Scope
Description
UKRI wishes to establish a Contract for the provision of Satellite Internet for British Antarctic Survey's Ships and Stations.
BAS has a need to maintain it's uncontended, "always on" communication channels between Antarctica and Cambridge.
The connection enables VoIP phone calls, scientific data transfers, remote management of IT systems, online research, use of centralised business systems, access to safety management systems, online flight following and access to essential meteorological information amongst other systems.
BAS operates two different communication networks, one Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) and one Geostationary Earth Orbiting (GEO). The LEO satellite connection is the main service that BAS uses, with the GEO connection in place as a backup should the LEO connection fail.
The requirement is structured into two separate lots:
Lot 1 relates to the GEO based service
Lot 2 relates to the LEO based service.
Suppliers may bid for one, or both lots.
To view this notice, please click here:
https://ukri.delta-esourcing.com/delta/viewNotice.html?noticeId=938760348
Total value (estimated)
- £2,000,000 excluding VAT
- £2,400,000 including VAT
Above the relevant threshold
Contract dates (estimated)
- 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2027
- Possible extension to 31 August 2029
- 4 years
Description of possible extension:
The Contract duration shall be for a period of 2 years (with 2 optional extensions of 1 year) from commencement of the Contract.
Main procurement category
Services
CPV classifications
- 72212200 - Networking, Internet and intranet software development services
- 72212220 - Internet and intranet software development services
Contract locations
- AQ - Antarctica
- UKH12 - Cambridgeshire CC
Lot LOT 1. Geostationary Earth Orbiting (GEO) connection
Description
The requirement of this Lot is for a fully integrated GEO system.
Full details of the requirement can be found in the Procurement Documents.
Lot value (estimated)
- £1,200,000 excluding VAT
- £1,440,000 including VAT
Same for all lots
CPV classifications, contract locations and contract dates are shown in the Scope section, because they are the same for all lots.
Lot LOT 2. Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) connection
Description
The requirement of this Lot is for a maritime and terrestrial LEO broadband solution.
Full details of the requirement can be found in the Procurement Documents.
Lot value (estimated)
- £800,000 excluding VAT
- £960,000 including VAT
Same for all lots
CPV classifications, contract locations and contract dates are shown in the Scope section, because they are the same for all lots.
Participation
Particular suitability
Lot LOT 1. Geostationary Earth Orbiting (GEO) connection
Lot LOT 2. Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) connection
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SME)
Submission
Enquiry deadline
14 July 2025, 12:00am
Tender submission deadline
21 July 2025, 2:00pm
Submission address and any special instructions
Tenders may be submitted electronically
Yes
Languages that may be used for submission
English
Award decision date (estimated)
31 July 2025
Award criteria
Lot LOT 1. Geostationary Earth Orbiting (GEO) connection
| Name | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Technical/Quality | Quality | 55% |
| Price | Price | 35% |
| Social Value | Quality | 10% |
Lot LOT 2. Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) connection
| Name | Type | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Price | 45% |
| Technical / Quality | Quality | 45% |
| Social Value | Quality | 10% |
Other information
Applicable trade agreements
- Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
Conflicts assessment prepared/revised
Yes
Procedure
Procedure type
Open procedure
Contracting authority
UK Research & Innovation
- Public Procurement Organisation Number: PDQJ-7126-JDHG
Polaris House, North Star Avenue
Swindon
SN2 1FL
United Kingdom
Region: UKK14 - Swindon
Organisation type: Public undertaking (commercial organisation subject to public authority oversight)