Official UK procurement notice
Tactical Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) Managed Service
Authority: Home Office (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionThe 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 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 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. (A ‘Task Line’ is provision of 8 hours of continuous sensor coverage in any 24 hour period.)
The contract will be for three (3) years fixed with the option of extensions up to but not exceeding one (1) year.
There is a requirement for the service to be fully operational within four months of the contract being awarded. The timelines will be fully detailed in the UK4 Tender Notice
PLEASE NOTE: The Home Office will be using the Government Commercial Agency Space Technology Solutions Dynamic Market (RM6370) for this procurement. See ‘Submission’ section for further information.
- How the procedure runs: This notice is linked to earlier UK1 Pipeline notice 2025/S 000-033544 and UK2 Preliminary market engagement notice(s) 2026/S 000-009787 and 2026/S 000-026044. The UK4 Tender Notice will invite suppliers to request access to the tender documents. Currently, the following stages of the Competitive Flexible Procedure will be applied, but please note that this may be subject to change when the UK4 Tender Notice is issued: Conditions of Participation and Final Tenders will be requested at the same time and concurrently evaluated. The assessment criteria for Conditions of Participation and Tender response will be set out in the UK4 Tender Notice. Variant Tenders will not be considered.
CPV: Aerial mapping services · Aircraft and spacecraft · Architectural, construction, engineering and inspection services · Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security · Data capture services · Data services · Data-acquisition system · Data-bearing media · Decommissioning services · Defence services · Digital mapping services · Electronic data management (EDM) · +20 more
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1PlannedRenewalPublished value£37,500,000
- Economic & financial standing
Details to be provided in the UK4 Tender Notice
- Technical & professional ability
Details to be provided in the UK4 Tender Notice
- Condition of participationshortlisting
Not applicable
What it takes to wini
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 morei
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).
- Economic & financial standing
Details to be provided in the UK4 Tender Notice
- Technical & professional ability
Details to be provided in the UK4 Tender Notice
- Condition of participationshortlisting
Not applicable
Pipeline intelligence · planning stage: how this market runs before the tender is published
How Home Office buys Engineering-related scientific and technical services (CPV 7135): the notice lists UK and non-UK locations
Home Office’s published record is shown without a UK market comparison because the notice lists UK and non-UK delivery areas without one confirmed UK market. Check the notice description and tender documents for the actual site. Frameworks and DPS are kept out: they attract a different number of bids. Whole-market view: Engineering-related scientific and technical services (CPV 7135) →
How the contest usually goes
Winner shares use published awards; bid and price charts use contested lots.
i
How often small and medium firms win.
Share of awards where the winner’s size is known.
The counts under this question show how many awards have a known supplier size.
Small firms have won here. Neither number says whether you qualify; it describes who has been winning.
i
How often local firms win similar work.
Winners with a registered address in the delivery region, out of awards with a known address.
A local branch does not count if the registered address is elsewhere.
The notice lists UK and non-UK delivery areas, so this procedure has no confirmed single UK region; the buyer’s figure reads its other awards, each against its own delivery region.
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.
Only decided tenders count, so slow ones still waiting are not in.
Half of these awards were announced within 116 days of the bid deadline.
i
How often work is awarded with no recorded rival.
Direct awards and tenders where every published lot count shows one bid.
The buyer’s share is a minimum: some awards have no bid count.
Thin markets produce this too; it is not proof of a tailored specification.
Direct awards or one recorded bid are common here. Check the route before spending time on a bid.
How many bids did past lots attract?
i
How many bids past lots received.
Each colour is a bid-count range. Only competed lots with a published count are included.
Past bids do not predict this tender.
1 bid11%
2–337%
4–641%
7+11%
How did awards compare with estimates?
i
Where winning prices landed against estimates.
Each colour shows awards below, close to or above the published estimate, one lot at a time.
Past prices are a guide, not a bid price.
Below estimate45%
Within ±2%39%
Above estimate16%
Assess each lot i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
i
What past awards tell you about each lot.
See the forecast, this buyer’s earlier suppliers and firms with relevant wins.
