DSTL RCloud Enduring Autonomy T&E Capability test bed concept demonstration

About the buyer

Defence Science & Technology Laboratory is the Ministry of Defence's in-house science and technology organisation, and buys as a central government agency with no preferred supplier list. The Defence Sourcing Portal lists every requirement from the laboratory and the rest of the Ministry of Defence, free to access. R-Cloud is now the main place suppliers bid for work, including PhD funding. Framework agreements such as ASTRID and the Weapons Sector Research Framework serve government departments beyond this laboratory too. External suppliers, from major contractors to academia and start-ups new to defence, carry out almost all the work.

Procurement spend from central entities makes up 66% of overall UK public spend.

Over the past 5 years, most of Defence Science & Technology Laboratory's contract awards have been in laboratory and precision equipment, education and training and architectural and engineering services.