Production and Installation of Integrated UHF SATCOM & EFMTE 4.2 Baseline Equipment (which consist of bespoke integrated satellite communications equipment) for the Royal Navy's Type 26 Ships 2 & 3

MoD has awarded a 4-year Contract to STS Defence for production & installation of Integrated UHF SATCOM & EFMTE 4.2 baseline equipment for the Royal Navy's T26 fleet Ships 2 & 3. This equipment meets the Fleet User Requirement Document, such that the user shall be able to provide a comms service to support Information Exchange Requirements for simultaneous voice & data. Capable of supporting DAMA, FM, High Performance Waveform & Integrated Waveform data services within 25KHz channel. It has the ability for one antenna to access two different satellites operating on different waveforms and frequencies simultaneously; & to interface the modems used by the Royal Navy Fleet & radios through the same antennae.

Per regulation 4 of The Defence & Security Public Contracts (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (SI 2019/697) this procurement falls under the provisions of the DSPCR 2011 as amended (in particular by SI 2019/697 and SI 2020/1450). Prior publication of a contract notice in the OJEU is not appropriate.

This Contract was placed using the Negotiated Procedure Without Prior Publication of a Contract Notice (in accordance with the relevant legislation) pursuant to Regulation 16(1)(a)(ii) of the DSPCR 2011 (as amended) for Technical Reasons.

STS previously designed a bespoke UHF SATCOM 4.2 Design capability in partnership with SNXP Limited which is accredited for use by MoD on T26 Fleet. Installation of this capability in Ship 1 was carried out by STS under a task on an existing MoD Contract, which was competed and awarded to STS. Due to an exclusivity agreement, SNXP will only supply STS with the required hardware design & technical expertise to enable them to complete installation.

Contractual timelines for the delivery of this equipment capability into T26 Ships 2 & 3 are already embedded within the existing T26 Ship Building Contract (Ref. SHIPACQ036) as a requirement to enable repeat supply and fit.

Only STS/SNXP have the technical ability and experience necessary to produce and install this equipment capability into T26 Ships 2 & 3 in a manner that is accredited for use by MoD and meets the required timescales.

It was not viable for another supplier to deliver an alternative design meeting the technical requirement within the necessary timescales. The STS/SNXP design is approved by Naval Command Headquarters & Director Special Forces to ensure it is fit for use. This design & accreditation process took several years to complete. Bringing in a third-party supplier to design new equipment, obtaining MoD approval & accreditation for the new design and building & installing it on T26 Ships 2 & 3 would incur significant and disproportionate additional time and cost consequences to the MoD, and also significant delays to Vessel Acceptance Date (by which MoD are required to agree that the T26 Ship has been delivered to an acceptable level in accordance with the T26 Ship Building Contract (Ref. SHIPACQ036)), causing an unacceptable capability gap.