Public procurement notice: Prior Information Notice Without Call For Competition
Published: 2017-05-05
Buyer: Ministry of Defence, Information Systems and Services, BATCIS Delivery Team
Country: UK
Contract type: Services
CPV classification: 48620000: Operating systems
Estimated value: 20000000 GBP

Technical requirements: The BMA is a suite of one or more software applications and services providing Geospatial Services, Operating Picture and Mission Planning for commanders at all levels. Users may be located in fixed or deployed headquarters, mobile platforms (vehicles) or dismounted (on the soldier). Computing platforms will vary from well performing PCs through laptops to tablets and smaller mobile devices. Network infrastructure will include high and low bandwidth (wired and wireless) bearers utilising HF, VHF and UHF bands. The BMA shall be developed to take full, but appropriate, advantage of the services provided by the Evolve to Open (EvO) Tactical Integration Framework (TIF) to optimise operation over the network and to make use of common core services. Additionally, the BMA will provide a subset of the common core services as part of the TIF for use by other client applications.
Additional Information regarding the requirement can be found under the Additional Information heading.
Geospatial Services. These services comprise Digital Mapping, Display and Analysis; and Route Planning and Route Following.
a. Digital Mapping. The processes of importing Foundation Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) into MORPHEUS (from where, in what formats etc.), of distributing and accessing it once within the system.
b. Display. The rendering and visual display of GEOINT includes the ways a user can manipulate their display (pan, tilt, zoom etc.) as well as the various units, projections and coordinate systems in which the GEOINT may be displayed.
c. Analysis. User-initiated analyses of the GEOINT, including terrain analysis, inter-visibility etc.
d. Route Planning. The facility to plan a route for travel. Can be both manual (setting a number of waypoints) and automatically proposed based on various criteria, including the outputs of terrain analysis. Also includes the ability to plan movements for Force Elements, taking into consideration the number/quantity and individual characteristics.
e. Route Following. The facility to follow a planned route, providing turn-by-turn feedback and alerts.
Operating Picture. This service provides the understanding of the operational environment in the context of a commander's (or staff officer's) mission (or task). It utilises all the other services to provide a Operating Picture (OP) to the User, relevant to their area of responsibility.
a. Inputs. The different sources (users, other systems etc.) that can submit objects to the Operating Picture. Includes the ability to attach information to objects and to define new object classes and associated parameters and symbols.
b. Engine (Picture Processing). The means by which the OP is validated, de-conflicted and synchronised between Force Elements and Users.
c. Manipulate. The use of the OP: to calculate further information (e.g. distance and bearing between two units/Force Elements/positions), to initiate other Services (e.g. initiate voice communications with a User by selecting them on the OP) and to change one's view of the OP through the association and aggregation of different Force Elements.
d. Display. The ways a User can manipulate their display (pan, tilt, zoom etc.) as well as the various units, projections and coordinate systems in which the OP may be displayed.
e. Save and Archive. The saving, storage and retrieval of OP Information, both for after-action review and Operational Record Keeping.
Mission Planning and Execution. At the heart of any planning and execution process is the requirement to Plan, Review, Execute and Evaluate an operation or tactical activity, having taken into account past experience and archived information.