Ukraine announces its first tender for UGVs based on technical specifications set by the Defence Ministry

The Defence Procurement Agency (DPA) has announced its first-ever tender for UGVs based on tactical and technical specifications defined by the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine. The procurement covers two types of ground robotic platforms: logistics systems designed for supply delivery and casualty evacuation, alongside strike systems engineered for the single-use engagement of designated targets.

UGVs will be acquired based on compliance with established technical specifications rather than specific models or manufacturer designations, according to the announcement. The platforms must be capable of operating at tactical depth across rough terrain, enabling remote control and transmitting video and telemetry back to the operator.

The UGVs will be categorised into classes according to minimum requirements for operational range and payload capacity. Each class will comprise four to five distinct lots.

The procurement process will also incorporate a market diversification mechanism: a single participant can be awarded no more than 50% of the total procurement volume within a given class. According to Deputy Defence Minister Mstyslav Banik, this approach is designed to enable multiple manufacturers to participate in system supply and foster healthy competition among them.

The procurement will be conducted in a secure, classified environment to meet operational security requirements and protect information about participants and defence contractors. Following the competitive procedure, DOT will select the winning bidders and conclude supply contracts for ground robotic systems destined for the Security and Defence Forces of Ukraine.

Requirements for participants

Eligible participants include manufacturers and suppliers whose products comply with established technical specifications and who possess the requisite manufacturing capabilities to fulfill state orders. A mandatory prerequisite is to hold at least one codified product in the UGV category.

To enter the procedure, applicants must contact the Agency via its official email address at official@dot.gov.ua, providing the legal entity’s name, EDRPOU registration code, contact telephone number, and the designated email for correspondence.

Upon completing verification and validation, participants will receive the technical specifications, a checklist of required documentation, and step-by-step instructions for participation. Manufacturers that have already undergone DPA DOT verification are exempt from repeating this stage and instead receive direct requests for commercial proposals.

DPA has previously initiated procurements aligned with tactical and technical specifications defined by the Ministry of Defence. Specifically, the Agency launched tenders for deep-strike UAVs and fibre-optic FPV drones. As with the UGV tenders, these requirements centre on platform performance characteristics rather than specific manufacturers or models.