No supplier is confirmed as a bidder.
Open a lot for its forecast, this buyer’s previous supplier and possible competitors, from published award history, not a bid list
Lot #1Published estimate£38m
The notice lists UK and non-UK delivery areas for this lot. The figures below use UK market history and may not describe competition across every area.
i
How many bids this lot may attract.
The forecast uses similar past competitions. The bar shows either that forecast or past bid counts; the line below says which.
Each lot shows its own forecast based on its own category; forecasts for different lots of the same notice are not comparative. Published delivery includes UK and non-UK areas, so the UK model may not describe every area.
A forecast, not a list of bidders.
i
Where the award price may land.
The forecast uses similar awards and the buyer’s estimate. The band covers the middle half of likely prices.
No comparable awards for this lot yet.
A statistical guide from past awards, not a price to bid.
Who has supplied this buyer on similar work? i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
i
Who has done similar work for this buyer.
Past contracts are matched by buyer, title and type of work.
A past supplier may not bid again.
No earlier contract of this buyer matches this lot on the published record.
Who could compete for this lot? i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
i
Who could compete for this lot?
Firms with relevant past wins. On a framework, we show firms on that agreement.
None is confirmed as a bidder.
Candidate suppliers for this notice have not been worked out yet, so this is not a verdict that nobody fits.
About this data
- Source. Official UK public procurement notices (Find a Tender), reused under the Open Government Licence v3.0. New notices arrive through the day; the figures are rebuilt nightly.
- Two views, kept apart. The authority’s own track record and the wider market for the same kind of work sit side by side and are never mixed. Where the local picture is too thin, a figure widens to a broader market and says which one it used.
- Forecasts are labelled. The price forecast and its range, possible competitors and the earlier-work matches are our estimates from past awards: not published facts, not win chances and not price advice. Official notices do not say who is bidding.
- Every figure shows what it rests on. Not every notice publishes a bid count, a value or a delivery region, so each figure carries the number of records behind it, and one built on few records is marked as such. The on a figure explains it; the counting rules are in the methodology. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
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
- Planned procurement
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Call-off under a framework
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 19 Jun 2025, 09:03 BST
- Last source update
- 17 Jun 2026, 11:51 BST
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 5 Feb 2027
- Authority reference
17478- FTS notice number
2026/S 000-057047- Latest notice
- Planned procurement notice (UK3)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area in notice
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-054f91Find a Tender
- How it runs
This notice is linked to earlier UK1 Pipeline notice 2025/S 000-033544 and UK2 Preliminary market engagement notice(s) 2026/S 000-009787 and 2026/S 000-026044.
The UK4 Tender Notice will invite suppliers to request access to the tender documents. Currently, the following stages of the Competitive Flexible Procedure will be applied, but please note that this may be subject to change when the UK4 Tender Notice is issued:
Conditions of Participation and Final Tenders will be requested at the same time and concurrently evaluated. The assessment criteria for Conditions of Participation and Tender response will be set out in the UK4 Tender Notice. Variant Tenders will not be considered.
- Call-off under framework Space Technology Solutions
How it was run
Official notice- Requests to participate (first stage)
- 8 Aug 2026, 13:00 BST
- Submission deadline
- 8 Aug 2026, 13:00 BST
- Clarification deadline
- 8 Aug 2026, 13:00 BST
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
This notice is linked to earlier UK1 Pipeline notice 2025/S 000-033544 and UK2 Preliminary market engagement notice(s) 2026/S 000-009787 and 2026/S 000-026044.
All suppliers will need to be successfully registered on the Government Commercial Agency (GCA) RM6370 Space Technology Solutions Dynamic Market, under the relevant parts in order to request access to the tender event when the UK4 Tender notice is issued.
