Type of document: Contract Notice
Country: United Kingdom
MOD Voluntary Transparency Notice
GB-Bristol: Project OMNISCIENT
Region Codes: UKK1
Section I: Contract Title
Contract Title: GB-Bristol: Project OMNISCIENT
Section II: Issuing Branch / Organisation Details
Notice Address
Official Name: Ministry of Defence, Agencies/Misc, Other
Address: DS&EQT, Elm 1C, #4135, MOD Abbey Wood
Town: Bristol
Telephone: 030 679 35613
Email: kate.ashby100@mod.gov.uk
For attention of:
Postcode: BS34 8JH
Country: United Kingdom
Contact Point:
Fax:
Internet Address:
Section III: Object of The Contract
Location of Works, place of delivery or of performance
Main Place of Performance or Delivery: Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol/Bath area
Short description of the contract or purchase(s): Equipment & Support (DE&S) Technology Office intends to place a 1 year contract for Project OMNISCIENT with Cubica (Cubica Technology Ltd) for the continuation of research and development begun under the Defence and Security Accelerator (DaSA) “Revolutionise the human-information relationship for Defence” competition.
The requirement is for a TRL 6 (Technology Readiness Level 6) demonstration of an integrated, persistent, Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) multi-task UAV (Unmanned Air Vehicle) surveillance via data fusion and advance sensor management in a low size, weight and power (SWaP) and low training burden context. The demonstration of the capabilities and benefits of a common ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance) architecture which will enable stakeholders to produce suitable statements of user need to shape future procurement competitions.
The project will support the development of a concept for a fully integrated ISTAR system which, using the Sensing for Asset Protection with Integrated Electronic Networked Technology (SAPIENT) message protocol and conceptual architecture, can integrate multiple sensors and platforms through a MOD owned open system architecture and use machine learning and automation to speed up the detection process and reduce the cognitive burden on the operators. It will provide a range of critical insights into what can be achieved when the boundaries of open UAS (Unmanned Air System) technologies, including analytics, fusion and automated planning, are pushed within a BVLOS setting.
Cubica have developed a unique piece of software that is able to operate on autonomous UAV’s that work in partnership to scan and detect objects of interest and notify the operator should it detect anything that needs further investigation. Further, Cubica have a unique technical capability in their software algorithm design and application which is capable of fully autonomous target detection and multi-task planning necessary to meet DE&S’ requirement to produce a demonstration and analysis of SAPIENT and autonomous UAVs capabilities.
Industry Codes:
73410000 – Military Research & Technology.
Additional Information:
This notice is not a request for expressions of interest so please do not apply to be invited to tender. This notice advises that the Authority has decided to negotiate a contract with the named supplier on a single source basis, and is published for reasons of transparency. If you are interested in becoming a sub-contractor for this requirement, you should apply directly to the supplier named above.
Section IV: Identification Numbers
Contract Number: CCDT/523
Section V: Selected supplier
Details of Selected supplier:
Official name: Cubica Technology Ltd
Postal Address: Unit 4, Woking 8, Forsyth Road
City: Woking
Postcode: GU21 5SB
Country: United Kingdom
ContactPoint:
For Attention Of: Dr Scott Page
Telephone: 01483 770 396
Email: info@cubicatechnology.co.uk
Fax:
Internet Address: www.cubicatechnology.co.uk
Reason for Award: The Authority considers it can award this Contract on a single source basis as this is a Research and Development contract which is excluded from Directive 2009/81/EC (the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations (DSPCR) 2011) under Article 13(j) Regulation 7 DSPCR 2011) as the activities being procured comprise of fundamental and applied research and experimental development.
Justification For Non-Competitive Decision: It is considered that the Contract can also be placed for technical reasons and for reasons connected with exclusive rights pursuant to Article 28(1)(e) of Directive 2009/81/EC (Regulation 16(1)(a)(ii) of DSPCR). This is because only Cubica have the necessary know-how and expertise in the design, application and analysis of the algorithms against the specific data set to be able to provide DE&S with the required research and development across the breadth of the subject matter covered by this requirement. In addition, Cubica have exclusive rights in significant background intellectual property for the machine learning algorithm tool involved.
