29 September 2026

ATNS Seeks Supplier for New Communications, Navigation and Surveillance Planning Tool

Edited by:

African Pilot Newsdesk

Why this article matters
ATNS is replacing the software it has used since the 2009/2010 financial year to model and predict the coverage of its communications, navigation and surveillance network, with simulation required across the full estate from HF and VHF to ILS, CVOR/DVOR, DME, primary and secondary radar, WAM and ADS-B. With ten years of support attached, the tool chosen in this round will carry ATNS’s coverage planning for the next decade, and proposals close on 27 October 2026.

Of Interest
ATNS has issued a request for proposals for a new CNS planning tool.

The scope covers supply, delivery, installation and commissioning, with ten years of maintenance and technical support.

It replaces a planning system acquired in the 2009/2010 financial year.

Simulation must cover VHF and HF, ILS, CVOR and DVOR, DME, VDF, PSR and SSR, WAM and ADS-B.

Obstacle assessment must include buildings, telecommunications masts, power lines and wind farms.

ATNS specifies a planning-tool confidence level exceeding 98%.

Bidders must reach a minimum functionality score of 75% to proceed to a system demonstration.

Training is required for a minimum of 12 ATNS personnel at the head office.

Proposals close on 27 October 2026 at 11h00 Central African Time.

South Africa’s Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) has issued a request for proposals for the supply, delivery, installation and commissioning of a new Communications, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) planning tool, together with ten years of maintenance and technical support.

The procurement is intended to replace ATNS’s existing planning system, acquired during the 2009/2010 financial year, with a solution capable of simulating and predicting the coverage and performance of aviation communication, navigation and surveillance infrastructure, including signal propagation analysis, interference assessment, coverage prediction and the evaluation of obstacles.

The required simulation capabilities cover VHF and HF communication systems; instrument landing systems (ILS); conventional and Doppler VHF omnidirectional radio ranges (CVOR and DVOR); distance measuring equipment (DME); VHF direction finding (VDF); primary and secondary surveillance radar (PSR and SSR); wide area multilateration (WAM); and automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B). The tool must also support microwave links and mobile communication technologies, electromagnetic interference and compatibility analysis, signal multipath prediction, and the assessment of obstacles including buildings, telecommunications masts, power lines and wind farms.

The geographical information system component must incorporate terrain, satellite and hybrid mapping data with support for South African and wider African datasets, and must import digital terrain models, GeoTIFF files and South African Obstacle File data. ATNS specifies a planning-tool confidence level exceeding 98% and calls for an established, preferably commercial off-the-shelf solution already in use by air navigation service providers or telecommunications service providers.

The contract includes training for a minimum of 12 ATNS personnel at the Authority’s head office, a ten-year maintenance and support arrangement covering software assurance, upgrades, enhancements, bug fixes and technical assistance, provision for hardware upgrades or replacement, and a one-year warranty commencing after ATNS formally accepts the system.

The closing date for proposals is 27 October 2026 at 11h00 Central African Time. Submissions may be made through the National Treasury e-Submission system or delivered physically to ATNS at Eastgate Office Park, Block C, Bruma, South Africa.