Guidance

How to sell to or work with Dstl

How suppliers from industry and academia can work with the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl).

From:
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory
Published
1 July 2014
Last updated
26 January 2026 — See all updates

The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) works with a range of suppliers to provide science and technology expertise, insights and solutions to protect the UK’s security and advance the UK’s defence interests.

Explore our capabilities and examples of our work, from high-powered lasers to operational analysis.

Who we work with

We engage external suppliers to carry out all work unless there’s a clear reason for Dstl to do or lead it: see our criteria for science and technology procurement.

Dstl welcomes suppliers of all types: industry, academia, research centres and other parts of the Ministry of Defence (MOD). We also collaborate with other public sector bodies and partners across government. Suppliers can be any size, including start-ups, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and consortia, and they don’t have to have worked with Dstl, the MOD or in the defence sector before.

Work with Dstl

Benefits of working with Dstl

When you work with us, you will:

  • benefit from increased funding for defence
  • test and improve concepts with input from members of the armed forces
  • gain access to state-of-the-art facilities for development and testing
  • work with top scientists and technologists at the cutting edge of innovation
  • benefit from the experience and expertise of other Dstl supply partners
  • retain intellectual property rights, boosting longer-term prosperity
  • be paid promptly for your work
  • have a real impact on improving the UK’s security and defence

The Power of Partnerships

How to sell to or work with us

Recent changes to public sector procurement

Changes to public sector procurement came into effect on February 2025. If you want to work with us, make sure you know about the Procurement Act 2023 changes and the additional guidance for defence and security contracts.

Find opportunities to sell to or work with us

Dstl advertises all requirements on a number of portals.

Defence Sourcing Portal

Use the Defence Sourcing Portal (DSP) to find all Dstl and MOD’s advertised requirements. Access and registration is free and you can set up tailored notifications to be alerted to new opportunities.

Contracts Finder

Search Contracts Finder for contracts valued over £12,000 including VAT. It includes opportunities within government departments and public bodies. Access is free.

Find a Tender

Use the UK Government’s central Find a Tender service to search and apply for high value contracts in the UK’s public and utilities sectors. High value contracts are usually above £139,688 including VAT.

Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) occasionally runs funding opportunities on our behalf. They are advertised on the same portals.

R-Cloud

R-Cloud is now the main place that Dstl opportunities to bid for work are being made available, including PhD funding. You can sign up and create an account at any time and registration is completely free.

R-Cloud is a dynamic system that matches suppliers’ capabilities and skills to our requirements. If matched to a requirement, we will invite suppliers to express their interest in the opportunity and take part in a competitive tender process. This all happens within the R-Cloud portal.

If you’re interested in working with Dstl, register on R-Cloud and create a supplier account.

You can either sell directly to us, or be part of the wider Dstl supply chain, working with other Dstl suppliers.

Sell directly to Dstl

We follow MOD’s procurement process but Dstl do not currently use MOD’s contracting, purchasing and finance (CP and F) system.

Dstl does not operate preferred supplier lists.

How open competition works

The following will usually happen:

  1. We advertise our requirements.
  2. Suppliers provide an expression of interest and complete a pre-qualification questionnaire (the pre-qualification stage can be skipped for certain requirements).
  3. If suppliers meet the pre-qualification selection criteria, we invite them to tender.
  4. We evaluate tenders using pre-agreed, objective assessment criteria, and also take account of social value in our evaluations.
  5. We choose a supplier or suppliers based on this assessment.
  6. We award the contract to the successful bidder and give feedback to all suppliers who want it.

Our contract notices make it clear when opportunities are suitable for consortia to tender. For example, smaller companies can collaborate with other SMEs to meet the requirements.

Be part of Dstl’s supply chain: work with our supply partners

Dstl  has science and technology (S&T) framework agreements for use across Defence and wider government. If you are a supplier interested in working in an area supported by these frameworks, contact the framework Prime Contractor.

Our current frameworks are:

Other frameworks and routes to market

We occasionally use other public sector routes to market and frameworks such as: 

For capital works and construction projects we typically use:

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) delivers our hard and soft facilities management.

Low value purchases (below £10,000)

Requirements below £10,000 are often one-off projects. These are procured or bought in accordance with Dstl’s policy for low value purchasing.

We expect all suppliers to:

Dstl reserves the right to exclude a supplier who has been convicted of any of the offences or misconduct listed in either the MOD or Dstl ’statement relating to good standing’.

