Tactical Remotely Piloted Aircraft System (RPAS) Managed Service

Tender description

The Clandestine Channel Threat Command (CCTC) leads the overall response to clandestine entry to the UK. It is tasked with ending the viability of the small boats route as a means of entering the UK and with preventing other forms of high-risk clandestine entry. The overarching requirement is to provide enhanced maritime domain awareness to support decision making and the tasking and coordination of operational assets. This requirement must be met by Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) that are capable of detecting, identifying, and monitoring vessels within the UK area of interest day and night, as part of a wider system incorporating aviation, maritime assets, and land-based capabilities. This requirement will need to be delivered via a managed service that provides an enduring airframe operational capability to meet the immediate law enforcement/safety of life at sea (SOLAS) challenges in the Dover Strait; and potentially, other law enforcement tasking in other locations in the future. The current service is based at Lydd Airport, Kent, but potential suppliers can operate from any location as long as the overall sortie duration remains. Aerial surveillance is required as part of a wider Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) package to: identify all small boats in the Dover Strait to ensure that they are interdicted and triaged for SOLAS responses; collect evidential footage of criminality to support the criminal justice process; and to ensure that law enforcement activity can be conducted safely. The minimum criteria for the managed service are: 1) Must meet all regulatory requirements (CAA, OFCOM, etc) and be capable of flying beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS); 2) Must be capable of flying in the hours of darkness and in a range of meteorological conditions; 3) Must have at least two methods of reliably detecting vessels; 4) Must have the ability to record high-quality full motion video (FMV) to support criminal justice proceedings; 5) Must have the ability to move rapidly between tracks of interest (>90kmh); 6) A live FMV downlink to the multiple locations 7) A liaison officer to facilitate dynamic tasking; 8) Individual sorties should last at least 8 hours (take-off to landing), up to approximately 2000 hours per annum per task line, with two task lines available; Home Office requires a supplier who can provide this managed service to achieve the required capability within 4 months from the date of contract award which is anticipated in September 2022 with total anticipated contract duration of 36 months. Suppliers who can offer a solution and provide the required services are requested to register as supplier on the RM6235 Space-Enabled and Geospatial Services (link provided below). The Home Office does not guarantee that a procurement will be launched and the Home Office is not responsible for any costs or expenses incurred by any potential supplier in registering their interest.