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plannedFind a Tender · planning

Tactical Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAS) System Managed Service

Buyer: Home Office →

BuyerHome Office
Statusplanned
DeadlineNot published
Value£29,000,000
Published4 Feb 2026

What is being bought

The Home Office seeks an experienced commercial provider to supply capable Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) to support the Border Security Command's (BSC) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations. The RPAS must be capable of detecting, identifying, and tracking vessels and individuals within the defined area of operations, operating as part of a multi layered ISR framework that includes manned aviation, maritime assets, and land based infrastructure. The systems will provide enhanced situational awareness to inform operational decision making and support the effective tasking and coordination of operational assets The primary operational role of the RPAS will be to conduct routine surveillance missions in support of Search, Rescue and Recovery (SRR) activity.

Delivery location

UK

Categories

Unmanned aerial vehicles 35613000Intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance 35720000Data services 72300000Non-piloted aircraft 34711200

Lot details

Lot 1

The primary operational requirement is for RPAS' that can conduct routine surveillance flights to detect, track, and identify vessels and people to support the primary Search, Rescue and Recovery (SRR) Vessels within the area of operations. The SRR vessels will operate primarily within UK Territorial Waters (TTW) and the wider UK Area of Operations, including the English Channel. RPAS' information will be transmitted in real-time to an existing Command and Control facility to enable real-time coordination of responses to threats. RPAS' will also be required to perform targeted surveillance to record high-quality video footage to support Criminal and Financial Investigation (CFI) prosecutions. The Home Office have a requirement for one (1) Supplier to provide RPAS' for 5000 on-task sensor coverage hours per year, over three (3) separate task lines, for the purpose of supporting BSC operations. The Home Office requires availability of two (2) task lines to provide year-round coverage including weekends and public holidays. An additional third task line will be required for approximately six-months per year. Additional information: The contract will be for three (3) years fixed with a possible plus one (1) year extension, if mutually agreed at the time by both parties. There is a requirement for the service to be fully operational within four months of the contract being awarded (Contract Award will be on/or before 30th November 2026). There will be an expected mobilisation period starting on the 1st December 2026

Statusplanned

What is included

ItemCategoryQuantity
1Unmanned aerial vehicles, Intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance, Data servicesNot published

Comparable-procurement analytics

Benchmarked against retained Find a Tender procedures with CPV division 35. The category anchor is Unmanned aerial vehicles (35613000); 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 setProceduresReported bids per procedureNamed award suppliersPrice evidence
Market: CPV division 351,5953 median · 32.6 average (529 of 1,595 with a bid count)4.1 average (591 of 1,595 with named award suppliers)Not published
Same buyer73 median · 7 average (3 of 7 with a bid count)2 average (3 of 7 with named award suppliers)Not published
Delivery region: UK6174 median · 69.4 average (196 of 617 with a bid count)6.4 average (236 of 617 with named award suppliers)Not published
Similar published value (0.5×–2×)7483 median · 83 average (1 of 74 with a bid count)13 average (1 of 74 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.

Price-outcome signal

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.

Procurement strategy & market signals

Framework agreementNot published
Dynamic purchasing systemNot published
Competitive procurementNot published
Recurring requirementNot published
Procurement method rationaleNot published
Rationale classificationsNot published
Special regimeNot published
Covered byGPA
Submission policyNot published
Selection criteriaNot published
Risk detailsNot published

Planning & early market engagement

BudgetNot published
No-engagement rationaleNot published
Planning documents0
Planning milestones0

No planning milestones published.

Related procurements

No linked framework, prior procurement or reprocurement published.

Documents & submission route

No documents are published in the current source record.

Source data inventory

Diagnostic view. “Not published” means this current release does not provide a value.

OCIDocds-h6vhtk-06467c
Latest release ID009804-2026
Latest release timestampWed Feb 04 2026 10:10:34 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Sourcefind-a-tender
Official notice URLNot published
Tender statusplanned
Procurement methodNot published
Procurement method detailsNot published
Main procurement categorygoods
Above thresholdNot published
Legal basis32014L0024
Tender period: startNot published
Tender period: endNot published
Expression of interest deadlineNot published
Enquiry deadlineNot published
Award period: startNot published
Award period: endNot published
Submission method detailsNot published
Submission languagesNot published
Electronic catalogue policyNot published
Total tender value£29,000,000
Tender lots in source1
Tender items in source1
Tender documents in source0
Awards in latest release0
Contracts in latest release0
Parties in latest release1

Notice history

DateEventReference
4 Feb 2026planning009804-2026

All source data

Unmodified official OCDS data retained by Tenderline for this procurement process.