Freedom of Information

If you are awarded a public sector contract (including any we advertise), the details of your contract might be published under transparency regulations. The criteria for redactions will be in line with the exemptions set out by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). We will assess applications with suppliers.

Intellectual property

We protect our partners’ intellectual property (IP), but we reserve the right for UK government to use the results of research and development it has funded.

Working internationally

The National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) have produced some guidance to raise awareness of risks associated with working internationally:

If your defence work includes trading with the US, your company should join the Authorised User Community to benefit from streamlined export processes.

Help for SMEs

Dstl’s Searchlight programme supports small and medium-sized enterprises as defined by the Procurement Act 2023 to work with defence on science and technology research and defence.

Sign up for webinars to find out more about opportunities and how to bid for work.

Specific guidance for SMEs is provided by the MOD Office for Small Business Growth.

Contact us

Dstl are always keen to engage with new suppliers including those that have not worked with Defence before. If you’re interested in working with us, you can:

Further information and support

Information for prospective suppliers is also available through MOD, the Home Office Joint Security and Resilience Centre (JSaRC) and the UKDSE Export Faculty which offers information, export advice, and support for UK business in the defence, security and cyber security sectors.

Updates to this page

Published 1 July 2014
Last updated 26 January 2026 show all updates

  1. Updated with latest advice on how to work with Dstl.

  2. Review and update of page content.

  3. Next Searchlight webinar 2 June 2025 at 2pm. Register online.

  4. Added new information for supplying our infrastructure.

  5. Added link to additional guidance for defence and security contracts relating to the Procurement Act 2023.

  6. Removed links to Cabinet Office procurement webinars as these dates have now passed.

  7. Added links to information for suppliers about changes to public procurement from 24 February 2025.

  8. Removed link to registering for webinar on the Procurement Act 2024 on 1 February 2024.

  9. Added link for registering to attend the webinar on the Procurement Act on 1 February 2024.

  10. Added link to a recently published series of Knowledge Drop guidance which provides an overview of the Procurement Act 2023. Aimed at: suppliers who deliver contracts to the UK public, utilities and defence sectors, who take part in competitive procurements or have delivered contracts under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016, the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011, and the Concession Contracts Regulations 2016, or new entrants who would like to do so in the future.

  11. Added link for pre-registration of Searchlight Science & Technology Solutions Showcase event.

  12. Separated sign-up mechanism for new suppliers from survey for existing suppliers, following feedback.

  13. New security guidance for selling to or working with Dstl

  14. Added link to Defence Science and Technology collaboration and engagement strategy, and added link to Dstl supplier registration survey.

  15. R-Cloud is now available again after a period of maintenance.

  16. Added details of new webinar briefing industry on Dstl's new commercial approach, and a notice that R-Cloud is currently not available for a period of 3 to 4 weeks while we carry out maintenance.

  17. Added link to latest series of webinars for suppliers.

  18. Updated Dstl Capability and Framework Guide and 'How you can sell to or work with us' section, and added link to MOD acquisition pipeline.

  19. Added new 'Work with Dstl' video and link to new MOD Science and Technology Portfolio.

  20. Added link to register for Supercharging Science 2022, a free MOD science and technology summit for industry and academia.

  21. Added details of forthcoming webinars.

  22. Updated Dstl Capability and Framework Guide.

  23. Updated links to S&T procurement framework information, under the heading 'Be part of the wider Dstl supply chain'.

  24. Updated Dstl Capability and Framework Guide.

  25. Fully updated guide including expectations for suppliers and how to find opportunities.

  26. Updated sections on transparency and engaging with small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

  27. Updated Framework and Capabilities.

  28. Updated frameworks and capabilities

  29. Updated guidance added

  30. Addition of information of SME Searchlight initiative

  31. Added a new academic alliance

  32. A web link edit.

  33. Description and length of term amended on University Defence Research Collaboration (UDRC) in Signal Processing.

  34. Added a new open call for the University Defence Research Collaboration in signal processing

  35. Removed MURI (Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative) from list of ways to work with us, as none are currently planned.

  36. Added Serapis details.

  37. Updating CDE with the Defence and Security Accelerator following organisational change

  38. Added information and link for the Dstl Synthetic Environment Tower of Excellence (SE Tower).

  39. Added details of the US DoD Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) programme.

  40. Added information about Easy Access IP.

  41. First published.

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