Opportunity

Project TAMPA - Additive Manufacturing as a Service Challenge

  • Ministry of Defence

F17: Contract notice for contracts in the field of defence and security

Notice reference: 2022/S 000-026083

Published 16 September 2022, 3:15pm



Section one: Contracting authority/entity

one.1) Name, addresses and contact point(s)

Ministry of Defence

DES FCG-Commercial, Future Capabilities Group, Spruce 2B, MOD Abbey Wood

Bristol

BS34 8JH

Contact

Bethany Gold

For the attention of

Gold Bethany

Email(s)

Bethany.Gold100@mod.gov.uk

Country

United Kingdom

Internet address(es)

General address of the contracting authority/entity

www.GOV.UK

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

Project TAMPA - Additive Manufacturing as a Service Challenge

two.1.2) Type of contract and location of works, place of delivery or of performance

Services

Service category No 14: Research and development services and evaluation tests

NUTS code

  • UK - United Kingdom

two.1.3) Information on framework agreement

The notice involves the establishment of a framework agreement

two.1.4) Information on framework agreement

Framework agreement with several operators

Duration of the framework agreement

Duration in years: 7

Estimated total value of purchases for the entire duration of the framework agreement

Estimated value excluding VAT:

Range: between £3,000,000 and £5,000,000

two.1.5) Short description of the contract or purchase(s)

Additive Manufacturing (AdM), also known as 3D printing, is a range of manufacturing technologies that enable the creation of lighter, stronger parts and systems. It has the potential to address significant issues within Defence such as excessive lead times for Defence inventory and manufacture of obsolete/obsolescent parts to improve platform availability. A Prior Information Notice (PIN) was published on 11/04/2022 to inform the market of an upcoming Framework Agreement opportunity under the Reference Number 703280451, titled ‘Metal Additive Manufacturing as a Service Challenge’. This Project will now be known as ‘Project TAMPA –Additive Manufacturing as a Service Challenge’ under the new Reference Number of this Opportunity Listing.

The Authority wishes to enter into a multi-supplier Framework Arrangement for accelerating the maturity of Additive Manufacturing technology to better exploit the technology within the end-to-end support chain, deliver a more agile response to demand for parts, and begin to generate the inherent efficiencies that this technology promises. The Authority intends to seek bids for limited innovation funding to conduct spiral development tasks under the new Framework; spiral tasks will be awarded via mini-competition between Framework participants (the Authority may choose to include the first task with the Framework Invitation to Tender). The Authority currently estimates the Framework value between £3M - 5M, duration of 2 - 7 years (further funding in the later Option years (up to the max 7 yrs) may be considered). It is recognised that the funding available from the Authority needs to be underpinned by a level of investment from suppliers in order to realise the advantages of this technology.

The Authority also requires that suppliers wishing to apply for this Opportunity must already have one or more extant equipment/platform support contracts in place with the Ministry of Defence to provide military spares under NSN; the supply of spare parts must be capable of benefitting from Metal Additive Manufacturing technology. The support contracts already in place with potential suppliers for this Opportunity must be extant for a minimum period of 2 years following the intended award date of the Framework. If these extant support contracts expire without replacement then the supplier may stay on the Framework but may not be invited to take part in any mini-competitions where the existence of the support contract is a pre-requisite: they may however still take part in other Framework activities, eg working groups.

The rationale for restricting award of a Framework place to those Suppliers who already have an equipment/ platform support contract in place is that these Suppliers will:

• understand the challenges associated with part provision for these equipment/platform(s);

• will be familiar with the underlying processes and procedures associated with certification, quality control and inventory management

• will be familiar with the MOD community associated with the equipment/platform(s)

• have access to the design rights with the equipment/platform(s)

• already have channels set up to supply and install spares on military platforms

• either have in-house additive manufacturing facilities, have established relationships with additive manufacturing technology suppliers, or be willing to enter into such collaborative arrangements.

• be security cleared for involvement with the supply of spares for particular equipments/platform(s)

The Cyber Risk Profile for this requirement identified by the Cyber Risk Assessment is NOT APPLICABLE.

Additional Information:

It is intended that the multi-supplier Framework benefits/outcomes will include, but may not be limited to:

• Initially produce certified metallic parts for the Defence Inventory, for which the print files are transmissible over the Defence infrastructure;

• Collect and share learning with the Authority and collaborative MOD/ industry working groups regarding the process to fit the parts onto In-Service platform/equipments (conducted under extant support contracts with the Authority);

• Facilitate collaborative working to generate the underlying processes that will enable rapid scaling across further ranges of inventory and materials;

• Achieve Industry, DE&S and FLC engagement, increased interest and commitment regarding the use of Additive Manufacturing within the UK Defence Supply Chain.

The rationale for focusing initially on metallic parts is two-fold:

• It is the lack of availability of metallic parts of the inventory that is currently affecting equipment/ platform availability;

• It reduces the needs associated with certification.

The Authority anticipates that an initial task (Spiral 1) under the new Framework will produce a non-safety critical metallic NSN. This will be followed by a series of further spirals that will seek to incrementally address increasing degrees of complexity.

The spiral tasks envisaged by the Authority are set out below (these will be subject to individual approvals and are indicative only at this stage):

• Spiral 2 - a safety critical metallic NSN, produced in the Industrial base, certified by the producer (OEM or under licence).

