RC Fornax PLC (AIM:RCFX), the engineering consultancy focused on defence projects, has secured a new UK public sector client after winning a competitive tender worth about £370,000.
The deal marks the company’s first major success in a public sector bidding process and places it as lead contractor on the programme.
RCF will head a consortium of specialist small businesses and academic groups from the UK and Europe, acting as the main integrator responsible for pulling together the various technical components.
The company said the framework structure of the award could open the door to further work, as many public sector frameworks allow for additional projects to be commissioned without repeating a full tender.
The client has not been named, but the work sits within the UK’s space sector, an area of growing investment as government bodies expand satellite and orbital capabilities.
RCF said it would retain full ownership of the intellectual property developed during the project, giving it the option to license or commercialise the technology beyond the initial engagement.
Paul Reeves, the chief executive, said: “This marks RC Fornax's first major success with a public sector tender and represents an important milestone in our development.”
He added that each successful bid helped build credibility: “Bid participation is as much about building a reputation for quality delivery as it is about technical capability.”
Reeves said the contract also strengthened the company’s position as an SME integrator and supported its efforts to develop early-career engineering talent.