Official UK procurement notice
Contracts for Innovation: NSpOC BOREALIS Algorithm Development
Authority: UK Space Agency (Central government)
What is being bought
Published requirement descriptionEligible organisations can apply for up to £100,000, excluding VAT, to research and develop initial proof of concepts for algorithms and similar solutions that directly improve the quality of data processing being undertaken within the BOREALIS system, contributing to enhanced analysis capabilities within NSpOC.
UKSA is likely to award multiple Contracts that meet its requirements within this competition, and further competitions may be opened subsequently to those who are successful within this competition for further development work on identified solutions.
This funding is from the UK Space Agency only and applicants should note this competition is wholly run and administered by the UK Space Agency.
Applicants should note that as BOREALIS is a sovereign UK capability and this work is to develop solutions that eventually can be deployed into use, this competition is restricted to UK registered companies on grounds of national security. For the avoidance of doubt, this can include UK-registered universities.
Full details are provided in the attached Competition Brief.
This notice relates to the intended procurement for a contract which is an exempted contract under s 3(6) and Schedule 2, Part 2 (Subject-matter exempted contracts), paragraph 22 (Research and Development Services) of the Procurement Act 2023 (the 'Act'). Exempted contracts are not a public contract as defined in s3 of the Act and therefore are not required to be procured in accordance with the provisions of the Act that relate to a covered procurement.
CPV: Industry specific software development services
The lotProcurement structure
single lot · value publishedLot #1AwardedPublished value£500,000
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).
Published sub-criteria (4)
- Proposed idea or technology: 40%
- Project Management: 30%
- Value for Money: 20%
- Benefit to the UK: 10%
Published award criteria (4)
- Proposed idea or technology: Proposals are expected to provide a description of your proposed solution, including details of which objectives (1-5) within the competition brief it addresses and how.
- Project Management: Proposals are expected to demonstrate they are well planned and connected to key milestones. They should be deliverable within the specified timeframe and projects should have an effective structure in place for managing the administration of a project of this size. There should be a sound approach to planning to achieve objectives on time and within budget. Key risks should be identified and mitigated.
- Value for Money: All projects will need to demonstrate they represent value for money for the taxpayer. This is demonstrated by providing appropriate budgets allocated to appropriate tasks. Information from the finance spreadsheet will be used to support the assessment of this question. Proposed milestones and associated payments should match those entered in the project management section of your application.
- Benefit to the UK: All projects will need to demonstrate the investment sought from the UK Government represents clear value for the UK public through measurable benefits to the UK economy, supply chain and public.
Procedure terms & legal framework
From the official record- Procedure method
- Open procedure
- Legal basis
- UKPGA · 2023/54 Procurement Act 2023
- Procurement category
- Services
- Notice status
- Awarded
- Procurement threshold
- Above threshold (FTS publication)
- Regulatory regime
- Standard
- Commercial structure
- Stand-alone contract (no framework)
- Competition type
- Competitive procedure
- GPA / WTO covered
- Unspecified in notice
- Recurring procurement
- Unspecified in notice
- First published
- 28 Nov 2025, 11:25 GMT
- Last source update
- 25 Mar 2026, 08:48 GMT
- Award evaluation window
- Submission end – 10 Jan 2026
- Authority reference
UKSAC25_0107- FTS notice number
2025/S 000-078011- Accelerated
- State of urgency
- Latest notice
- Contract details notice (UK7)
- Classification (CPV)
- Delivery area
- Official registry OCID
ocds-h6vhtk-05eae9Find a Tender- Contract terms summary
Contracts for Innovation are targeted at Small and Medium Enterprises. Your completed budget spreadsheet should include details of proposed payment milestones. Should a payment at kick-off be preferred to facilitate cashflow, please request this in your application. UKSA will not agree to any payments at kick-off above 25% of total contract value.
Payment terms will be payment within 30 days of a valid invoice being accepted.
How it was run
Official notice- Submission deadline
- 22 Dec 2025, 15:00 GMT
- Clarification deadline
- 19 Dec 2025, 17:00 GMT
- Submission channel
- Official e-sourcing portal
- Electronic submission
- Allowed
- Accepted languages
- en
If you wish to submit an application for this procurement, please email commercial@ukspaceagency.gov.uk, with "UKSAC25_0107 NSpOC BOREALIS Algorithm Development" as the subject line by Friday 12th December.
Provide at least two contact email addresses in your email.
You will be emailed a link to a SharePoint folder to which you must upload your application. It is strongly recommended that you test this link on receipt by uploading a test file. You may email the commercial mailbox to request confirmation that a test file has been successfully uploaded.
