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plannedFind a Tender · planning

UKSA Active Debris Removal (ADR) National Mission

Buyer: UK SPACE AGENCY →

BuyerUK SPACE AGENCY
Statusplanned
DeadlineNot published
Value£60,000,000
Published27 Jan 2025

What is being bought

This is a Prior Information Notice not a call for competition. UK Space Agency (UKSA) would like to invite interested suppliers to the Preliminary Market Engagement Event with relation to the planned procurement of the Active Debris Removal (ADR) National Mission. The aim of the event is to engage with space sector organisations to: A) Understand the market's current capacity and capability to deliver this requirement, and their interest in the procurement; B) Outline UK Space Agency's draft technical and mission requirements, contractual provisions and outline procurement strategy; and C) Give potential suppliers the opportunity to confirm their appetite and to provide feedback on the intended approach. Background of the requirements The UK Active Debris Removal (ADR) Project is a UK National project that aims to achieve the Space Sustainability priority set out in the UKSA Corporate Plan 2022-2025, supporting the National Space Strategies (NSS) plan to lead the global effort to make space more sustainable. The mission requires the safe capture and subsequent removal of at least two UK-licensed defunct satellites in the congested LEO zone. These debris, also known as the Target Satellites, must be unprepared for capture; that is, not fitted with technologies intended to aid In-Orbit Servicing and Manufacturing (ISAM), such as docking plates and fiducial markers. The Target Satellites must also be completely uncooperative. The Project will enable the UK to seize key opportunities in the global ADR and ISAM markets and establish itself as global leader in space debris remediation. This planned procurement of ADR National Mission will see one supplier contracted through a competitive flexible procedure procurement, to deliver the service. Please note that this procurement will be subject to the Procurement Act 2023, not the Public Contract Regulations 2015. More information on this is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-act-2023-short-guides/the-procurement-act-2023-a-short-guide-for-suppliers-html

Delivery location

UK

Categories

Spacecraft, satellites and launch vehicles 34712000Research and development services and related consultancy services 73000000Research and experimental development services 73100000

Lot details

Lot 1

Scope of the Procurement: • Development and construction of a vehicle capable of removing two agreed pieces of debris (defunct UK registered satellites) from orbit, then remaining in orbit with the capability to be refuelled. • Launch of the vehicle. • Operation of the vehicle in orbit to remove two agreed space debris from orbit within an agreed time frame. • Vehicle to be in a stable orbit and in a refuellable state at completion of mission. Constraints and Dependences: We would like to flag for supplier's information that the budget for delivery of the mission has not been confirmed yet. We are conducting this engagement with the market to explore the interest and what is possible in the event the budget is approved through the Spending Review process. The procurement is also conditional on successfully obtaining all necessary internal and external approvals. Date Time and Location The event will take place on the 24th of February 2025 at 10.00 am in: Jupiter Room - Satellite Applications Catapult Electron Building, Fermi Avenue, Harwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QR, UK Event registration This is an in person only event. Please ensure you register for the event by sending an email to commercial@ukspaceagency.gov.uk . Please include a clear reference to the event UKSAC24_0095 ADR National Mission Engagement Day in the title of your email. We would appreciate the number of attendees to be limited to 3 participants per organisation. Please note that the event is intended for Suppliers who believe they would have the capacity to deliver the entire contract as the prime supplier. Please ensure that you secure your place at the event before 17th of February 2025. Once you have registered your interest, ahead of the engagement day, we will share with you the Agenda. We will also share drafts of the following documents so that you have an opportunity to review them ahead of the day: - Mission requirements - Contractual provisions - including proposed KPI's, Liabilities, Cross waver, Insurance levels, Intellectual Property Rights - Timeframes of the procurement - Procurement strategy - Social Value - Pricing structure On the day There will be opportunity to ask questions regarding all aspects of the requirements. Questions and Answers will be captured and shared with the suppliers after the event. Dependant on numbers expressing interest, our aim is to provide interested Suppliers with the opportunity to meet with us '1-to-1' in private, to help facilitate open and frank conversations. If you are interested in such a meeting, please ensure this is clearly stated in your email response. If too many Suppliers express interest to accommodate on the day, places will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis and/or we may at our sole discretion offer alternative dates to meet. Reasonable steps will be taken to provide the same amount of time to each Supplier. Additional information: Please note the following general conditions: • This PIN is not a call for competition and as such potential providers will need to express interest in any future tender opportunity once a contract notice is published on Digital Platform. The procurement will be subject to the Procurement Act 2023, and future notices will be issued as provided for in that Act not the Public Contract Regulations 2015. • Any and all costs associated with attendance and/or the production of a response in any form must be borne by Suppliers. The UK Space Agency will not contribute in any way to meeting costs . Information contained within this document is confidential and must not be revealed to any third party without prior written consent from us. • No down-selection of potential providers will take place as a consequence of any responses or interactions relating to this Preliminary Market Engagement . • No information provided by a potential provider as a result of the engagement will be carried forward, used or acknowledged in any way for the purpose of evaluating the potential provider, in any subsequent formal procurement process.

