Section one: Contracting authority/entity
one.1) Name, addresses and contact point(s)
Ministry of Defence
Maritime Electronic Warfare Team (MEWT), Ash 2b, Abbey Wood
Bristol
BS34 8JH
For the attention of
Andy Kitchen
Email(s)
Country
United Kingdom
Internet address(es)
General address of the contracting authority/entity
https://www.contracts.mod.uk/go/783750650181D431AF2F
Electronic access to information
https://www.contracts.mod.uk/go/783750650181D431AF2F
Electronic submission of tenders and requests to participate
https://www.contracts.mod.uk/go/783750650181D431AF2F
Further information
Further information can be obtained from the above mentioned contact point(s)
Specifications and additional documents (including documents for competitive dialogue and a dynamic purchasing system) can be obtained from
The above-mentioned contact point(s)
Tenders or requests to participate must be sent to
The above-mentioned contact point(s)
one.2) Type of the contracting authority
Ministry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local subdivisions
one.3) Main activity
Defence
one.4) Contract award on behalf of other contracting authorities/entities
The contracting authority is purchasing on behalf of other contracting authorities:
No
Section two: Object of the contract
two.1) Description
two.1.1) Title attributed to the contract by the contracting authority
Maritime Command & Staff Trainer (MCAST)
two.1.2) Type of contract and location of works, place of delivery or of performance
Services
Service category No 3: Defence services, military defence services and civil defence services
Main site or location of works, place of delivery or of performance
Portsmouth Naval Estate, Portsmouth, UK
NUTS code
- UK - United Kingdom
two.1.5) Short description of the contract or purchase(s)
The purpose of this Contract Notice is to invite potential and interested suppliers to formally express interest in participating in this procurement by completing a DPQQ found on the Defence Sourcing Portal (DSP) linked to this Notice.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is considering the procurement of a Maritime Command and Staff Trainer (MCAST). The scope of the contract will include a full support solution including workforce to support the planning, execution, After-Action Review (AAR) and enable phases of the training cycle.
The Cyber Risk Assessment code is RAR-593027908 and has been rated as HIGH Risk.
It is noted that this procurement is exempt from the Defence and Security Public Contract Regulations (DSPCR) 2011, on grounds of National Security under Regulation 7(1)(a) of the DSPCR. Although the procurement will be managed using the principles of DSPCR 2011.
two.1.6) Common procurement vocabulary (CPV)
- 80610000 - Training and simulation in security equipment
Additional CPV code(s)
- 35740000 - Battle simulators
two.1.7) Information about subcontracting
The tenderer has to indicate in the tender any share of the contract it may intend to subcontract to third parties and any proposed subcontractor, as well as the subject-matter of the subcontracts for which they are proposed
two.1.8) Lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.2) Quantity or scope of the contract
two.2.1) Total quantity or scope
The purpose of this Contract Notice is to invite potential and interested suppliers to formally express interest in participating in this procurement by completing a DPQQ found on the Defence Sourcing Portal (DSP) linked to this Notice.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is considering the procurement of a Maritime Command and Staff Trainer (MCAST). The scope of the contract will include a full support solution including workforce to support the planning, execution, After-Action Review (AAR) and enable phases of the training cycle.
The MCAST System will provide a virtual environment for Maritime Battlestaffs (MBS) Tier 1, 2 and 2+ training and assurance exercises. The MCAST System should also provide interface to MBS participation in Tier 3 exercises run by other organisations with the potential to stretch to join Tier 4 exercises. At a lower level MCAST might be exploited for specific Tier 1 training delivered to the MBS or sub-teams.
The intent is for MCAST to be capable of linking to the wider Defence synthetic training environments. Compliance with Defence Modelling and Simulation Coherence (DMaSC) principles, as defined in JSP 939, will enhance coherence and interoperability, enable efficiencies, and facilitate integration with other synthetic environments. Links to NATO, other international partners and, potentially, component level organisations are expected to follow.
