Guidance

Remote Monitoring of Sensitive Sites Phase 2: Security and Resilience – Competition Document

Updated 31 January 2024

1. Introduction

On behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is looking to fund the development of a complete AUTONOMOUS SECURITY ALARM AND INTERDICTION NETWORK (ASAIN). This will involve the integration of multiple technologies and systems on to a single platform. After a 6-month period of development successful suppliers will move on to stage 2 and evaluate the capabilities of their systems over a period of 12 months at one of the NDA sites.

It is not compulsory to have been involved in the previous DASA competition to apply. However it is advisable to be aware of the Remote Monitoring of Sensitive Sites (Phase 1) competition document and the bids that were funded through it. A news story on Gov.UK highlights the successfully funded projects from that competition.

We are very supportive of collaboration between organisations for this competition. To facilitate this, we have a short survey to collect details of those who wish to explore collaboration possibilities. If you are interested in a collaboration, please complete the survey and your details will be shared with other potential suppliers who have completed the survey and are interested in collaborating.

£1.5m (ex VAT) of funding has been provided by the NDA to fund contracts with a maximum value of £500k (ex VAT) each. We anticipate funding 3 to 5 proposals with contract durations no longer than 18 months to deliver stages 1-3 as detailed in section 4. The contracts will aim to start in May 2024 and complete before the end of September 2025.

1.1 Background

The NDA’s mission is to deliver safe, secure, sustainable, and publicly acceptable solutions to the challenge of nuclear clean-up and waste management. The NDA estate covers 17 nuclear sites across the UK, widely distributed geographically and is made up of over 1000 Hectares of designated land on which over 800 buildings are located. The NDA Group comprises a number of Operating Companies (sometimes) also referred to as Site Licence Companies (SLCs). These include Sellafield Ltd, Magnox Ltd, Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd, Nuclear Waste Services and Nuclear Transport Solutions. Further details on the NDA estate can be found here.

The ongoing monitoring and inspection of estate facilities across the UK is a substantial and resource intensive task. It requires safe and secure working practices to be undertaken at all stages of the process. The wider NDA Group Operating Companies are tasked with the day-to-day operation and management of this built infrastructure and land - which they are responsible for under a licensing regime, overseen by various Government Regulators. There is a legal requirement to monitor and inspect these areas to ensure safe, secure, and environmentally responsible operations as well as a collective duty to help inform and improve the continued decommissioning effort across the UK cost effectively for the UK tax payer now and in the future.

Aligned with the NDA’s Innovation Strategy and its Grand Challenges - which aim to drive to reduce overall nuclear decommissioning costs through the uptake of technology and innovation - the NDA wants to achieve a step change improvement in its remote monitoring capabilities. This is to undertake proportionate change to its security posture as the threat and risks of a location reduces as part of the NDA mission and decommissioning process.  The purpose of the challenge is to find a viable security system that replaces high security systems traditionally used to protect high security areas (HSA).

2. Competition key information

2.1 Submission deadline

12:00 Midday (GMT) on 05 March 2024.

2.2 Where do I submit my proposal?

Via the DASA Online Submission Service for which you will require an account. Only proposals submitted through the DASA Online Submission Service will be accepted.

2.3 Total funding available

The total funding available for this competition is £1.5m (ex VAT). We anticipate funding between three and five proposals with a maximum value of £500k (ex VAT) per proposal.

2.4 Collaboration Survey

We encourage collaboration between organisations for this competition. To support this, we have a short survey to collect details of those who wish to explore collaboration possibilities. If you are interested in a collaboration, please complete the survey  and your details will be circulated among other potential suppliers who have completed the survey and are interested in collaborating.

If you choose to complete the Supplier collaboration survey, please be aware that all the information you submit in the survey will be provided to other Suppliers who also complete the survey.

2.5 Collaboration Event

To encourage and catalyse collaboration between suppliers, DASA and NDA will host an in-person collaboration event on 17th January 2024 in Southampton, UK.

