Scope
Reference
DDAI024A
Description
The Authority has identified a short-term requirement for hardware that is essential to support the success of upcoming military exercises.
This contract shall provide a secure, field‑deployable, edge compute and data storage capability to support Corps and Divisional‑level headquarters in degraded, disconnected and denied environments. The requirement enables the hosting of workloads at SECRET and underpins readiness and deterrence activity in support of NATO and UK operations.
This requirement supports the Army’s need to generate a next‑generation capability that can: 1) operate at SECRET, 2) integrate with the Hyperscale Cloud Solution (HCS), and 3) host mission‑critical decision support and targeting workloads in contested environments. This contract is required to enable credible readiness and deterrence demonstrations that support in de‑risking future delivery decisions through controlled deployment, testing and evaluation of a secure edge architecture.
The capability must:
• Function entirely offline in DDIL environments with no dependencies on other cloud regions or installations for setup or operation.
• Provide access to low-latency AI models for local processing of text, video and translation.
• Provide native kubernetes support to enable ease of migration, deployment and management of cloud-native applications.
• Provide fleet management capabilities.
• Provide a consistent experience to other environments and de-risk the migration of cloud applications from Google Distributed Cloud (GDC) Air Gapped (AG) to the edge; and,
• Provide an architectural identical platform to the HCS to de-risk future platform migrations.
The Authority is seeking nine (9) Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) edge devices (“Products”). The further requirements of these devices are considered sensitive in nature.
The supply of GDC devices is delivered by British Telecommunications plc (BT). They are the sole authorised reseller of the specific devices.
Contract 1. Air Gapped Edge Devices.
Supplier
Contract value
- £4,518,807 excluding VAT
- £5,422,568 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Earliest date the contract will be signed
25 March 2026
Contract dates (estimated)
- 26 March 2026 to 31 March 2026
- 6 days
Main procurement category
Goods
CPV classifications
- 35700000 - Military electronic systems
- 73410000 - Military research and technology
Contract locations
- UK - United Kingdom
Other information
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Direct award
Special regime
Defence and security
Direct award justification
- Prototypes and development
- Single supplier - intellectual property or exclusive rights
- Single supplier - technical reasons
- Defence and security - necessary to enhance or maintain operational capability, effectiveness, readiness for action, safety or security of the armed forces
PA23 – S5, P2 (“Prototype and Development”). This contract is for the supply of highly technical and specialist goods. The outcome of this contract will be used to test the suitability of the goods / devices, to ascertain the further viability of incorporated them into the wider architecture. The activity is undertaken to inform future delivery decisions and does not constitute full scale rollout, or any further comittment.
PA23 – S5, P6, (a) (“Single Supplier – Technical Reasons”). Due to unavoidable technical facts, only a particular Supplier may provide the required goods. BT is the sole, UK-authorised, provider able to supply and integrate with appliances at SECRET whilst delivering seamless integration with the HCS. No reasonable alternative exist that can meet the requirement without unacceptable risk(s) to schedule, safety or delivery outcomes.
PA23 – S5, P20, (“Defence and Security”). The contract is a Defence Authority Contract and must be awarded directly to enhance operational capability, readiness, safety and security of the armed forces. The requirement involves sensitive systems, classified infrastructure and access to SECRET level environments. Further, the requirement has been kept to a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and not a full-scale roll out.
Supplier
BRITISH TELECOMMUNICATIONS PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY
- Companies House: 01800000
1 Braham Street
London
E1 8EE
United Kingdom
Email: luke.morgan143@mod.gov.uk
Region: UKI42 - Tower Hamlets
Small or medium-sized enterprise (SME): No
Voluntary, community or social enterprise (VCSE): No
Contract 1. Air Gapped Edge Devices.
Contracting authority
Ministry of Defence
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PHVX-4316-ZVGZ
MOD Corsham, Building 405, B2, Westwells Road,
Corsham
SN13 9NR
United Kingdom
Contact name: Commercial Lead
Email: Luke.morgan143@mod.gov.uk
Website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-defence
Region: UKK15 - Wiltshire CC
Organisation type: Public authority - central government