UK3 - Programme Frontier

Key Details

Description

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) intends to launch a series of procurements in support of Programme FRONTIER. The Defence AI Centre (DAIC) is hosting an Industry Day on 17th July 2026 to share plans for Programme FRONTIER, a new programme to harness frontier AI for enduring warfighter advantage. FRONTIER is a multi-year commitment which will tackle a range of warfighter problems, starting with AI tools and capabilities that reduce MOD’s cyber risk. Through this Industry Day we will be seeking to identify options in the market for innovative new products and services which can be matured into operational capability on MOD networks, at pace and within months. The procurements are intended to deliver scalable, innovative solutions that enhance operational effectiveness, decision-making, and integration across complex environments. The requirement is expected to align with wider Defence digital and data strategies and support delivery through modern, flexible commercial approaches. This notice is intended to provide early visibility to the market and enable engagement ahead of the formal Tender Notice. Supplier Invitation to Suppliers Conference The MOD is planning to hold a face-to-face Conference for prospective Suppliers on Friday 17th July. For those not able to attend in person, a Teams link will be provided to attend virtually. To promote principles of equal treatment and transparency, this session will also be recorded and can made available to Suppliers who request it. The conference will include a brief introduction from the Programme Team and a run through of the process from the Commercial Team. The intention of this session is three-fold, namely: (1) to explain how Suppliers, especially Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs), can get involved in this opportunity, (2) to promote a common understanding of the Programme’s goals, and (3) to set the behaviours that MOD and Suppliers can expect from each other. The team will introduce the breadth of FRONTIER, which covers applications of frontier AI across every part of Defence. One of the early focus areas is cyber security, and so through this work we want to understand options in the market for AI tools and capabilities that can help reduce MOD’s cyber defence risk and threat of attack. We are seeking options which we can deploy within our Security Operating Centres (SOCs) that monitor and protect MOD networks. We are interested in understanding products and services which are either already mature, or could be matured very quickly to an enterprise-grade capability. We are looking for opportunities to deploy tools directly into the SOC within months, that are ready to use by our cyber defence operators, that would even be used as part of a trial deployment providing tangible value and a measurable reduction to MOD’s cyber risk. We are not looking for proposals to develop new capabilities, or offers to provide evaluation of alternatives. We also are not looking for demos or proofs of concept that run on representative systems. However, solutions that can run on live MOD data piped into a separate sandbox environment will be considered for particularly high impact capabilities that require a greater level of integration where it makes sense to prove in a sandbox first. Commercial Procedure Should your organisation wish to attend please complete the form, so that the MOD may contact you to confirm your attendance (Link here: https://www.techuk.org/what-we-deliver/events/defence-ai-centre-programme-frontier-industry-day.html). Total Programme Value (estimated) ~£100,000,000 Value of initial suite of Contracts (estimated) ~£8,000,000 Contract dates (estimated) TBC Delivery Model The MOD is considering a multi-supplier approach, potentially strucured to encourage: • Participation from Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) • Collaborative delivery across multiple suppliers • Flexible and iterative development models Further detail on the delivery construct will be confirmed in the Tender Notice. Commercial Approach The procurement for Programme FRONTIER is expected to be conducted in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023, utilising a structured and transparent competitive process. The Contracting route for the initial phase of Programme FRONTIER will be via the Government Commercial Agency (GCA)l Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for Artificial Intelligence. Any suppliers interested in engaging with Programme FRONTIER must also be registered as a supplier on the GCA DPS for Artificial Intelligence. The MOD anticipates adopting a competitive flexible procedure, likely comprising the following stages: • Stage 1 – Condition of Participation (COP): Suppliers will be required to submit a response demonstrating compliance with mandatory criteria and outlining their technical capability, experience, and organisational suitability. This stage may include both pass/fail and scored elements and will be used to down-select suppliers to the next phase. • Stage 2 – Invitation to Tender (ITT): Shortlisted suppliers will be invited to submit detailed proposals, including technical, commercial, and social value responses. This stage may include written submissions, presentations and/or demonstrations and will be evaluated against defined award criteria. • Contract Award: Suppliers achieving the most advantageous tenders will be awarded a contract and will be required to enter into the relevant terms and conditions. Illustrative Evaluation Considerations We are open to testing criteria with suppliers before finalising however proposals are likely to be assessed across a combination of: • Cyber Risk Reduction: Bidders must demonstrate how their proposed solution will deliver a measurable and tangible reduction in MOD cyber risk. Solutions focused solely on improving risk visibility, monitoring, or understanding without demonstrable risk reduction will receive lower scores. • Operational Maturity and Deployability: Preference will be given to solutions that are sufficiently mature and ready for deployment within an operational Security Operations Centre (SOC) environment. Bidders should evidence integration readiness, compatibility with existing systems and data sources, and assurance that deployment will not adversely impact current operations. • Understanding of Defence and National Security Environments: Whilst prior MOD experience is not mandatory, bidders should demonstrate an understanding of the challenges associated with operating within defence or national security environments. Credit will be given where bidders show awareness of MOD capability adoption processes and relevant operational constraints. • Security and Hosting Arrangements: Solutions must satisfy MOD security requirements and clearly articulate security controls and data handling arrangements. UK-hosted services are preferred, particularly where cloud-hosted solutions are proposed. • Whole-Life Cost and Commercial Sustainability: Evaluation will consider both initial trial costs and longer-term operational costs. Bidders should provide transparent pricing models and demonstrate that future service continuation costs represent fair and sustainable value for money. • Sovereignty and Control: Preference may be given to solutions that support UK sovereignty objectives. Solutions reliant upon external services, particularly those hosted or controlled outside the UK, may receive lower scores. Where external dependencies exist, bidders should provide a clear roadmap towards sovereign control or operation. What Good Looks Like: A mature, secure, operationally deployable AI solution that delivers demonstrable cyber risk reduction, offers clear long-term value for money, and supports UK sovereignty objectives. We are not looking for traditional cyber security products for this programme. Key Principles The MOD intends to ensure that the procurement process is: • Transparent and fair, providing equal opportunity to all suppliers • Accessible to SMEs and non-traditional defence suppliers • Collaborative, encouraging partnership and ecosystem delivery models • Flexible, enabling adaptation to evolving requirements and emerging technologies Additional information This Planned Procurement Notice (PPN) is not a call for competition and any information provided is for transparency only and, as such, may be subject to change. The Tender Notice and associated Tender Documents are anticipated to be made available in the coming weeks. If a Supplier has difficulty accessing the form, please contact the MOD on the email address below. Please note that outside of the form and any access issues, no further correspondence is welcome at this time.

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