Complete current OCDS release JSON
{
  "id": "009804-2026",
  "tag": [
    "planning"
  ],
  "date": "2026-02-04T10:10:34Z",
  "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-06467c",
  "buyer": {
    "id": "GB-FTS-27582",
    "name": "Home Office"
  },
  "tender": {
    "id": "Project_17478",
    "lots": [
      {
        "id": "1",
        "status": "planned",
        "description": "The primary operational requirement is for RPAS' that can conduct routine surveillance flights to detect, track, and identify vessels and people to support the primary Search, Rescue and Recovery (SRR) Vessels within the area of operations.\nThe SRR vessels will operate primarily within UK Territorial Waters (TTW) and the wider UK Area of Operations, including the English Channel.\nRPAS' information will be transmitted in real-time to an existing Command and Control facility to enable real-time coordination of responses to threats.\nRPAS' will also be required to perform targeted surveillance to record high-quality video footage to support Criminal and Financial Investigation (CFI) prosecutions. \nThe Home Office have a requirement for one (1) Supplier to provide RPAS' for 5000 on-task sensor coverage hours per year, over three (3) separate task lines, for the purpose of supporting BSC operations.\nThe Home Office requires availability of two (2) task lines to provide year-round coverage including weekends and public holidays. An additional third task line will be required for approximately six-months per year. Additional information: The contract will be for three (3) years fixed with a possible plus one (1) year extension, if mutually agreed at the time by both parties.\nThere is a requirement for the service to be fully operational within four months of the contract being awarded (Contract Award will be on/or before 30th November 2026). There will be an expected mobilisation period starting on the 1st December 2026"
      }
    ],
    "items": [
      {
        "id": "1",
        "relatedLot": "1",
        "deliveryAddresses": [
          {
            "region": "UK"
          }
        ],
        "additionalClassifications": [
          {
            "id": "35613000",
            "scheme": "CPV",
            "description": "Unmanned aerial vehicles"
          },
          {
            "id": "35720000",
            "scheme": "CPV",
            "description": "Intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance"
          },
          {
            "id": "72300000",
            "scheme": "CPV",
            "description": "Data services"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "title": "Tactical Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAS) System Managed Service",
    "value": {
      "amount": 29000000,
      "currency": "GBP"
    },
    "status": "planned",
    "coveredBy": [
      "GPA"
    ],
    "legalBasis": {
      "id": "32014L0024",
      "scheme": "CELEX"
    },
    "description": "The Home Office seeks an experienced commercial provider to supply capable Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) to support the Border Security Command's (BSC) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations.\nThe RPAS must be capable of detecting, identifying, and tracking vessels and individuals within the defined area of operations, operating as part of a multi layered ISR framework that includes manned aviation, maritime assets, and land based infrastructure. The systems will provide enhanced situational awareness to inform operational decision making and support the effective tasking and coordination of operational assets\nThe primary operational role of the RPAS will be to conduct routine surveillance missions in support of Search, Rescue and Recovery (SRR) activity.",
    "communication": {
      "futureNoticeDate": "2026-05-01T00:00:00+01:00"
    },
    "classification": {
      "id": "34711200",
      "scheme": "CPV",
      "description": "Non-piloted aircraft"
    },
    "mainProcurementCategory": "goods"
  },
  "parties": [
    {
      "id": "GB-FTS-27582",
      "name": "Home Office",
      "roles": [
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      ],
      "address": {
        "region": "UK",
        "locality": "London",
        "countryName": "United Kingdom",
        "streetAddress": "2 Marsham Street"
      },
      "details": {
        "url": "http://www.gov.uk",
        "classifications": [
          {
            "id": "MINISTRY",
            "scheme": "TED_CA_TYPE",
            "description": "Ministry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local subdivisions"
          },
          {
            "id": "03",
            "scheme": "COFOG",
            "description": "Public order and safety"
          }
        ]
      },
      "identifier": {
        "legalName": "Home Office"
      },
      "contactPoint": {
        "email": "Katey.Young4@homeoffice.gov.uk"
      }
    }