• Spiral 3 - a non-safety critical metallic (or polymer) NSN, produced in a location remote from the Industrial base, certified by the producer

• Spiral 4a - a safety critical metallic (or polymer) NSN, produced in a location remote from the industrial base, certified by the producer

• Spiral 4b - a non-safety critical metallic (or polymer) NSN, produced in a location remote from the Industrial base, certified by the producer and where access to Design Rights is required.

This competition is subject to the DSPCR 2011 Restricted Procedure. To establish a list of suppliers to be taken forward to ITT, it is the Authority’s intention, through this PQQ and Contract Notice, to source interest from and screen the capability of the industrial supply base. Participation at the next stage (Invitation to Tender (ITT)) will be subject to successfully passing the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) released with this Contract Notice. There is no intention to limit by number the suppliers who can be taken forward to the Invitation to Tender stage as this will be for joining a multi-supplier Framework; however potential applicants are advised that their PQQ responses will be evaluated on the basis of their ability to meet all the technical criteria and those not meeting the minimum criteria will not be taken forward to receive an Invitation to Tender.

The Authority intends to re-open the Framework on a maximum twice-yearly basis for additional suppliers to join, via the same competitive process and under the same Framework terms and conditions.

two.1.6) Common procurement vocabulary (CPV)

  • 73410000 - Military research and technology

Additional CPV code(s)

  • 35422000 - Electronic and electrical spare parts for military vehicles
  • 35611400 - Military transport aircrafts
  • 35612300 - Support helicopters
  • 35612400 - Military transport helicopters
  • 35631100 - Communication satellites
  • 35631200 - Observation satellites
  • 35631300 - Navigation satellites
  • 35641100 - Engines and engine parts for military aerospace equipment
  • 35642000 - Electronic and electrical spare parts for military aerospace equipment
  • 35811300 - Military uniforms
  • 35813100 - Helmet covers
  • 50111110 - Vehicle-fleet-support services
  • 50610000 - Repair and maintenance services of security equipment
  • 50620000 - Repair and maintenance services of firearms and ammunition
  • 50630000 - Repair and maintenance services of military vehicles
  • 50640000 - Repair and maintenance services of warships
  • 50650000 - Repair and maintenance services of military aircrafts, missiles and spacecrafts
  • 50660000 - Repair and maintenance services of military electronic systems
  • 73421000 - Development of security equipment
  • 73422000 - Development of firearms and ammunition
  • 73423000 - Development of military vehicles
  • 73425000 - Development of military aircrafts, missiles and spacecrafts
  • 73426000 - Development of military electronic systems
  • 73431000 - Test and evaluation of security equipment
  • 73432000 - Test and evaluation of firearms and ammunition
  • 73433000 - Test and evaluation of military vehicles
  • 73434000 - Test and evaluation of warships
  • 73435000 - Test and evaluation of military aircrafts, missiles and spacecrafts
  • 73436000 - Test and evaluation of military electronic systems
  • 75221000 - Military defence services
  • 98362100 - Marine-base support services

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

The tenderer has to indicate any change occurring at the level of subcontractors during the execution of the contract

two.1.8) Lots

This contract is divided into lots: No

two.1.9) Information about variants

Variants will be accepted: Yes

two.2) Quantity or scope of the contract

two.2.1) Total quantity or scope

The Framework will last for initially 2 years and will be subject to further Options for years 3 up to 7. The Framework is intended to be re-opened on a maximum twice-yearly basis for other suppliers to join, via the same competitive process and under the same Framework terms and conditions..

Estimated value excluding VAT:

Range: between £3,000,000 and £5,000,000

two.2.2) Information about options

Options: Yes

Description of these options: Years 3 to 7 of the Framework will be subject to Options.

Provisional timetable for recourse to these options:

In months: 12 (from the award of the contract)

two.2.3) Information about renewals

This contract is subject to renewal: Yes

two.3) Duration of the contract or time limit for completion

Duration in months: 84 (from the award of the contract)


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

See PQQ

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: Suppliers must already have an existing MOD equipment/platform support contract in place.

See also PQQ

Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required: Suppliers must already have an existing MOD equipment/platform support contract in place.

See also PQQ.

Criteria regarding the economic and financial standing of subcontractors (that may lead to their exclusion)

Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: Suppliers must already have an existing MOD equipment/platform support contract in place.

See also PQQ

Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required: See PQQ

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 stated in the PQQ

Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required: As stated in the PQQ

Criteria regarding the technical and/or professional ability of subcontractors (that may lead to their rejection)

Information and formalities necessary for evaluating if the requirements are met: As stated in the PQQ

Minimum level(s) of standards possibly required: As stated in the PQQ

three.3) Conditions specific to services contracts

three.3.1) Information about a particular profession

Execution of the service is reserved to a particular profession: No


Section four: Procedure

four.1) Type of procedure

four.1.1) Type of procedure

Restricted

four.1.2) Limitations on the number of operators who will be invited to tender or to participate

Envisaged minimum number

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: no

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.3.1) File reference number attributed by the contracting authority

704935450

four.3.2) Previous publication(s) concerning the same contract

Prior information notice

Notice number: 2022/S 000-009600 of 11 April 2022

Other previous publications

no

four.3.4) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate

17 October 2022 - 11:59pm

four.3.6) Language(s) in which tenders or requests to participate may be drawn up

English


Section six: Complementary information

six.1) Information about recurrence

This is a recurrent procurement: Yes

Estimated timing for further notices to be published: Maximum twice yearly framework re-opening

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

The Contracting Authority intends to use an e-Tendering system in this procurement exercise, please visit www.contracts.mod.uk for full details and to register your interest in this procurement.