Section one: Contracting authority/entity
one.1) Name and addresses
Ministry of Defence
#3016 Ash0C NH3, MoD Abbey Wood, Bristol
Bristol
BS34 8JH
Contact
Jack Barber
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
UKK11 - Bristol, City of
Internet address(es)
Main address
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Ministry or any other national or federal authority
one.5) Main activity
Defence
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
MHC Procurement of TSC2002 IFF System & Associated Equipment - Amendment 1 - VTN
Reference number
701162380
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 35512400 - Unmanned underwater vehicles
two.1.3) Type of contract
Supplies
two.1.4) Short description
Procurement of TSC2002 IFF System & Associated Equipment
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
Value excluding VAT: £123,075
two.2) Description
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKJ28 - West Sussex (North East)
Main site or place of performance
Manor Royal, Crawley, UK
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
1 x TSC2002 IFF Transponder Unit and Associated Equipment
two.2.5) Award criteria
Price
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: No
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Negotiated procedure without publication of a contract notice
- The products involved are manufactured purely for the purpose of research, experiment, study or development
- The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason:
- absence of competition for technical reasons
Explanation:
In accordance with regulation 4 of The Defence and Security Public Contracts (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (SI 2019/697) this procurement falls to be regulated under the provisions of the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations (DSPCR) 2011 as amended (in particular by SI 2019/697 and SI 2020/1450). It is considered that the award of the contract without prior publication of a contract notice in the UK e-notification service (in accordance with the relevant legislation) is lawful in accordance with regulation 16(1)(a)(ii) of the DSPCR 2011 for technical reasons.
The Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), Thales UK and its parent company TDMS France are the only company which can supply the TSC2002 IFF equipment. This specific model of IFF is required to be issued by the Authority to TDMS France as GFE, as an element of the current phase of the joint UK/French Maritime Mine Countermeasures (MMCM) Contract.
The MMCM Programme is a collaborative contract between the UK and French Governments with Thales DMS France, for the design and manufacture of the next generation of autonomous underwater mine hunting capability. The Agreement stems from, and forms part of, the Lancaster House Agreement made between the UK and French nations and is based upon the idea of co-operation and collaboration between the two nations and their capabilities within this area.
The integration of the Thales UK TSC2002 is critical to ensure that the UK system has commonality, compatibility and interoperability with the French system, which is to include an identical type of IFF.
There is a strict technical impracticality for any other economic operator to undertake the work required within this proposed contract as the specific model of IFF system is proprietary to Thales UK and its parent company TDMS France. This specific model of IFF system is necessary for interoperability, compatibility and commonality purposes, in order to ensure successful testing and integration into the UK/French MMCM systems. Both the UK and French MMCM systems have been designed to use identical IFF models, in order to ensure their ability to communicate effectively and function interoperably, and so that the interface between the two systems can be maximised. The requirement for interoperability is contingent on Thales’ specific expertise of their system, and on this basis the use of an alternative supplier or equipment is not viable as they would not allow the same level of compatibility. Failure to provide the TSC2002 model of IFF would impact upon the upcoming production phase of the MMCM systems, which have been designed around the integration and use of this specific IFF system. The integration and use of alternative models of IFF systems would not be possible without significant redesign of the overall system, along with a change to the common Training DLOD and Support DLOD.
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: No
Section five. Award of contract/concession
Contract No
701162380
Title
MHC Procurement of TSC2002 IFF System and Associated Equipment
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract/concession
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
24 February 2022
five.2.2) Information about tenders
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor/concessionaire
Thales UK Limited
Thales UK, Manor Royal, Crawley
Crawley
RH10 9HA
crawley.reception@uk.thalesgroup.com
Telephone
+44 1293581000
Country
United Kingdom
NUTS code
- UKJ28 - West Sussex (North East)
Internet address
The contractor/concessionaire is an SME
No
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot/concession (excluding VAT)
Total value of the contract/lot/concession: £123,075
five.2.5) Information about subcontracting
The contract/lot/concession is likely to be subcontracted
Section six. Complementary information
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
Ministry of Defence, Ships, Mine and Hydrographic Capability
MOD Abbey Wood, Bristol
Bristol
BS34 8JH
Country
United Kingdom
six.4.2) Body responsible for mediation procedures
Ministry of Defence, Ships, Mine and Hydrographic Capability
MOD Abbey Wood, Bristol
Bristol
BS34 8JH
Country
United Kingdom