SERPENS · UK public procurement notice

We are pleased to announce that Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), the procurement arm of the UK Ministry of Defence, has obtained approval to initiate the Assessment phase for its Project SERPENS. SERPENS is a critical equipment procurement project of the British Army's Land ISTAR Programme.

SERPENS will deliver a suite of interoperable radar and sensor systems to the British Army, providing the next generation of Weapons Locating capability. SERPENS will integrate multiple current and future systems and sensors using a flexible and incremental acquisition approach to meet the evolving threats.

The SERPENS delivery model will comprise a range of procurements, to secure modern, cutting-edge hardware capabilities which will detect, recognise, identify and locate incoming rockets, artillery and mortar, as well as a range of other threats including unmanned systems. The equipment to be procured are the Deep Find and Close Find radar systems, as well an integrated acoustic and electro-optic Passive sensor system. SERPENS will deliver a fully interoperable and integrated digitised Command and Control (C2) system for all sensors.

The UK intends to adopt a collaborative approach with the Netherlands on its Deep Find radar, working with NATO allies to secure counterfires capability against deep fires threats. The procurement with the Netherlands will be undertaken under a new Memorandum of Understanding and will build on the GM200 sensor as part of a multinational NATO community.

The Close Find radar and Passive sensors will be procured via open competition to acquire world-leading counterfires capabilities. The Passive system will comprise an integrated suite of acoustic and electro-optic sensors. Passive sensors will not be procured separately. SERPENS does not intend to procure passive radar technology as part of its Passive capability at this time but may consider such technology solutions in future.

SERPENS will also develop through competition a Command and Control system to fuse sensor data, enable cross-cueing and intelligence gathering, and aid mission planning of Weapon Locating Systems, while integrating to the wider ISTAR ecosystem. This "digital backbone" will ensure fully digitised monitoring, management and deployment of the Army's assets can be completed and execution of the battlefield mission is successful.

SERPENS will implement the Land Industrial Strategy and will comply with the developing Defence Surface Radar Strategy. Procurement of SERPENS will target delivery of an initial operating capability in 2029 with full operating capability of the SERPENS suite of systems by 2032. SERPENS is a Category A (>£400M) project with an expected 30-year lifespan. Indicative timeline for Dynamic Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (DPQQ) is Q4 24 / Q1 25.

DE&S will initiate individual competitions using a Contract Notice on DSP in due course and will continue to provide projects updates to prospective suppliers. Additional information: We’re extremely grateful for the engagement with potential suppliers to date and ask that any queries continue to be posted on AWARD. For any suppliers who have not yet been engaged on Project SERPENS and wish to register for the AWARD portal, please contact the Contact person listed in this Notice.