The simulated environment is to represent task force movements and the locations and movements of opposing forces and neutral entities within a realistic simulated environment. The training audience are working via mission orders and operational plans and staff will work to manage the task group operations, rather than an individual unit. First person views and high-fidelity, fast-moving graphics are not required. However, video, audio and imagery feeds to simulate sensors on platforms will be fed into the scenario. The simulation shall present entities that react to the actions of the training audience in a realistic manner. Entities will be represented by NATO symbology and recognised operational pictures.
The exercise data needs to be recorded and played back at different speeds to enable after action review. All Exercise data is required to be delivered to the Authority to enable future Exercise and scenario generation. Libraries of data supporting the Exercises are to be gathered and managed to reduce planning and development duplication. All Exercise data shall become the intellectual property of the Authority.
MCAST will provide and manage a suite of planning, exercise, after action review and recording software tools to reduce typically required workforce for training exercises. We expect MCAST to endeavour to provide efficiencies and reductions in workload wherever possible and to iteratively develop these support solutions.
MCAST will be expected to be a location agnostic solution taking advantage of modern software techniques and standards to provide a deployable service which can be used by the Navy wherever it is required.
To meet these requirements MCAST will be procured as a full support solution including workforce to support the planning, execution, AAR and enable phases of the training cycle. There will be minimal Royal Navy (RN) augmentation to training or management staff. We expect the service to include provision of personnel and equipment as required with no software or hardware required to be delivered into Service with the RN and no maintenance should be carried out by Authority personnel.
The MCAST service is a 5-year contract with 2 additional option years to deliver approx. 72 exercise days each year in accordance with the Statement of Training Requirement (SOTR).
The Cyber Risk Assessment code is RAR-593027908 and has been rated as HIGH Risk.
Estimated value excluding VAT:
Range: between £25,000,000 and £40,000,000
two.2.2) Information about options
Options: Yes
Description of these options: It is anticipated the initial contract duration shall run for 5 years from November 2023 until November 2028.
The Authority shall have irrevocable options to extend the contract by a further 2 x 1 year until November 2030.
The estimated contract value range provided includes the provision of these options.
Section three. Legal, economic, financial and technical information
three.1) Conditions relating to the contract
three.1.4) Other particular conditions to which the performance of the contract is subject, in particular with regard to security of supply and security of information
The successful Contractor (and sub-contractors where required by sub-contractor performance) must be able to process, store and transmit classified information at Secret: UK Eyes Only (SUKEO).
three.2) Conditions for participation
three.2.1) Personal situation
Criteria regarding the personal situation of economic operators (that may lead to their exclusion) including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers
Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: Suppliers Instructions How to Express Interest in this Tender:
1. Register your company on the eSourcing portal (this is only required once)
- Browse to the eSourcing Portal
- Click the “Click here to register” link
- Accept the terms and conditions and click “continue”
- Enter your correct business and user details
- Note the username you chose and click “Save” when complete
- You will shortly receive an email with your unique password (please keep this secure)
2. Express an Interest in the tender
- Login to the portal with the username/password
- Click the "PQQs Open to All Suppliers" link. (These are Pre-Qualification Questionnaires open to any registered supplier)
- Click on the relevant PQQ to access the content.
- Click the “Express Interest” button in the “Actions” box on the left-hand side of the page.
- This will move the PQQ into your “My PQQs” page. (This is a secure area reserved for your projects only)
- Click on the PQQ code, you can now access any attachments by clicking the “Settings and Buyer Attachments” in the “Actions” box
3. Responding to the tender
- You can now choose to “Reply” or “Reject” (please give a reason if rejecting)
- You can now use the ‘Messages’ function to communicate with the buyer and seek any clarification
- Note the deadline for completion, then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the PQQ
- There may be a mixture of online & offline actions for you to perform (there is detailed online help available)
If you require any further assistance please consult the online help, or contact the eTendering help desk.