To express your interest in attending the collaboration event please go the Eventbrite page here and fill out the form. We can only accept a maximum of two attendees per organisation. This may be reduced to one per organisation if the demand is sufficiently high.

We welcome attendance from a diverse range of innovators, and hope that all attendees participate with an open mind and collaborative attitude.

2.6 Dial-in session

For innovators who are unable to attend the in-person Collaboration Event, we will host a series of one-to-one question and answer sessions via Microsoft Teams.

24 Jan 2024 – A series of 15 minute one-to-one teleconference sessions, giving you the opportunity to ask specific questions. If you would like to participate, please register on the Eventbrite page. Booking is on a first-come, first-served basis.

3. Scope and challenge

We are interested in innovative ways to ensure our sites remain safe and secure in a resource constrained environment, and delivering proportionate security in line with the site risk reduction curve during the decommissioning process. Currently, NDA sites have high-level security measures in place designed to protect nuclear material (NM) and Other Radiological Material (ORM).

Current measures include but are not limited to:

• Armed Police (Civil Nuclear Constabulary, CNC) and/or Civilian Guard Forces (site and risk dependent).
• Security fences, enhanced lighting, CCTV, and associated systems.
• Perimeter Intrusion Detection Systems (PIDS).
• Access Control systems.

These capabilities are diverse throughout the NDA Group and are in line with associated risks. As the NDA’s decommissioning mission evolves, we are seeking more appropriate, efficient and/or cost-effective solutions for our future security needs.

Replacement security systems will negate the need for, or reduce the quantities of, each aspect listed whilst providing confidence that incursions or concerns are detected in sufficient time to initiate a deliberate and situationally aware response.

We are interested in innovative capabilities to provide a viable security system that replaces high security systems traditionally used to protect high security areas (HSA).

Traditionally HSA include:

• dual fenced sterile zones
• detection systems
• CCTV
• turnstile access
• controlled vehicle access
• hostile vehicle mitigation
• alarms
• security ducts and cabling (protected)
• secured subterranean routes (e.g., water inlet/outlet, cable runs, tunnels, and sewage)
• CCTV/Alarm monitoring centres
• a centralised security control centre and guard force (armed police/civilian guards).
• secure power supplies and UPS
• irregular patrolling

3.1 AUTONOMOUS SECURITY ALARM AND INTERDICTION NETWORK (ASAIN)

The purpose of this Themed Competition is to develop technologies that can form the basis of an Autonomous Security Alarm and Interdiction Network (ASAIN). The ASAIN must be easy to deploy and operate. It will be able to be integrated with other digital technologies, and should be autonomous. Crucially, it must have an override functionality to allow an operator to control all system assets safely and at will.

3.2 Outline Operational Requirements

Our operational requirement is to deploy an integrated, autonomous, resilient, and robust security system that can under UK weather conditions:

1. detect/alert and pinpoint the source of a security infringement
2. identify and analyse the causal initiation of the detection
3. autonomously determine the action required based on the threat analysis
4. provide real time visual data to a remote security centre
5. track and maintain oversight of the initiation actor until ‘stood down’ by the security centre
6. include deployable platforms with sufficient payload to carry a range of visual and non-visual sensors
7. have sufficient redundancy in the system to mitigate the loss of assets during a deployment e.g., has a minimum of three back-ups to allow the mission to continue in the event of a component failure (including deliberate destruction)
8. be capable of maintaining a deployment in response to an incident for a minimum of 60 minutes
9. require minimal (ideally zero) human interface to conduct the mission
10. relay real time information to human operators to support decision making
11. be overridden to allow human security control room operators to manually takeover the system
12. include encrypted data feeds and administrative operator protections
13. understand its operating environment and avoid obstacles and collision with other items including vehicles, personnel, and wildlife
14. learn its environment’s pattern of life
15. not ignore routine activities in its analysis (be aware of the insider threat)
16. immobilise itself safely, avoiding collision, under a systems failure state

3.3 Considerations

Any solutions presented should consider the following core elements under the systems requirement:

Detection

The first consideration for any security system is how infringements/incursions are detected. When selecting suitable detection devices, the overall system must not be reliant on a sole source of detection for initiation. As a minimum, two diverse sources of detection should be employed, with each detector utilising different but complementary capabilities.