Timeline
28 Nov 2025 → 25 Mar 2026 · 7 dates- Tender notice published332 days ago28 Nov 2025, 11:25 GMT
- Clarification questions by311 days ago19 Dec 2025, 17:00 GMT
- Submission deadline308 days ago22 Dec 2025, 15:00 GMT
- Assessment summaries sent298 days ago2 Jan 2026
- Award decision expected by289 days ago10 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMT
- Contract starts288 days ago12 Jan 2026
- Latest notice published216 days ago25 Mar 2026, 08:48 GMT
Notice history
5 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender · since 28 Nov 2025- Tender notice published28 Nov 2025, 11:25 GMTUK4
- Contract award notice published16 Jan 2026, 10:51 GMTUK6
- Status changed to complete16 Jan 2026, 10:51 GMT
- Contract signature expected16 Jan 2026, 23:59 GMTscheduled
- Contract details notice published25 Mar 2026, 08:48 GMTUK7
Commercial outcome & contract awards
Published awards, contracts and bid statistics, not a forecast| Awarded to | Value | Date | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| UCL Consultants LimitedUKSAC25_0107-1 NSpOC BOREALIS UCL Contract19 Jan 2026 – 31 Mar 2026 | £59,700 | 2 Jan 2026 | Awarded |
| 4COLORS LTDUKSAC25_0107-2 NSpOC BOREALIS 4Colors Contract19 Jan 2026 – 31 Mar 2026 | £49,500 | 2 Jan 2026 | Awarded |
| Imperial College of Science, Technology and MedicineUKSAC25_0107-3 NSpOC BOREALIS ICL Contract19 Jan 2026 – 31 Mar 2026 | £63,696 | 2 Jan 2026 | Awarded |
| Fira Software LtdSMEUKSAC25_0107-4 NSpOC BOREALIS Fira Software Contract19 Jan 2026 – 31 Mar 2026 | £49,500 | 2 Jan 2026 | Awarded |
| GMV NSLSMEUKSAC25_0107-5 NSpOC BOREALIS GMV Contract19 Jan 2026 – 31 Mar 2026 | £78,872 | 2 Jan 2026 | Awarded |
| ThinkTank Maths LimitedSMEUKSAC25_0107-6 NSpOC BOREALIS ThinkTank Maths Contract19 Jan 2026 – 31 Mar 2026 | £35,485 | 2 Jan 2026 | Awarded |
| Birmingham City UniversityUKSAC25_0107-7 NSpOC BOREALIS University of Birmingham Contract19 Jan 2026 – 31 Mar 2026 | £40,509 | 2 Jan 2026 | Awarded |
| Aeris-UK LimitedUKSAC25_0107-8 NSpOC BOREALIS Aeris UK Contract19 Jan 2026 – 31 Mar 2026 | £85,035 | 2 Jan 2026 | Awarded |
Contracts
UKSAC25_0107-1 NSpOC BOREALIS UCL Contract · UCL Consultants Limited
- Signed
- 19 Jan 2026
- Value
- £59,700
- Period
- 19 Jan 2026 – 31 Mar 2026
- Status
- active
UKSAC25_0107-2 NSpOC BOREALIS 4Colors Contract · 4COLORS LTD
- Signed
- 19 Jan 2026
- Value
- £49,500
- Period
- 19 Jan 2026 – 31 Mar 2026
- Status
- active
UKSAC25_0107-3 NSpOC BOREALIS ICL Contract · Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine
- Signed
- 19 Jan 2026
- Value
- £63,696
- Period
- 19 Jan 2026 – 31 Mar 2026
- Status
- active
UKSAC25_0107-4 NSpOC BOREALIS Fira Software Contract · Fira Software LtdSME
- Signed
- 19 Jan 2026
- Value
- £49,500
- Period
- 19 Jan 2026 – 31 Mar 2026
- Status
- active
UKSAC25_0107-5 NSpOC BOREALIS GMV Contract · GMV NSLSME
- Signed
- 19 Jan 2026
- Value
- £78,872
- Period
- 19 Jan 2026 – 31 Mar 2026
- Status
- active
UKSAC25_0107-6 NSpOC BOREALIS ThinkTank Maths Contract · ThinkTank Maths LimitedSME
- Signed
- 19 Jan 2026
- Value
- £35,485
- Period
- 19 Jan 2026 – 31 Mar 2026
- Status
- active
UKSAC25_0107-7 NSpOC BOREALIS University of Birmingham Contract · Birmingham City University
- Signed
- 19 Jan 2026
- Value
- £40,509
- Period
- 19 Jan 2026 – 31 Mar 2026
- Status
- active
UKSAC25_0107-8 NSpOC BOREALIS Aeris UK Contract · Aeris-UK Limited
- Signed
- 19 Jan 2026
- Value
- £85,035
- Period
- 19 Jan 2026 – 31 Mar 2026
- Status
- active
Bid statistics published by the authority
| Bids | SME | VCSE | Valid bid range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17final-stage tenders | 12 | 0 | — |
Contracting authority & participating public bodies
Bidders & participating suppliers
9 commercial parties on the notice- 4COLORS LTDAwarded supplier
- AERIS-UK LIMITEDAwarded supplier
- FIRA SOFTWARE LTDAwarded supplier
- Fira Software LtdAwarded supplier
- GMV NSL LIMITEDAwarded supplier
- IMPERIAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND MEDICINEAwarded supplier
- ThinkTank Maths LimitedAwarded supplier
- UCL CONSULTANTS LIMITEDAwarded supplier
- University of BirminghamAwarded supplier
Official documents & specifications (23)
Official links; attachments are not copiedTender pack and attachments
- Bidding documents and specifications 6. Annex E - Application Form. Please complete based on the guidance provided in the competition brief and submit to the folder shared with you.
- Bidding documents and specifications 5. Annex D - IP Declaration. Please populate this and submit with a copy of your application form.
- Bidding documents and specifications 4. Annex C - Finance Sheet. Please populate this and submit with a copy of your application form. Any applications submitted without a complete Annex C will be rejected.
- Bidding documents and specifications 3. Annex B - Contracts for Innovation Additional Guidance: provides additional information about Contracts for Innovation requirements generally.
- Bidding documents and specifications 2. Annex A - Contracts for Innovation Model Contract: sets out details of the associated terms and conditions, which you agree to abide by if successful by submitting an application.
- Bidding documents and specifications 1. Competition Brief: contains details of the scope of the competition, evaluation criteria and how to apply.
Notices published for this procedure
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
- Contract details notice Contract details notice on Find a Tender
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