UK Space Agency - Operational Support to the International Charter: Space and Major Disasters

What the buyer is asking for

The International Charter: Space and Major Disasters (“the Charter”) is a global agreement which aims to provide a unified system of space data acquisition and delivery to those affected by natural or man-made disasters. It provides and enables transmission of earth observation satellite data and pre-authorised resilience/emergency response bodies in response to “activations”. Further details on the Charter can be found at https://disasterscharter.org/ Unlike many space faring nations in the Charter, the UK Government does not own or operate its own national EO satellite system assets. The UK Government therefore fulfils its Charter commitments through partnership with the UK EO commercial sector. This procurement seeks to maintain and strengthen that model by securing operational support from an organisation with UK licensed and operated EO satellite data assets that can be contributed to Charter activations. The continued participation of UK EO commercial satellite operators in the Charter delivers both public benefit and strategic value by showcasing sovereign EO capabilities, supporting international disaster response and demonstrating operational utility of UK-developed EO missions.

How this is scored

Published by the buyer. A winning response is written to these weightings, not to the question.

• 32%qualityMobilisation and Service ReadinessDescribe your mobilisation plan from contract award to full operational service commencement. Your response must demonstrate how the Emergency On-Call Officer service, Image Ordering Desk, operational interfaces and assured data provision will be established, tested and ready to support Charter activities from the required commencement date.
• 24%qualityCharter Activation Delivery MethodologyProvide a proposed process for delivering the Operational Support service during a Charter activation, in line with your organisational data provision processes and the requirements of the International Charter and UKSA Specification of Requirements. Your response should demonstrate how quality, governance, oversight and delivery assurance will be maintained throughout the service.
• 24%qualityAssured Data Provision and Service ResilienceDescribe the EO assets proposed for Charter support and demonstrate how you will provide timely, prioritised and fit-for-purpose data throughout the contract. Your response must address asset capability, ownership and operational control, tasking authority, licensing, data delivery performance, capacity, continuity and mitigation in the event of degradation, failure or decommissioning.
• 20%priceCommercial EnvelopePrice, calculated as per tender documentation.

How contested is this?

Buyers publish how many bids they received. Across 95 comparable procurements we can tell you the typical field size, how often one of these goes uncontested, and whether the buyer awards on price or on quality.

Timeline

4 published dates · Europe/London

1. Tender notice published2 days ago

   24 Sept 2026, 09:10 BST
2. Clarification questions byin 20 days

   16 Oct 2026, 12:00 BST
3. Submission deadlinein 47 days

   11 Nov 2026, 15:00 GMT
4. Award decision expected byin 77 days

   11 Dec 2026, 23:59 GMT

Commercial outcome and contract awards

Nothing awarded yet

Notice history

3 events · 3 releases on Find a Tender

1. Pipeline or early engagement notice20 May 2026, 17:12 BST046670-2026
2. Pipeline or early engagement notice17 Sept 2026, 16:42 BST088389-2026
3. Tender notice24 Sept 2026, 09:10 BST090393-2026

Documents

• Tender notice on Find a Tender