As an example, some detectors work poorly in fog, whilst others are affected by rain or ground water. Claims of a single sensor type being sufficient to cope with all conditions will not be accepted as it will fail to provide a suitable back-up capability in the event of detector failure.

Architecture

Security systems utilising Artificial Intelligence and autonomous operations should consider integration and development of the system compatible with the [SAPIENT^{[footnote 1]} architecture](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sapient-autonomous-sensor-system).

Visual sensors

Visual sensors are a crucial component of the security system. The provision of real time visual data to a security control room, or handheld device is required to inform responders providing a tactical advantage before entering any situation.

Cameras

Camera systems used must meet UK Gov standards. Analogue cameras will be assessed against the Rotakin® standard and thermal imaging will be assessed against the Thermakin standard.

Cameras will also be assessed in all weather conditions. Consider the use of glare protection, shrouds, and onboard cleaning mechanisms.

High quality lenses are preferable over solely digital camera systems, for example larger diameter high quality glass lenses capture more light providing an overall better-quality image. Lenses charged with nitrogen or argon also reduce internal fogging and should be a consideration in the choice of optics for the security system.

360 degree cameras

360° cameras provide some utility; though are largely reliant on digital operation and software used to de-warp images. 360° cameras would be considered as part of an integrated system that uses a combination of deployable assets but must also include high quality cameras that are not solely digital in nature.

Video analytics

A variety of video analytics are available that can enhance camera systems, these include systems integral to a camera, and a system that can be utilised through a separate networked camera. Such analytics should be considered to aid the identification and tracking of detector initiators.

Facial recognition

Whilst this is not a system requirement, consideration of facial recognition as part of the overall security systems development would not be discounted if a clear case for its inclusion supports the overall system solution. We are not seeking any sufficiently novel Facial Recognition capability which would require undergoing ethical review.

Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR)

Whilst this is not a system requirement, consideration of ANPR as part of the overall security systems development would not be discounted if a clear case for its inclusion supports the overall system solution.

Deployable platforms

Deployable platforms cannot rely on a single deployable asset. Ideally there should be as a minimum, six (6) assets capable of being deployed simultaneously. Sufficient redundancy in the system should allow for additional assets readily available to conduct a relief in place of deployed assets when needed with the system expected as a minimum to be able to sustain a continuous mission for up to sixty (60) minutes (ideally beyond).

Platforms should be able to carry payloads for a variety of missions. A combination of platforms used to achieve this is acceptable. For example, smaller platforms may be useful in higher quantities for some missions e.g., daylight responses where a swift visual picture is needed, whereas in fog or at night heavier thermal imagery or other detection systems may require large platforms.

Security systems that have dual capabilities such as radiological monitoring should utilise different platforms for each mission/role type.

The legal permits for deployable platforms must be considered during the system development, for example an autonomous system that uses aerial assets may need approvals from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) see the attachment document here.

Power supplies

The overall security system should be capable of hardwired continuous powered operations and have sufficient back-up power to maintain operations for its mobile assets/platforms for missions of up to sixty (60) minutes. Any security system designed to not be hard wired should be capable of continuous operations for up to forty-eight (48) hours, for example, where the security system is designed for expedient operations such as deployment to cover derogations in an existing security system, or providing temporary protection to an unsecure area.

Deployable assets (from platforms)

Security systems should consider devices that can be deployed from mobile platforms to deter or delay threat actors. This will buy time for responders and potentially aid any post-incident investigation.

• speakers/communications relay loudspeakers, recorded voice, voice links to security control room – for example to provide warning, direction and deter
• delay devices such as smoke, strobe, white noise (dissonance)
• Identification devices, for example spraying/dropping paint or powder on threat actors.

