Bulletproof vests. This advertisement has been issued by the Authority in connection with a competitive procurement for a modular aircrew Load Carriage and Personal Protection System conducted in accordance with the Restricted process under the Defence and Security Regulations.
A Load Carrying Jerkin will enable UK military non-fast jet aircrew to carry essential items of survival equipment (personal weapon, ammunition, radio, survival aids) using a MOLLE or equivalent system, as well as the following optional facilities:
BALCS cut soft armour fragmentation protection
Hard armour front, back and side plates.
The Authority are looking to serve the needs of aircrew operating Large Aircraft and Battlefield Helicopters. Each of these have specific needs in addition to the facilities described above. For example, Large Aircraft aircrew require the system to be doffed rapidly in emergency situations. For Battlefield Helicopter aircrew, a harness fitting to enable secure attachment of operators to the airframe through a restraint system, and an integrated modular buoyancy facility for use when operating over water are required.
The above facilities will be available in a range of combinations to provide the operator with a variety of configurations depending on the particular mission.
The military air environment places particular demands on equipment to ensure safe and airworthy integration of the equipment with other aircrew equipment and the wide range of Large Aircraft and Battlefield Helicopter airframes. In order to provide potential bidders with more context and thus enhance the Authority's chances of achieving suitable tenders for assessment, an industry briefing will be held at RAF Henlow, Bedfordshire, on Tuesday 13.12.2011.
A technical support service and minor modification capability is required to enable effective management of any issues arising with the equipment through-life.
The estimated quantities required are 1500 Load Carrying Jerkins, 300 Harness assemblies, 800 flotation aids, 600 fragmentation protection vests, and 600 hard armour sets (comprising front, back and side plates). Ongoing spares and replacements will be required to support the equipment through-life over the period of the contract.
A Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) process will down-select to a maximum of five bidders to be taken forward to the ITT stage. Tender evaluation will be on the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT) basis. Samples will be required for tender assessment purposes.
Expressions of Interest and requests to attend the briefing on 13th December should be registered through Mavis Page at desfast-comrcl4a@mod.uk UK Tel: +44 3067982916 International Tel: +44 1967890000 (listen to message, press: "star", then dial: +44 3067982916, followed by: "#"), by Monday 12.12.2011. It is anticipated that the PQQ will be issued shortly after the industry brief, with the Invitation to Tender (ITT) being sent out to the down-selected bidders approximately two months from issue of the PQQ.