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "description": "Border Security Command require a supplier who can provide this as a managed service to meet an aspirational award date of 12/2026.\nSuppliers will need to register in the first instance on the Authority's eSourcing portal - https://homeoffice.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html\nSuppliers who can offer a solution and provide the required services are requested to send an expression of interest to Katey.Young4@homeoffice.gov.uk. The subject title of the email should read Tactical Airborne - Expression of Interest, and the email should confirm your organisation's name, one contact name, one e-mail address and one telephone number. These contact details must be those used to register on the Home Office e-Sourcing Portal on Jaggaer.\nFollowing expressions of interest suppliers will be given access to the event on the Authority's eSourcing portal, where they will be issued with a Non-Disclosure Agreement, to be signed and returned to the Authority, via the eSourcing portal. Once received the supplier questionnaire will be made available for completion. Note, this questionnaire will be issued from the 6th February 2026. \nThe deadline for completed supplier questionnaires will be 17/02/2026.\nThis will be followed by an Industry Day, to outline the requirements and provide further information on the procurement process. This is anticipated to be held within the first week of March, however this is subject to change. The date will be confirmed and communicated in due course. \nPlease note, the contact details provided by interested suppliers at the point of expression of interest will also be used to accept/verify their attendance for this MS Teams webinar engagement event.\nThis Prior Information Notice (PIN) is not a call for competition. Suppliers will need to express interest in any future tender opportunity once a formal notice is published.\nThis PIN relates solely to this market engagement exercise. It is not a pre-qualification questionnaire and does not form part of any selection process. \nThe content of this PIN, including the nature of works, services and estimated value, may be subject to change. This PIN has been published twice, one under Public Contract Regulations (PCR2015) and one under the Procurement Act 2023 (PA23).\nThe Authority has determined that the likely procurement route will be via a further competition using the Crown Commercial Service Space Enabled and Geospatial Services RM6235 Dynamic Purchasing System https://www.crowncommercial.gov.uk/agreements/RM6235 , so any potential bidders will need to be registered on this Dynamic Purchasing System when the Authority commences their tendering process, anticipated to take place in May 2026.",
  "initiationType": "tender"
}
Complete JSON history (1 releases)
4 Feb 2026 · 009804-2026 · planning
{
  "id": "009804-2026",
  "tag": [
    "planning"
  ],
  "date": "2026-02-04T10:10:34Z",
  "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-06467c",
  "buyer": {
    "id": "GB-FTS-27582",
    "name": "Home Office"
  },
  "tender": {
    "id": "Project_17478",
    "lots": [
      {
        "id": "1",
        "status": "planned",
        "description": "The primary operational requirement is for RPAS' that can conduct routine surveillance flights to detect, track, and identify vessels and people to support the primary Search, Rescue and Recovery (SRR) Vessels within the area of operations.\nThe SRR vessels will operate primarily within UK Territorial Waters (TTW) and the wider UK Area of Operations, including the English Channel.\nRPAS' information will be transmitted in real-time to an existing Command and Control facility to enable real-time coordination of responses to threats.\nRPAS' will also be required to perform targeted surveillance to record high-quality video footage to support Criminal and Financial Investigation (CFI) prosecutions. \nThe Home Office have a requirement for one (1) Supplier to provide RPAS' for 5000 on-task sensor coverage hours per year, over three (3) separate task lines, for the purpose of supporting BSC operations.\nThe Home Office requires availability of two (2) task lines to provide year-round coverage including weekends and public holidays. An additional third task line will be required for approximately six-months per year. Additional information: The contract will be for three (3) years fixed with a possible plus one (1) year extension, if mutually agreed at the time by both parties.\nThere is a requirement for the service to be fully operational within four months of the contract being awarded (Contract Award will be on/or before 30th November 2026). There will be an expected mobilisation period starting on the 1st December 2026"
      }
    ],
    "items": [
      {
        "id": "1",
        "relatedLot": "1",
        "deliveryAddresses": [
          {
            "region": "UK"
          }
        ],
        "additionalClassifications": [
          {
            "id": "35613000",
            "scheme": "CPV",
            "description": "Unmanned aerial vehicles"
          },
          {
            "id": "35720000",
            "scheme": "CPV",
            "description": "Intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance"
          },
          {
            "id": "72300000",
            "scheme": "CPV",
            "description": "Data services"