Innovators are reminded that any ASAIN system funded through DASA must have the ability to be overridden by human operators at any time.

4. The Competition Stages

This DASA competition is comprised of three activities, which should be detailed in your proposal:

• Stage 1: Development of the complete ASAIN system (6 months)
• Stage 2: System Test and Evaluation (12 months)
• Stage 3: Showcase review (including cross-Government stakeholders)

The System Test and Evaluation protocol will be dependent on the site and the intended capabilities required for the scenario. At this stage we can only confirm that the site will be in Southern England.

The metrics of interest will be consistent across all systems and activities. Key Performance Criteria will be provided during the preliminary stages of deployment.

4.1 Stage 1: Development

This activity is focused on developing an ASAIN system that operates as a standalone independent system. In this stage, successful innovators will clearly detail the development milestones within the project plan which need to be met, to progress the system to meet the requirements of activities (which ideally should include preliminary testing).

Prior to System Test and Evaluation there will be a six (6) month period to allow for development and integration of systems and provision of training. During this preparatory stage, the system should be set-up ready for employment. The set-up should include:

• Interaction with the site named for the deployment to establish site perimeters and vital areas (the key areas to defend during the trial)
• Training for deployment and operation of the system, allowing the site security team to use the system without the need for external parties/operators
• Pathway analysis: during the preparatory stage of the trials exact parameters for successful system deployment will be decided against threat actor attack vectors. Exact timeframes needed will be determined by the site’s geographical layout e.g., distances from potential threat actor routes of entry and the time required to move through the site to vital areas.

Outline expectations include:

• Time between detection and automated response
• Time from automated response to interdiction of detection initiation point
• Time taken to identify (visually) the detection trigger at an initiation point
• Ability to maintain ‘eyes on’ and track the initiation trigger
• Quality of data relayed back to security control centre
• Number detections – noting system should not assume a detection is false until this can be confirmed at the trigger initiation point
• Number of successful detections and deployments
• Minimise the number of unsuccessful incidences through continuous learning and system improvement
• Ability to operate successfully in all weather conditions – if unsuccessful under certain conditions system learning should develop alternative solutions to further improve resilience and confidence in the systems capabilities
• Ability to meet the minimum mission deployment timeframes of up to 60 minutes with uninterrupted capability deployment
• Successful protocols for overcoming emerging operational barriers e.g., loss of power, asset failure, loss of component due to direct action/impact (accidental/collision) or deliberate component jammed/destroyed)

4.2 Stage 2: System Test and Evaluation

In Autumn 2024, the suppliers will be required to attend the test and evaluation (T&E) Site; the location is to be confirmed but will be in Southern England. The event is expected to last for up to 4 weeks to allow installation and test set up of the ASAIN system. Details of set up will differ slightly for each supplier system. The event will be managed by NDA and representatives from the NDA Group.

The Test and Evaluation stage includes 3 elements:

1. Installation of system at Site – 4 weeks
2. Completion of the test period, 12 months (inclusive of 4 weeks set up) system operation and capture of system data and comparison against metrics.
3. Removal of system from site – post 12-month trial

The ASAIN system will be trialled on an operational site for twelve (12) months unless during that period the system is proven to be non-viable, and the shortfalls found cannot be rectified. There will be opportunities to adapt and change during the development stage (Section 4.1) to ensure the system is ready for Stage 2.

Details on the Test and Evaluation stage have been provided by subject matter experts from the NDA in the attachment here. Suppliers considering submitting to this competition must read the details carefully as they outline the technical, legal, and safety requirements that will need to be met by all successful suppliers. The attachment also describes in greater detail how this stage of the competition will be organised.

4.3 Stage 3: Showcase Review

Following Test and Evaluation we will invite suppliers to a separate event, where they will be required to attend and demonstrate their systems to stakeholders from across the Defence and Security and Nuclear Decommissioning communities (Note this event will be closed. We may ask selected individuals from outside government to attend).

