CONTRACT AWARD NOTICE FOR CONTRACTS IN THE FIELD OF DEFENCE AND SECURITY
|
Section I: Contracting Authority
|
I.1)
|
Name, Address and Contact Point(s)
|
|
DESNZ & DSIT Group Commercial |
22 Whitehall |
London |
|
UK |
FNP Commercial Team |
|
fnpcommercial@dsit.gov.uk |
|
|
|
I.2)
|
Type of contracting Authority and Main Activity or Activities
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
No |
Section II: Object of the Contract
|
II.1)
|
Description
|
II.1.1)
|
Title attributed to the contract by the contracting authority
Management of the UK Telecommunications Laboratory
|
II.1.2(a))
|
Type of works contract
|
II.1.2(b))
|
Type of supplies contract
|
II.1.2(c))
|
Type of service contract14
|
II.1.2)
|
Main site or location of works, place of delivery or performance
|
II.1.3)
|
This notice involves a framework agreement |
II.1.4)
|
Short description of the contract or purchase(s)
The UK Telecommunications Laboratory (UKTL) serves as the national telecoms security and resilience testing and research facility of the United Kingdom. This helps maintain the security and resilience of the UK's communications networks. The contract is for provision of Deliverables and the supply of Services, for the operation of the UKTL Buildings as well as the designing and implementation of specialist activities and tasks.
|
II.1.5)
|
Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)
|
|
|
|
73400000 |
|
|
|
|
|
II.2)
|
Total final value of the contract(s)
|
II.2.1)
|
Total final value of the contract(s)
18380000.00
GBP
|
Section IV: Procedure
|
IV.1)
|
Type of procedure
|
IV.1.1)
|
Type of procedure |
IV.2)
|
Award criteria
|
IV.2.1)
|
Award criteria
|
IV.2.2)
|
An electronic auction has been used No |
IV.3)
|
Administrative information
|
IV.3.1)
|
File reference number attributed by the contracting authority
|
IV.3.2)
|
Previous publication(s) concerning the same contract
Other previous publications
|
Section V: Award of contract
|
|
con_7702 |
|
|
|
|
V.1)
|
Date of contract award: 1-4-2025 |
V.2)
|
Numbers of offers received:1Number of offers received by electronic means: |
V.3)
|
Name and address of economic operator to whom the contract has been awarded
NPL Management Limited02937881 |
|
Teddington |
|
UK |
|
|
|
|
|
V.4)
|
Information on value of contract
18380000.00 GBP
1 |
V.5)
|
The contract is likely to be subcontracted Yes
Not Known

 |
|
Short description of the value/proportion of the contract to be subcontracted
N/A
|
Section VI: Complementary Information
|
VI.1)
|
Contract related to a project and/or programme financed by community funds? No
|
VI.2)
|
Additional Information
|
VI.3)
|
Procedures for appeal
|
VI.3.1)
|
Body responsible for appeal procedures
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology |
|
London |
|
UK |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Body responsible for mediation procedures
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology |
|
London |
|
UK |
|
|
|
|
|
VI.3.2)
|
Lodging of appeals
|
VI.3.3)
|
Service from which information about the lodging of appeals may be obtained
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology |
|
London |
|
UK |
|
|
|
|
|
VI.4)
|
Dispatch date of this Notice 16-5-2025 |
ANNEX D3
Justification for the choice of the negotiated procedure without prior publication of a contract notice in the OJEU in accordance with art. 28 of Directive 2009/81/EC
|
|
|
|
|


 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|

 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|


|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|

 |
|
The UK Telecommunications Laboratory (UKTL) serves as the national telecoms security and resilience testing and research facility of the United Kingdom. The UKTL aims to be recognised globally as a centre of excellence in telecom security, providing advanced test and evaluation capabilities to protect the country's essential national telecoms infrastructure. This helps maintain the security and resilience of the UK's communications networks.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) awarded a contract to National Physical Laboratory Management Limited for setting up and initially managing UKTL for 12 months, valued at £18.3 million (excluding VAT). This procurement follows the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011.
Publishing a contract notice in the Official Journal of the European Union is no longer applicable. The contract was awarded without prior publication of a notice on the UK e-notification service, adhering to Regulation 16(1)(a)(ii) of the DSPCR 2011, which allows such awarding “for technical reasons, or for reasons connected with the protection of exclusive rights”, therefore the contract was awarded to a particular economic operator.
The services required could only be provided by NPL Management Limited, due to the extensive interaction with various network-specific organisations as well as government bodies. These entities are integral to the development of UKTL, raising concerns about the allocation of exclusive rights during the establishment of the laboratory and necessitating a company that maintains neutrality. As a public corporation that offers neutrality, NPL Management Limited possesses the requisite expertise in laboratory setup and management. Although there are other public sector bodies that exhibit relevant qualities, their primary remits and expertise do not fulfil the unique requirements of a national-level telecommunications security laboratory. They lacked specialised knowledge in advanced telecom network protocols, cybersecurity threats specific to telecom infrastructure, and the metrology of high-frequency signals, which NPL possesses. Additionally, these entities do not operate high-security facilities for collaborative research on sensitive national security technology.
NPL's expertise in measurement science, its specific and advanced capabilities in telecommunications and cyber security, its role as the UK's National Measurement Institute, and its status as a trusted public sector body with the necessary infrastructure and security clearance experience make it the only public sector organisation feasibly equipped to operate the UKTL for the period of time in question.
|
|