UK4 - PRIMUS II Ground Station Support Solution

Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), is looking to secure a support solution to provide maintenance and technical support for an Authority owned Ground Station Terminal. The requirement is for a period of three (3) years, with the potential to extend to an additional two (2) years via costed options.

This procurement shall be procured through the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), Space Technology Solutions (RM6370) Dynamic Market. The DM contains a list of qualified suppliers who meet specific membership conditions and are eligible to participate in procurements.

Should Suppliers wish to recieve the PSQ are not yet on the DM, please engage with the Authority, who may be able to assit with expediting your application. Should Tenderers be Invited to Negotiate (ITN), the Authority will evaluate the Tenderers capacity and capability against the evaluation criteria.

For more details please refer to the official guidance, and the Space Technology Solutions DM. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/procurement-ac... / Space Technology Solutions - CCS It is the Authority's intention to down-select approximately 5 highest scoring Tenderers, who will then be ITN providing they meet the overall score of a pass within the PSQ. The Authority reserve the right to a fail a tenderer should they not meet the minimum pass criteria at the Evaluation Stage, and subsequently not be ITN.

Overview: PRIMUS is a UK-located Ground Terminal designed to provide an interface between the Authority’s operations centre (Or the Authority’s authorised operation centres) and the space segment (SSeg). PRIMUS, is based on a 7.3-Meter S and X-band solution, sited within a Radome.

It has been scoped to send and receive data from a MOD-owned satellite, whilst the Authority views PRIMUS as an enduring capability, intended to support numerous future Operational Concept Demonstrators (OCDs) that currently exist in various stages of development. The duration of the Authority’s In-Service Support (ISS) requirements covers a three-year core contract for the maintenance and operational readiness of the asset.

Background: PRIMUS has been conceived under the auspices of the Authority’s ISTARI programme as its foremost conceptual demonstrator through which ground segment hardware, software and architecture associated with current and future missions has been, and will continue to be, procured, developed and integrated. The objective of PRIMUS is to develop an operational demonstration of the required hardware architecture that both informs and qualifies the MoD’s ground control segment concept, as well as integrating into the wider ISTARI architecture, enabling MoD execution of the Tasking, Collection, Processing, Exploitation, and Dissemination (TCPED) cycle.

A core objective is to realise a solution which is applicable to supporting imminent missions, whilst also ensuring enduring capability through compatibility with future MoD activities where required. Requirement: PRIMUS is part of the UK Government’s broader efforts to maintain, secure and update its satellite communications capabilities, ensuring remote data links for Defence purposes.

The Authority requires provision of maintenance and support, which will include both hardware and software elements. The requirements span numerous considerations ranging from routine preventative maintenance to training and management of critical spares, commensurate with Line-3 support.

Miscellanous: PRIMUS has been designed with future capability in mind, allowing for – thanks to the terminal’s modular design and line replaceable units – potential upgrades. The Modular design preferred on the basis of achieving relatively easy swap-out of small RF components such as feeds/waveguides/Low Noise amplifiers etc., by supplier-trained engineers.

The Cyber Risk Profile for this procurement identified by the Cyber Risk Assessment is: Reference: Level 2 PRIMUS is equipped with the OEM’s licensed software and, as such, the terms governing the use of this proprietary software are prescribed within an existing and enduring licensing agreement between the OEM and the Authority. Suppliers are advised they are not explicitly covered under the agreement, and may be required to establish a relationship with the OEM in relation to licence software. Tenderers are to be advised that this contract shall have a rolling start date, due to on-going dependencies associated with the terminal.