Funded projects are expected to achieve at least Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 (demonstration in a relevant environment) by the end of the contract. Systems currently at or above TRL 6 in a civilian environment may be eligible for funding where the technology requires development to operate in a Defence and Security environment (potentially lowering the TRL).

We welcome proposals from across the full range of innovators including academia, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and large companies, from both the UK and overseas. We also welcome joint bids that bring together the strength of different industrial or academic partners. For submissions, there must be a lead supplier who submits the proposal. The other suppliers within the consortium need to be listed as subcontractors.

The competition is open to innovators from the existing Defence and Security sectors as well as those who have not traditionally worked in this domain. Previous experience of Defence and Security work is not a requirement.

5. We are interested in…

We want novel ideas to benefit end users. Your proposal should include evidence of:

• how you will develop an ASAIN system that integrates multiple capabilities onto a platform

• a clear demonstration of how the system capabilities will be developed over a 6 month period to then allow stage 2 delivery of a 12 month trial on an NDA site

• an outline plan that includes milestones and key performance indicators to track the preliminary system development, and system performance during deployment trials see attachment

• a roadmap of how the technology could be developed following this competition into an in-service capability

Each submission should describe deliverables and milestones for all three stages, including but not limited to:

• a Concept of Operations (CONOPS) technical report; a document that describes the proposed system concept and how that concept would be operated in the intended environment
• a presentation to members of the funding organisations which describes the technical progress to date, an overview of the CONOPS technical report and testing regime

In addition to weekly catch-ups/communications and quarterly meetings, successful submissions will also include monthly meetings between the system developer team and the technical partner from the funding organisation(s), followed by a formal record of decisions.

Funded projects are expected to achieve at least Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 (demonstration in a relevant environment) by the end of the contract.

6. We are not interested in…

We are not interested in proposals that:

• are fully autonomous systems, which do not offer the human operator control
• are systems that cannot be operated in real-time
• require the completion and attainment of ethical favourable opinion from the Ministry of Defence Research Ethics Committee MODREC – this could apply to some developments in Facial Recognition so you should be clear whether ethical review and/or approval would be required for the conduct of such R&D
• constitute consultancy, paper-based studies or literature reviews which just summarise the existing literature without any view of system development in this competition
• are an identical resubmission of a previous bid to DASA or MOD without modification
• offer demonstrations of off-the-shelf products requiring no experimental development (unless applied in a novel way to the challenge)
• offer no real long-term prospect of integration into defence and security capabilities
• offer no real prospect of out-competing existing technological systems

7. Accelerating and exploiting your innovation

It is important that over the lifetime of DASA competitions, ideas are matured and accelerated towards appropriate end users to enhance capability. How long this takes will be dependent on the nature and starting point of the innovation. Early identification and appropriate engagement with potential end users during the competition and subsequent phases are essential in order to develop and implement an exploitation plan.

All proposals to DASA should articulate the expected development in technology maturity of the potential solution over the lifetime of the contract and how this relates to improved operational capability against the current known (or presumed) baseline. Your deliverables should be designed to evidence these aspects with the aim of making it as easy as possible for potential collaborators/stakeholders to identify the innovative elements of your proposal in order to consider routes for exploitation.

8. How to outline your exploitation plan

Include the following information to help the assessors understand your exploitation plans to date:

• the intended users of your final product and whether you have previously engaged with them, their procurement arm or their research and development arm
• awareness of, and alignment to, any existing end user procurement programmes
• the anticipated benefits (for example, in cost, time, improved capability) that your system will provide to the user
• whether it is likely to be a standalone product or integrated with other technologies or platforms
• expected additional work required beyond the end of the contract to develop an operationally deployable commercial product (for example, “scaling up” for manufacture, cyber security, integration with existing technologies, environmental operating conditions)
• additional future applications and wider markets for exploitation
• wider collaborations and networks you have already developed or any additional relationships you see as a requirement to support exploitation
• how your product could be tested in a representative environment in later phases
• any specific legal, ethical, commercial or regulatory considerations for exploitation

8.1 Is your exploitation plan long term?

Long term studies may not be able to articulate exploitation in great detail, but it should be clear that there is credible advantage to be gained from the technology development.

