an additional layer of timing resilience. \nThe procurement will seek to appoint multiple suppliers to undertake time-limited proof-of-concept studies, to examine the viability of different space-enabled architectures and services to meet the aims of the Space BaTTS R&D Programme. Each study will assess technical performance, operational suitability, delivery risk and indicative costs, and will provide evidence to inform future investment decisions. \nThe outputs will be used to develop a clearer understanding of the solution space and reduce uncertainty, informing any subsequent phases of work which could be undertaken. \nPlease see Planned Procurement Notice for full details of the forthcoming requirement: https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/040336-2026",
"communication": {
"futureNoticeDate": "2026-05-26T23:59:59+01:00"
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"id": "GB-PPON-PVWZ-3216-PVQL",
"name": "Department for Science, Innovation & Technology",
"roles": [
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"address": {
"region": "UKI32",
"country": "GB",
"locality": "London",
"postalCode": "SW1A 2EG",
"countryName": "United Kingdom",
"streetAddress": "22 Whitehall"
},
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"contactPoint": {
"email": "commercial@ukspaceagency.gov.uk"
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],
"language": "en",
"planning": {
"documents": [
{
"id": "041513-2026",
"url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/041513-2026",
"format": "text/html",
"noticeType": "UK2",
"description": "Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender",
"documentType": "marketEngagementNotice",
"datePublished": "2026-05-06T13:32:59+01:00"
}
],
"milestones": [
{
"id": "engagement",
"type": "engagement",
"status": "scheduled",
"dueDate": "2026-05-15T23:59:59+01:00",
"description": "The UK Space Agency will be holding a Concept Studies for Space-Based Time Transfer Service (Space BaTTS) Webinar for interested suppliers on Friday the 15th of May, between 15:00 and 16:00 BST, to provide an opportunity for early engagement. This will include a presentation about the upcoming tender, some examples of what a solution could look like, and a Q&A session. Please note engagement with this opportunity is for information only and is not required in order to participate in any future competitive procedure. To join the webinar, please email commercial@ukspaceagency.gov.uk to request joining details. Please note this session will not be recorded."
}
]
},
"initiationType": "tender"
}{
"id": "040336-2026",
"tag": [
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"date": "2026-05-01T10:09:09+01:00",
"ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-069001",
"buyer": {
"id": "GB-PPON-PVWZ-3216-PVQL",
"name": "Department for Science, Innovation & Technology"
},
"tender": {
"id": "UKSAC26_0019",
"lots": [
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"id": "1",
"value": {
"amount": 1680000,
"currency": "GBP",
"amountGross": 2016000
},
"status": "planned",
"description": null,
"suitability": {
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"contractPeriod": {
"endDate": "2027-09-06T23:59:59+01:00",
"startDate": "2027-01-04T00:00:00+00:00"
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"items": [
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"scheme": "CPV",
"description": "Feasibility study"
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"title": "Space-Based Time Transfer Service (Space BaTTS) Research & Development",
"value": {
"amount": 1680000,
"currency": "GBP",
"amountGross": 2016000
},
"status": "planned",
"legalBasis": {
"id": "2023/54",
"uri": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents",
"scheme": "UKPGA"
},
"awardPeriod": {
"endDate": "2026-12-08T23:59:59+00:00"
},
"description": "The UK Space Agency (UKSA) intends to commence a competitive procurement for the delivery of concept studies to explore potential technical and commercial approaches for the provision of a space-based time transfer capability that is independent of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). \nThe requirement is part of the Space-Based Time Transfer Service (Space BaTTS) Research & Development Programme to develop, validate, and assess technology concepts that could fulfil an unmet government requirement for GNSS-independent global timing, provide UK overseas territories with backup timing solutions, and provide the UK mainland with an additional layer of timing resilience. \nThe procurement will seek to appoint multiple suppliers to undertake time-limited proof-of-concept studies, to examine the viability of different space-enabled architectures and services to meet the aims of the Space BaTTS R&D Programme. Each study will assess technical performance, operational suitability, delivery risk and indicative costs, and will provide evidence to inform future investment decisions. \nThe outputs will be used to develop a clearer understanding of the solution space and reduce uncertainty, informing any subsequent phases of work which could be undertaken. \nThe requirements are deliberately outcome‑focused and pre‑commercial in nature. Suppliers will be invited to propose innovative approaches and solutions which may differ in technical design, maturity and scope. Individual contract values will therefore vary depending on the proposal submitted, subject to any stated maximum contract value. \nThe competition is intended to support early‑stage research and development activity only. Appointment under this competition does not commit UKSA to any subsequent procurement for further development or operational delivery. Any future phases or follow‑on activity would be subject to separate consideration, funding approval and, where appropriate, further competition. \nUKSA encourages engagement from organisations with relevant expertise in space systems, timing and synchronisation, satellite technologies, and associated research and development disciplines. This planned procurement notice is intended to provide early visibility of the opportunity and does not constitute a commitment by UKSA to proceed with the procurement on the terms described. \nPlanned Procurement Timelines: \nIt is the UK Space Agency's intention to issue an Invitation to Tender (ITT) on 26th May 2026, with a long tender period and expected contract award by early 2027. \nEstimated Contract Value and Funding Position: \nThe estimated total budget available for the feasibility studies is £1.68m excluding VAT. Multiple studies are expected to be commissioned, with individual contract values determined through competition and capped at £400,000 excluding VAT. The number of studies awarded, and individual contract values will be managed to remain within the overall budget. \nThese figures are indicative only at this stage and remain subject to: \n• Internal due diligence; \n• Confirmation of final scope; \n• Availability of programme funding; \n• Required UK Government approvals. \nFurther competitions may be opened subsequently to those who are successful within this competition for further development work on identified solutions. \nThis funding is from the UK Space Agency only and applicants should note this competition is wholly run and administered by the UK Space Agency. \nThis notice relates to the intended procurement for a contract which is an exempted contract under s 3(6) and Schedule 2, Part 2 (Subject-matter exempted contracts), paragraph 22 (Research and Development Services) of the Procurement Act 2023 (the 'Act'). Exempted contracts are not a public contract as defined in s3 of the Act and therefore are not required to be procured in accordance with the provisions of the Act that relate to a covered procurement.",
"tenderPeriod": {
"endDate": "2026-09-21T23:59:00+01:00"
},
"communication": {
"futureNoticeDate": "2026-05-26T23:59:59+01:00"
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"aboveThreshold": true,
"submissionTerms": {
"languages": [
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],
"electronicSubmissionPolicy": "allowed"
},
"procurementMethod": "open",
"mainProcurementCategory": "services",
"procurementMethodDetails": "Open procedure"
},
"parties": [
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"name": "Department for Science, Innovation & Technology",
"roles": [
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"address": {
"region": "UKI32",
"country": "GB",
"locality": "London",
"postalCode": "SW1A 2EG",
"countryName": "United Kingdom",
"streetAddress": "22 Whitehall"
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"identifier": {
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"contactPoint": {
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"language": "en",
"planning": {
"documents": [
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"id": "040336-2026",
"url": "https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/040336-2026",
"format": "text/html",
"noticeType": "UK3",
"description": "Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender",
"documentType": "plannedProcurementNotice",
"datePublished": "2026-05-01T10:09:09+01:00"
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}