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "title": "Tactical Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPAS) System Managed Service",
    "value": {
      "amount": 29000000,
      "currency": "GBP"
    },
    "status": "planned",
    "coveredBy": [
      "GPA"
    ],
    "legalBasis": {
      "id": "32014L0024",
      "scheme": "CELEX"
    },
    "description": "The Home Office seeks an experienced commercial provider to supply capable Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) to support the Border Security Command's (BSC) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) operations.\nThe RPAS must be capable of detecting, identifying, and tracking vessels and individuals within the defined area of operations, operating as part of a multi layered ISR framework that includes manned aviation, maritime assets, and land based infrastructure. The systems will provide enhanced situational awareness to inform operational decision making and support the effective tasking and coordination of operational assets\nThe primary operational role of the RPAS will be to conduct routine surveillance missions in support of Search, Rescue and Recovery (SRR) activity.",
    "communication": {
      "futureNoticeDate": "2026-05-01T00:00:00+01:00"
    },
    "classification": {
      "id": "34711200",
      "scheme": "CPV",
      "description": "Non-piloted aircraft"
    },
    "mainProcurementCategory": "goods"
  },
  "parties": [
    {
      "id": "GB-FTS-27582",
      "name": "Home Office",
      "roles": [
        "buyer",
        "centralPurchasingBody"
      ],
      "address": {
        "region": "UK",
        "locality": "London",
        "countryName": "United Kingdom",
        "streetAddress": "2 Marsham Street"
      },
      "details": {
        "url": "http://www.gov.uk",
        "classifications": [
          {
            "id": "MINISTRY",
            "scheme": "TED_CA_TYPE",
            "description": "Ministry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local subdivisions"
          },
          {
            "id": "03",
            "scheme": "COFOG",
            "description": "Public order and safety"
          }
        ]
      },
      "identifier": {
        "legalName": "Home Office"
      },
      "contactPoint": {
        "email": "Katey.Young4@homeoffice.gov.uk"
      }
    }
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "description": "Border Security Command require a supplier who can provide this as a managed service to meet an aspirational award date of 12/2026.\nSuppliers will need to register in the first instance on the Authority's eSourcing portal - https://homeoffice.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html\nSuppliers who can offer a solution and provide the required services are requested to send an expression of interest to Katey.Young4@homeoffice.gov.uk. The subject title of the email should read Tactical Airborne - Expression of Interest, and the email should confirm your organisation's name, one contact name, one e-mail address and one telephone number. These contact details must be those used to register on the Home Office e-Sourcing Portal on Jaggaer.\nFollowing expressions of interest suppliers will be given access to the event on the Authority's eSourcing portal, where they will be issued with a Non-Disclosure Agreement, to be signed and returned to the Authority, via the eSourcing portal. Once received the supplier questionnaire will be made available for completion. Note, this questionnaire will be issued from the 6th February 2026. \nThe deadline for completed supplier questionnaires will be 17/02/2026.\nThis will be followed by an Industry Day, to outline the requirements and provide further information on the procurement process. This is anticipated to be held within the first week of March, however this is subject to change. The date will be confirmed and communicated in due course. \nPlease note, the contact details provided by interested suppliers at the point of expression of interest will also be used to accept/verify their attendance for this MS Teams webinar engagement event.\nThis Prior Information Notice (PIN) is not a call for competition. Suppliers will need to express interest in any future tender opportunity once a formal notice is published.\nThis PIN relates solely to this market engagement exercise. It is not a pre-qualification questionnaire and does not form part of any selection process. \nThe content of this PIN, including the nature of works, services and estimated value, may be subject to change. This PIN has been published twice, one under Public Contract Regulations (PCR2015) and one under the Procurement Act 2023 (PA23).\nThe Authority has determined that the likely procurement route will be via a further competition using the Crown Commercial Service Space Enabled and Geospatial Services RM6235 Dynamic Purchasing System https://www.crowncommercial.gov.uk/agreements/RM6235 , so any potential bidders will need to be registered on this Dynamic Purchasing System when the Authority commences their tendering process, anticipated to take place in May 2026.",
  "initiationType": "tender"
}