The department has published a formal contract notice opening bids from potential providers to support the UK’s national network of radionuclide detection devices, as well as the underpinning IT infrastructure

The Home Office has opened bids for technology suppliers to support the UK’s monitoring and detection regime for the potential use of nuclear devices by hostile actors.

The department is seeking to put in place a new commercial arrangement to support the 20-year-old Cyclamen programme – which includes detection facilities for radiological and nuclear (RN) material at UK ports as well as “one site in northern France”. This frontline technology is underpinned by IT infrastructure hosted both on-premises and in cloud environments, according to a freshly published contract notice.

Cyclamen’s new commercial agreement – which is expected to be worth as much as £360m, once tax is included – will run for up to 10 years, and will be split into three towers, under the oversight of a single “prime supplier”.

The first of these towers includes fixed detection systems – including “RN detectors, cameras, sensors, power, networking and traffic management” – as well as mobile units that can be housed in vehicles and “deployed either tactically or to cover a fixed RN detector failure”. This tower also encompasses on-site IT infrastructure.

The second segment covers “IT management [of] the on-site and cloud-hosted infrastructure that enables the operation, including the health monitoring, of the RN-detection components”, the contract notice says.

The final tower is dedicated to the oversight of the operations of “a test facility used… for the purpose of testing and integration of any changes or updates to the RN detection estate”.

Related content

• Terrorism: Government keeping tabs on potential for radicalising chatbots, minister says
• Government renews powers for long-term withholding of public records on national security grounds
• National Security College to offer tech training to policy maestros

The first stage of bidding for the contract is open until 6 September, after which the Home Office expects to progress no more than five prospective providers for further in-depth evaluation. A contract is ultimately due to come into effect in about a year’s time for an initial term of five years – plus potential extensions that would take the lifespan of the deal up to a decade.

Procurement records indicate that the Cyclamen programme is currently supported by a range of providers delivering technology and related services. This includes Symetrica, a specialist manufacturer of radiation-detection tools, as well as tech consultancies Actica and PA Consulting.

Firms that make the cut for the new long-term tech contract will join a programme that, given the potential harm from a nuclear device attack, continues to be of critical importance, according to the contract notice.

“The threat of an attack using radiological and nuclear devices has consistently appeared in the National Risk Register, highlighting how these low-likelihood but catastrophically high-impact attack methods remain of concern to HMG,” the document adds. “To mitigate these risks, the Home Office maintains a comprehensive RN-detection capability for passenger and freight traffic at the border. This is known as the Cyclamen capability, which has been in operation since 2003.

“It is the UK’s primary defence against the illicit importation of RN materials and sits alongside wider detection and response capabilities that make up the UK’s domestic nuclear security system. Cyclamen is the UK’s RN border detection system that plays a key part in protecting the UK border and is a critical part of HMG’s Nuclear Security Strategy as well as CONTEST, the government’s counter-terrorism strategy.”