Criteria regarding the personal situation of subcontractors (that may lead to their rejection) including requirements relating to enrolment on professional or trade registers
Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: Suppliers Instructions How to Express Interest in this Tender:
1. Register your company on the eSourcing portal (this is only required once)
- Browse to the eSourcing Portal
- Click the “Click here to register” link
- Accept the terms and conditions and click “continue”
- Enter your correct business and user details
- Note the username you chose and click “Save” when complete
- You will shortly receive an email with your unique password (please keep this secure)
2. Express an Interest in the tender
- Login to the portal with the username/password
- Click the "PQQs Open to All Suppliers" link. (These are Pre-Qualification Questionnaires open to any registered supplier)
- Click on the relevant PQQ to access the content.
- Click the “Express Interest” button in the “Actions” box on the left-hand side of the page.
- This will move the PQQ into your “My PQQs” page. (This is a secure area reserved for your projects only)
- Click on the PQQ code, you can now access any attachments by clicking the “Settings and Buyer Attachments” in the “Actions” box
3. Responding to the tender
- You can now choose to “Reply” or “Reject” (please give a reason if rejecting)
- You can now use the ‘Messages’ function to communicate with the buyer and seek any clarification
- Note the deadline for completion, then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the PQQ
- There may be a mixture of online & offline actions for you to perform (there is detailed online help available)
If you require any further assistance please consult the online help, or contact the eTendering help desk.
three.2.2) Economic and financial ability
Criteria regarding the economic and financial standing of economic operators (that may lead to their exclusion)
Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: As set out in the DPQQ and associated documents.
three.2.3) Technical and/or professional capacity
Criteria regarding the technical and/or professional ability of economic operators (that may lead to their exclusion)
Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: As set out in the DPQQ and associated documents.
Section four: Procedure
four.1) Type of procedure
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Negotiated
four.1.2) Limitations on the number of operators who will be invited to tender or to participate
Envisaged number of operators: 5
four.1.3) Reduction of the number of operators during the negotiation or dialogue
Recourse to staged procedure to gradually reduce the number of solutions to be discussed or tenders to be negotiated: yes
four.2) Award criteria
four.2.1) Award criteria
the criteria stated in the specifications, in the invitation to tender or to negotiate or in the descriptive document
four.2.2) Information about electronic auction
An electronic auction has been used: no
four.3) Administrative information
four.3.2) Previous publication(s) concerning the same contract
Prior information notice
Notice number: 2022/S 000-009065 of 5 April 2022
four.3.3) Conditions for obtaining specifications and additional documents or descriptive document
Time limit for receipt of requests for documents or for accessing documents: 5 August 2022 - 5:00pm
four.3.4) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
5 August 2022 - 5:00pm
four.3.5) Date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates
16 December 2022
four.3.6) Language(s) in which tenders or requests to participate may be drawn up
English
Section six: Complementary information
six.2) Information about European Union funds
The contract is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
six.3) Additional information
Any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement. The Authority reserves the right to amend any condition related to security of information to reflect any changes in national law or government policy. If any contract documents are accompanied by instructions on safeguarding classified information (e.g. a Security Aspects Letter), the Authority reserves the right to amend the terms of these instructions to reflect any changes in national law or government policy, whether in respect of the applicable protective marking scheme, specific protective markings given, the aspects to which any protective marking applies, or otherwise. The link below to the Gov.uk website provides information on the Government Security Classification
The selected supplier may be required to actively participate in the achievement of social and/or environmental objectives. Accordingly, contract performance conditions may relate in particular to social, environmental or other corporate social responsibility considerations.
All discussions and correspondence will be deemed strictly subject to contract until a formal contract is entered into. The formal contract shall not be binding until it has been signed and dated by the duly authorised representatives of both parties subject to a sufficient number of satisfactory responses being received.
MOD reserves the right to require parent company guarantees or other forms of security.
In line with Government policy, the Authority is keen to promote and achieve social value benefits through its commercial activities. Accordingly, social value will account for at least 10% of the tender evaluation criteria. Details of how the Authority intends to incorporate social value in this procurement process, whether as part of the tender evaluation process and/or the contractual requirements, will be set out in the ITN.
six.4) Procedures for appeal
six.4.1) Body responsible for appeal procedures
Royal Courts of Justice
London
Country
United Kingdom