Statusplanned

What is included

ItemCategoryQuantity
1Spacecraft, satellites and launch vehicles, Research and development services and related consultancy servicesNot published

Comparable-procurement analytics

Benchmarked against retained Find a Tender procedures with CPV division 34. The category anchor is Spacecraft, satellites and launch vehicles (34712000); 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 344,3673 median · 24.7 average (1,765 of 4,367 with a bid count)3.7 average (1,968 of 4,367 with named award suppliers)Not published
Same buyer0Not publishedNot publishedNot published
Delivery region: UK9994 median · 60.8 average (360 of 999 with a bid count)5.5 average (419 of 999 with named award suppliers)Not published
Similar published value (0.5×–2×)1543 median · 71.8 average (5 of 154 with a bid count)10.6 average (5 of 154 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 byNot published
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-04d652
Latest release ID002650-2025
Latest release timestampMon Jan 27 2025 09:50:04 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Sourcefind-a-tender
Official notice URLNot published
Tender statusplanned
Procurement methodNot published
Procurement method detailsNot published
Main procurement categoryservices
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£60,000,000
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
27 Jan 2025planning002650-2025

All source data

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

Complete current OCDS release JSON
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  "id": "002650-2025",
  "tag": [
    "planning"
  ],
  "date": "2025-01-27T09:50:04Z",
  "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-04d652",
  "buyer": {
    "id": "GB-FTS-136341",
    "name": "UK SPACE AGENCY"
  },
  "tender": {
    "id": "UKSAC24_0095",
    "lots": [
      {
        "id": "1",
        "status": "planned",
        "description": "Scope of the Procurement:\n•\tDevelopment and construction of a vehicle capable of removing two agreed pieces of debris (defunct UK registered satellites) from orbit, then remaining in orbit with the capability to be refuelled. \n•\tLaunch of the vehicle. \n•\tOperation of the vehicle in orbit to remove two agreed space debris from orbit within an agreed time frame.\n•\tVehicle to be in a stable orbit and in a refuellable state at completion of mission.\nConstraints and Dependences: \nWe would like to flag for supplier's information that the budget for delivery of the mission has not been confirmed yet. We are conducting this engagement with the market to explore the interest and what is possible in the event the budget is approved through the Spending Review process. The procurement is also conditional on successfully obtaining all necessary internal and external approvals. \nDate Time and Location \nThe event will take place on the 24th of February 2025 at 10.00 am in:\nJupiter Room - Satellite Applications Catapult\nElectron Building, Fermi Avenue,\nHarwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QR, UK\nEvent registration\nThis is an in person only event. Please ensure you register for the event by sending an email to commercial@ukspaceagency.gov.uk . Please include a clear reference to the event UKSAC24_0095 ADR National Mission Engagement Day in the title of your email. \nWe would appreciate the number of attendees to be limited to 3 participants per organisation. Please note that the event is intended for Suppliers who believe they would have the capacity to deliver the entire contract as the prime supplier. \nPlease ensure that you secure your place at the event before 17th of February 2025. \nOnce you have registered your interest, ahead of the engagement day, we will share with you the Agenda. We will also share drafts of the following documents so that you have an opportunity to review them ahead of the day:\n-\tMission requirements \n-\tContractual provisions - including proposed KPI's, Liabilities, Cross waver, Insurance levels, Intellectual Property Rights\n-\tTimeframes of the procurement \n-\tProcurement strategy \n-\tSocial Value \n-\tPricing structure \nOn the day \nThere will be opportunity to ask questions regarding all aspects of the requirements. Questions and Answers will be captured and shared with the suppliers after the event.  \nDependant on numbers expressing interest, our aim is to provide interested Suppliers with the opportunity to meet with us '1-to-1' in private, to help facilitate open and frank conversations. If you are interested in such a meeting, please ensure this is clearly stated in your email response. If too many Suppliers express interest to accommodate on the day, places will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis and/or we may at our sole discretion offer alternative dates to meet. Reasonable steps will be taken to provide the same amount of time to each Supplier. Additional information: Please note the following general conditions:\n•\tThis PIN is not a call for competition and as such potential providers will need to express interest in any future tender opportunity once a contract notice is published on Digital Platform. The procurement will be subject to the Procurement Act 2023, and future notices will be issued as provided for in that Act not the Public Contract Regulations 2015.\n•\tAny and all costs associated with attendance and/or the production of a response in any form must be borne by Suppliers. The UK Space Agency will not contribute in any way to meeting costs . Information contained within this document is confidential and must not be revealed to any third party without prior written consent from us.\n•\tNo down-selection of potential providers will take place as a consequence of any responses or interactions relating to this Preliminary Market Engagement .\n•\tNo information provided by a potential provider as a result of the engagement will be carried forward, used or acknowledged in any way for the purpose of evaluating the potential provider, in any subsequent formal procurement process."
      }
    ],
    "items": [
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          {
            "id": "73000000",
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            "description": "Research and development services and related consultancy services"
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    ],
    "title": "UKSA Active Debris Removal (ADR) National Mission",
    "value": {
      "amount": 60000000,
      "currency": "GBP"
    },
    "status": "planned",
    "legalBasis": {
      "id": "32014L0024",
      "scheme": "CELEX"
    },
    "description": "This is a Prior Information Notice not a call for competition. \nUK Space Agency (UKSA) would like to invite interested suppliers to the Preliminary Market Engagement Event with relation to the planned procurement of the Active Debris Removal (ADR) National Mission. \nThe aim of the event is to engage with space sector organisations to:\nA)\tUnderstand the market's current capacity and capability to deliver this requirement, and their interest in the procurement;\nB)\tOutline UK Space Agency's draft technical and mission requirements, contractual provisions and outline procurement strategy; and\nC)\tGive potential suppliers the opportunity to confirm their appetite and to provide feedback on the intended approach. \nBackground of the requirements \nThe UK Active Debris Removal (ADR) Project is a UK National project that aims to achieve the Space Sustainability priority set out in the UKSA Corporate Plan 2022-2025, supporting the National Space Strategies (NSS) plan to lead the global effort to make space more sustainable. \nThe mission requires the safe capture and subsequent removal of at least two UK-licensed defunct satellites in the congested LEO zone. These debris, also known as the Target Satellites, must be unprepared for capture; that is, not fitted with technologies intended to aid In-Orbit Servicing and Manufacturing (ISAM), such as docking plates and fiducial markers. The Target Satellites must also be completely uncooperative. \nThe Project will enable the UK to seize key opportunities in the global ADR and ISAM markets and establish itself as global leader in space debris remediation.\nThis planned procurement of ADR National Mission will see one supplier contracted through a competitive flexible procedure procurement, to deliver the service. Please note that this procurement will be subject to the Procurement Act 2023, not the Public Contract Regulations 2015. More information on this is available here:\nhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-act-2023-short-guides/the-procurement-act-2023-a-short-guide-for-suppliers-html",
    "communication": {
      "futureNoticeDate": "2025-06-01T00:00:00+01:00"
    },
    "classification": {
      "id": "73100000",
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      "description": "Research and experimental development services"
    },
    "mainProcurementCategory": "services"
  },
  "parties": [
    {
      "id": "GB-FTS-136341",
      "name": "UK SPACE AGENCY",
      "roles": [
        "buyer"
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        "region": "UK",
        "locality": "Harwell, Didcot",
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      },
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      "identifier": {
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        "noIdentifierRationale": "notOnAnyRegister"
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      "contactPoint": {
        "name": "UKSA Commercial",