THIS UK3 NOTICE IS AN ADVANCE REQUEST FOR SUPPLIERS TO CONTACT THE GOVERNMENT COMMERCIAL AGENCY AND COMMENCE THE APPOINTMENT PROCESS BY COPYING AND PASTING THE FOLLOWING LINK IN TO YOUR BROWSER:
supplierregistration.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/dm/RM6370 ↗
Suppliers who have not attended or participated in the earlier market engagement will need to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement prior to the Home Office releasing the market engagement information, conditions of participation and tender documentation. Please email: [email protected] stating the following in the Subject Title: Project_17478 Tactical RPAS and requesting a copy of the Non Disclosure Agreement.
Timeline
19 Jun 2025 → 1 Mar 2027 · 8 dates- Planning notice published19 Jun 2025, 09:03 BST
- Market engagement201 days ago2 Apr 2026, 23:59 BST
Border Security Command require a supplier who can provide this as a managed service to meet an aspirational award date of 12/2026.
Suppliers will need to register in the first instance on the Authority's eSourcing portal - homeoffice.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html ↗
Following from the Prior Information Notice issued in February 2026 (Notice identifier: 2026/S 000-009787) , the Authority would like to engage with suppliers, to determine the level of interest, capacity and capability to meet the requirements. To do this, they would like to invite interested suppliers to an Industry Day event, where the Authority will outline their requirements and provide further information on the procurement process.
The Industry Day is scheduled to take place on 2nd April, and will be conducted via Microsoft Teams. The event is expected to last for half a day, however this will be confirmed within the placeholder that will be issued. Please note, that this may be subject to change.
This market engagement and any subsequent activity is for information gathering purposes only, and has no impact on selection or the invitation to tender stage. It is important to note that this PIN is not a call for competition and as such potential providers will need to express an interest in any future tender opportunity once a notice is published.
It should also be noted that this PIN invites individuals and organisations to express an interest in this market engagement exercise only. It is not a pre-qualification questionnaire and is not part of any pre-qualification or selection process.
To express an interest in this market engagement, participants are requested to send an expression of interest to [email protected] by 31st March 2026. 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.
Following 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 Industry Event meeting invite will be issued out to the Supplier.
Please 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. It may be required to limit Supplier attendance to two (2) representatives from each organisation, however this will be confirmed in due course.
The 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).
- Latest notice published125 days ago17 Jun 2026, 11:51 BST
- Tender notice expected92 days ago20 Jul 2026, 23:59 BST
- Clarification questions by73 days ago8 Aug 2026, 13:00 BST
- Submission deadline73 days ago8 Aug 2026, 13:00 BST
- Today20 Oct 2026
- Award decision expected byin 108 days5 Feb 2027, 23:59 GMT
- Contract startsin 131 days1 Mar 2027
Notice history
8 events · 5 releases on Find a Tender · since 19 Jun 2025- Pipeline notice published19 Jun 2025, 09:03 BSTUK1
- Preliminary market engagement notice published4 Feb 2026, 09:54 GMTUK2
- Published value published: £29,000,0004 Feb 2026, 09:54 GMT
- Preliminary market engagement notice published23 Mar 2026, 08:45 GMTUK2
- Planned procurement notice published15 Jun 2026, 15:45 BSTUK3
- Published value updated to £37,500,00015 Jun 2026, 15:45 BSTwas £29,000,000
- Procurement method changed15 Jun 2026, 15:45 BST
- Planned procurement notice published17 Jun 2026, 11:51 BSTUK3
Routine re-releases (5)
- 2026-02: 1 release · 4 Feb 2026
- 2025-06: 1 release · 19 Jun 2025
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Pipeline notice- Awards (0)
- No award published
- Contracts (0)
- No contract published
- Bid statistics
- No aggregate bid statistics published
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Official documents & specifications (6)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specificationsAccess: Suppliers will need to sign a Non Disclosure Agreement (if one has not been signed as part of market engagament) prior to the contracting authority releasing information released as part of the market engagament. Conditions of Participation and Tender documentation released following the publication of a UK4 Tender Notice will also require signed agreement to a Non Dosclosure Agreement. See 'Submission' section for further details.
Notices published for this procedure
- Planned procurement notice Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender
- Planned procurement notice Planned procurement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Preliminary market engagement notice Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
- Pipeline notice Pipeline notice on Find a Tender