You should include project specific information which will help exploitation. This could include a roadmap of potential further development, scaling, or commercialisation. This competition is being carried out on behalf of the NDA with cognisance of cross-Government initiatives.

9. How to apply

9.1 Submission deadline

12:00 Midday (GMT) on Tuesday 5th March 2024

9.2 Where do I submit my proposal?

Via the DASA Online Submission Service for which you will be required to register.

Only proposals submitted through the DASA Online Submission Service will be accepted.

9.3 Total funding available

The total funding available for this competition is £1.5m (ex VAT). We anticipate funding several proposals with a maximum value of £500k (ex VAT) per proposal. Our aim is to fund at least 3 to 5 proposals.

For further guidance Click here for more information on our competition process and how your proposal is assessed.

Queries should be sent to the DASA Help Centre – accelerator@dstl.gov.uk.

9.4 What your proposal must include

• the proposal should focus on the Phase 2 requirements but must also include a brief (uncosted) outline of the next stages of work required for exploitation
• when submitting a proposal, you must complete all sections of the online form, including an appropriate level of technical information to allow assessment of the bid, and a completed finances section
• completed proposals must comply with the financial rules set for this competition. The upper-limit for this competition is £500k (ex VAT). Proposals will be rejected if the financial cost exceeds this capped level
• you must include a list of other current or recent government funding you may have received in this area if appropriate, making it clear how this proposal differs from this work
• a project plan with clear milestones and deliverables must be provided. Deliverables must be well defined and designed to provide evidence of progress against the project plan and the end-point for this phase; they must include a final report
• you should also plan for attendance at a kick-off meeting at the start of the project, a mid-project event, system test and evaluation stage, and showcase stage. This is in addition to regular touch-points and reviews with the appointed Technical Partner and Project Manager; all meetings will be in the UK. Dstl and the NDA may decide to run some meetings virtually
• your proposal must demonstrate how you will complete all activities/services and provide all deliverables within the competition timescales (18 months). Proposals with any deliverables (including final report) outside the competition timeline will be rejected as non-compliant

9.5 What your resourcing plan should include

Your resourcing plan must identify, where possible, the nationalities of   proposed employees that you intend to work on this phase. Please also give details of what (if any) level of vetting and/or security clearance any proposed employees have. Please note a minimum of Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) is required for any personnel involved in Stage 2 of the project. Any personnel who do not hold the necessary level of clearance must be willing to undergo BPSS by the end of Stage 1.

9.6 If your proposal is recommended for funding

In the event of a proposal being recommended for funding, the DASA reserves the right to undertake due diligence checks including the clearance of proposed employees. Please note that this process will take as long as necessary and could take up to 6 weeks in some cases for non-UK nationals.

You must identify any ethical / legal / regulatory factors within your proposal. As stated in Section 6 you must make it clear in your proposal that you DO NOT require the completion and attainment of ethical favourable opinion from the Ministry of Defence Research Ethics Committee MODREC. Due to the timescales for this project, if MODREC approval is required your proposal will be rejected. If you are unsure if your proposal will need to apply for MODREC approval, then please refer to the MODREC Guidance for Suppliers or contact your Innovation Partner for further guidance.

Requirements for access to Government Furnished Assets (GFA), for example, information, equipment, materials and facilities, may be included in your proposal. DASA cannot guarantee that GFA will be available. If you apply for GFA, you should include an alternative plan in case it is not available.

Failure to provide any of the above listed will automatically render your proposal non-compliant.