        "email": "commercial@ukspaceagency.gov.uk"
      }
    }
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "initiationType": "tender"
}
Complete JSON history (1 releases)
27 Jan 2025 · 002650-2025 · planning
{
  "id": "002650-2025",
  "tag": [
    "planning"
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  "date": "2025-01-27T09:50:04Z",
  "ocid": "ocds-h6vhtk-04d652",
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        "id": "1",
        "status": "planned",
        "description": "Scope of the Procurement:\n•\tDevelopment and construction of a vehicle capable of removing two agreed pieces of debris (defunct UK registered satellites) from orbit, then remaining in orbit with the capability to be refuelled. \n•\tLaunch of the vehicle. \n•\tOperation of the vehicle in orbit to remove two agreed space debris from orbit within an agreed time frame.\n•\tVehicle to be in a stable orbit and in a refuellable state at completion of mission.\nConstraints and Dependences: \nWe would like to flag for supplier's information that the budget for delivery of the mission has not been confirmed yet. We are conducting this engagement with the market to explore the interest and what is possible in the event the budget is approved through the Spending Review process. The procurement is also conditional on successfully obtaining all necessary internal and external approvals. \nDate Time and Location \nThe event will take place on the 24th of February 2025 at 10.00 am in:\nJupiter Room - Satellite Applications Catapult\nElectron Building, Fermi Avenue,\nHarwell Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0QR, UK\nEvent registration\nThis is an in person only event. Please ensure you register for the event by sending an email to commercial@ukspaceagency.gov.uk . Please include a clear reference to the event UKSAC24_0095 ADR National Mission Engagement Day in the title of your email. \nWe would appreciate the number of attendees to be limited to 3 participants per organisation. Please note that the event is intended for Suppliers who believe they would have the capacity to deliver the entire contract as the prime supplier. \nPlease ensure that you secure your place at the event before 17th of February 2025. \nOnce you have registered your interest, ahead of the engagement day, we will share with you the Agenda. We will also share drafts of the following documents so that you have an opportunity to review them ahead of the day:\n-\tMission requirements \n-\tContractual provisions - including proposed KPI's, Liabilities, Cross waver, Insurance levels, Intellectual Property Rights\n-\tTimeframes of the procurement \n-\tProcurement strategy \n-\tSocial Value \n-\tPricing structure \nOn the day \nThere will be opportunity to ask questions regarding all aspects of the requirements. Questions and Answers will be captured and shared with the suppliers after the event.  \nDependant on numbers expressing interest, our aim is to provide interested Suppliers with the opportunity to meet with us '1-to-1' in private, to help facilitate open and frank conversations. If you are interested in such a meeting, please ensure this is clearly stated in your email response. If too many Suppliers express interest to accommodate on the day, places will be allocated on a first-come-first-served basis and/or we may at our sole discretion offer alternative dates to meet. Reasonable steps will be taken to provide the same amount of time to each Supplier. Additional information: Please note the following general conditions:\n•\tThis PIN is not a call for competition and as such potential providers will need to express interest in any future tender opportunity once a contract notice is published on Digital Platform. The procurement will be subject to the Procurement Act 2023, and future notices will be issued as provided for in that Act not the Public Contract Regulations 2015.\n•\tAny and all costs associated with attendance and/or the production of a response in any form must be borne by Suppliers. The UK Space Agency will not contribute in any way to meeting costs . Information contained within this document is confidential and must not be revealed to any third party without prior written consent from us.\n•\tNo down-selection of potential providers will take place as a consequence of any responses or interactions relating to this Preliminary Market Engagement .\n•\tNo information provided by a potential provider as a result of the engagement will be carried forward, used or acknowledged in any way for the purpose of evaluating the potential provider, in any subsequent formal procurement process."
      }
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    "title": "UKSA Active Debris Removal (ADR) National Mission",
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