The Ministry of Defence has issued an addendum notice for its Digital Decision Accelerators for Defence (DDAD) Open Framework, a procurement plan worth up to £900 million over four years.
According to the notice, “the Ministry of Defence (MOD) is launching a procurement for a new Defence and Security Open Framework specially designed to encourage the development, and accelerants of, advanced digital ‘Decision’ capabilities.”
The framework is described as a scheme of “successive frameworks” that can be reopened periodically for new suppliers, unlike traditional closed models. It will act as the main delivery mechanism for ASGARD, the British Army’s flagship Transformative Capability Initiative, linked to the Chief of the General Staff’s Growth Through Transformation strategy.
The MOD said the framework “will focus on the ‘Decide’ element of the target acquisition cycle (Sense-Decide-Effect); supporting ASGARD’s goal of reinventing, and transforming, how land forces deliver operational decision-support and decision-making software via the use of modern Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning (AI/ML) technologies.”
The framework is structured into five lots, each valued at £180 million:
- Data Integration – trusted datasets for critical operations.
- Accelerators – tools to cut “time-to-insight” with AI/ML models.
- Applications – rapid development of secure, scalable software.
- Edge Storage and Compute – real-time processing in distributed environments.
- Services – training, consulting, proof-of-concept development.
The notice stresses that the lots will be “suitable for Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to bid for.”
The MOD set out award criteria including “relevant experience and contract examples,” “product authenticity and maturity,” and commitments to collaboration, scalability, the Land Industrial Strategy, and R&D.
The framework is scheduled to run from November 2025 to November 2029, with possible extensions.
That’s really great, we could have bought three Type 31 frigates for that but I recon an AI Framework is much more useful.
Using the Alphabet in order of lettering , AI should be followed by BJ, that’s if they don’t blow it all prematurely.
What 🤔
BS might be more appropriate…
I think what your suggesting is than an AI BJ BS framework would have been the way to go for nearly £1 billion over four years instead of three frigates, 900 6X6 Patrias or 14 F35A’s
Yes deffo, it would make sense given our 30 billion Island giveaway. What’s another Billion.
Yeh, I’ll bet Winston Churchill wished he’d had AI in 1940. Odds on a high statistical probability of surrender.
I’ll bet Iaac Newton wishes he has AI. Would have avoided a lot of bruises Apples.
I’ll bet Isaac Newton wished he had had AI. It would have avoided a lot of bruised apples.
Version overriding AI autototext….
Sod the bruised apple, far less FRCS (fruit related concussion symptom). Well worth a billion quid if we can spaff it on a computer that tells you when it’s worth throwing an apple at someone’s head.
Well, I guess you know your onions.
Solly, vat waz AI repaying not mee
At last I can use AI as my excuse for not being apple too Spoil puperlie.
I blame Apple.
See, AI already causes bad Spilling and grandma.
Just ridiculous. Why do you need so many Admirals, Generals, and Air Marshals if you’re going to rely so heavily on AI decision making? What the British armed forces need is teeth.
But surely Artificial Teeth have been around for decades 😁?