9.7 Export control for overseas partners

All relevant export control regulations will apply if a company ultimately wants to sell a developed system to a foreign entity. All innovators must ensure that they can obtain, if required, the necessary export licences for their proposals and developments, such that they can be supplied to the UK and other countries. If you cannot confirm that you can gain the requisite licences, your proposal will be sifted out of the competition.
Additionally, if we believe that you will not be able to obtain export clearance, additional checks may be conducted, which may also result in your proposal being sifted out of the competition.

9.8 Cyber risk assessment

Supplier Assurance Questionnaire (SAQ)
On receipt of a ‘Fund’ decision, successful suppliers must prove cyber resilience data before the contract is awarded. The start of this process is the submission of a Supplier Assurance Questionnaire (SAQ). The SAQ allows suppliers to demonstrate compliance with the specified risk level and the corresponding profile in Def Stan 05-138, and the level of control required will depend on this risk level.

To expedite the contracting time of successful suppliers we ask all suppliers to complete the SAQ before they submit their proposal.  The SAQ can be completed here using the DASA Risk Assessment RAR-356668499 and answer questions for risk level “Very Low”. In the form, for the contract name please use the competition title and for the contract description please use the title of your proposal.

Defence Cyber Protection Partnership The Defence Cyber Protection Partnership (DCPP) will review your SAQ submission and respond with a reference number within 2 working days. The resulting email response from DCPP should be attached (JPG or PNG format) and included within the DASA submission service portal when the proposal is submitted. You will also be asked to enter your SAQ reference number. Please allow enough time to receive the SAQ reference number prior to competition close at 12:00 midday (GMT) on 5th March 2024.

If the proposal is funded, the SAQ will be evaluated against the CRA for the competition, and it will be put it into one of the following categories:

1. compliant – no further action
2. not compliant – if successful in competition and being funded, the innovator will be required to complete a Cyber Implementation Plan (CIP) before the contract is placed, which will need to be reviewed and agreed with the relevant project manager
   Innovators can enter a proposal without all controls in place, but are expected to have all the cyber protection measures necessary to fulfil the requirements of the contract in place at the time of contract award, or have an agreed Cyber Implementation Plan (CIP).
   The CIP provides evidence as to how and when potential innovators will achieve compliance. Provided the measures proposed in the Cyber Implementation Plan do not pose an unacceptable risk to the MOD, a submission with a Cyber Implementation Plan will be considered alongside those who can achieve the controls. A final check will be made to ensure cyber resilience before the contract is placed.  Commercial staff cannot progress without it. This process does not replace any contract specific security requirements.

Additional information about cyber security can be found at: DCPP: Cyber Security Model industry buyer and supplier guide.

9.9 Public facing information

When submitting your proposal, you will be required to include a title, short abstract and Proposal Value Proposition Statement (PVPS). The title, abstract and PVPS you provide will be used by DASA, NDA, and potentially other government departments to describe your project and its intended outcomes and benefits. They may be included at DASA events in relation to this competition and in documentation such as brochures. The proposal title will be published in the DASA transparency data on GOV.UK, along with your company name, the amount of funding, and the start and end dates of your contract. As this information can be shared, it should not contain information that may compromise Intellectual Property.

9.10 How your proposal will be assessed

At Stage 1, all proposals will be checked for compliance with the competition document and may be rejected before full assessment if they do not comply. Only those proposals that demonstrate compliance against the competition scope and DASA mandatory criteria will be taken forward to full assessment.

Mandatory Criteria

The proposal outlines how it meets the scope of the competition.

Within scope (Pass) / Out of scope (Fail)

The proposal fully explains in all three sections of the DASA submission service how it meets the DASA criteria.

Pass / Fail

The proposal clearly details a financial plan, a project plan and a resourcing plan to complete the work proposed in Phase 2.

Pass / Fail

The proposal contains a credible test plan where appropriate.

Pass / Fail

The proposal identifies there is no need for MODREC approval.

Pass / Fail

The proposal identifies any GFA required for Phase 2.

Pass / Fail

Maximum value of proposal is £500k (ex VAT).

Pass / Fail

The proposal demonstrates how all research and development activities/services (including delivery of the final report) will be completed within 18 months from award of contract (or less).

Pass / Fail

The innovator provides unqualified acceptance of the terms and conditions of the contract.

Pass / Fail

Proposals that pass Stage 1 will then be assessed against the standard DASA assessment criteria (Desirability, Feasibility and Viability) by subject matter experts from the MOD (including Dstl), other government departments and the front-line military commands. You will not have the opportunity to view or comment on assessors’ recommendations.

DASA reserves the right to disclose on a confidential basis any information it receives from innovators during the procurement process, which includes the full proposal, to any third party engaged by DASA for the specific purpose of evaluating or assisting DASA in the evaluation of your proposal. In providing such information you consent to such disclosure. Appropriate confidentiality agreements will be put in place.

Further guidance on how your proposal is assessed is available on the DASA website here.
After assessment, proposals will be discussed internally at a Decision Conference where, based on the assessments, budget and wider strategic considerations, a decision will be made on the proposals that are recommended for funding.

Innovators are not permitted to attend the Decision Conference.

Proposals that are unsuccessful will receive brief feedback after the Decision Conference.

9.11 Things you should know about DASA contracts: DASA terms and conditions

Please read the DASA terms and conditions which contain important information for innovators. For this competition we will be using a modified Innovation Standard Contract (ISC) Terms and Schedules, in light of the joint funding provided by NDA, and the rights that shall be secured on behalf of NDA using the NDA/DASA IP condition. We will require unqualified acceptance of the terms and conditions; if applicable, please ensure your commercial department has provided their acceptance.

Funded projects will be allocated a Project Manager (to run the project) and a Technical Partner (as a technical point of contact). In addition, the DASA team will work with you to support delivery and exploitation including, when appropriate, introductions to end users and business support to help develop their business.

We will use deliverables from DASA contracts in accordance with our rights detailed in the contract terms and conditions.

For this competition, £1.5M (ex VAT) is currently available to fund proposals. Where a proposal meets the fundable requirements for a competition, but is not funded, DASA will continue to seek funding from partners across government and shall consider your proposal fundable for 12 months from the date of the decision release. We will share the abstract, PVPS and title of your proposal with any other UK government departments that may express an interest in funding the proposal through DASA, in accordance with the competition document. If a budget holder within the MOD wishes to read the full proposal to decide if they will fund it, we will share it with them under these circumstances. If it is within 60 days of the original NOT FUNDED decision release date, we will share the full proposal with them without seeking your permission. If it is over 60 days since the original NOT FUNDED decision we will seek your permission before sharing the full proposal with them.

For other potential funders, we will seek your permission before sharing the full proposal regardless of the number of days since the original NOT FUNDED decision release.
In the event that funding becomes available, DASA may ask whether you would still be prepared to undertake the work outlined in your proposal under the same terms. Your official DASA feedback will indicate if your proposal was deemed fundable, but not awarded funding at the time.

10. Phase 2 key dates

Collaboration Event

17 January 2024

Pre bookable 1-1 telecom sessions

24 January 2024

Competition closes

12:00 Midday (GMT) 5 March 2024

Feedback release

Aim: April 2024

Contracting

Aim to start May 2024

11. Help: Contact the DASA Help Centre

Competition queries including on process, application, commercial, technical and Intellectual Property aspects should be sent to the DASA Help Centre at accelerator@dstl.gov.uk, quoting the competition title. If you wish to receive future updates on this competition, please email the DASA Help Centre.

While all reasonable efforts will be made to answer queries, DASA reserves the right to impose management controls if volumes of queries restrict fair access of information to all potential innovators.

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1. Sensing for Asset Protection with Integrated Electronic Networked Technology (SAPIENT) uses autonomy to reduce the workload of people operating multi-sensor systems, in security and defence scenarios. It is the concept of a network of advanced sensors with artificial intelligence (AI) at the edge, combined with intelligent fusion and sensor management. ↩