Protective gear. Garments for anti-ballistic protection. Background
Project VIRTUS (Formerly Personal Equipment and Common Operational Clothing or PECOC) will deliver an integrated head, torso and load carriage system with the ability for quick release that will form the foundation of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). It will be the core component of the Dismounted Close Combat Soldier. VIRTUS will support the activities of all service personnel engaged in a Dismounted Close Combat role; this encompasses Soldiers, Marines and Airmen involved on Land, Littoral Manoeuvre and Ground Support to Air Operations. The Land Fleet Requirement (LFR) for VIRTUS is 84,000 systems.
Under this requirement and Possible Future Purchase (VIRTUS Pulse 1) the Authority seeks, through the use of a Prime Contractor, to provide significantly improved integration of the Head and Torso systems, integrated with a load carriage solution, and will include a Quick Release capability. The VIRTUS system shall provide the User with significant improvement to comfort, feel and fit.
VIRTUS Pulse 2 & 3, as detailed below, are subject to individual approval processes and will be subject to separate competitions as per the Defence Security Public Contract Regulations (DSPCR).
— Pulse 2 – will seek to provide a reduction in soldier burden, enhanced mobility and the incorporation of enhanced protective plate technology,
— Pulse 3 – will seek further reductions in soldier burden and enhanced mobility and deliver Man Worn Power & Data (MWPD) solutions to underpin the fusion of anticipated dependent capabilities including enhanced Situational Awareness and Lethality.
Pulse 1 - Content
VIRTUS Pulse 1 will deliver scalable and fully integrated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for the torso, head, neck, shoulders, upper arms, groin and upper leg limbs and load carriage components, integrating the sub-systems to optimise the whole system capability.
The VIRTUS Pulse 1 system will comprise of:
a) Protection items including body armour (hard plates excluded from this competition), plate carrier, extremity protection systems, combat helmets, combat eyewear protection;
b) Load carriage systems including patrol day sack, bergen and load carrying pouches.
VIRTUS will deliver a complete, integrated system designed to provide the user with a scalable PPE in order that the commander can match protection levels to the threat. This will include the delivery of an integrated solution, such as a Quick Release system, to assist the User in extraction from life threatening conditions and aid quick access to the body by medical personnel.
The system will integrate PPE and load carriage to provide increased User comfort by spreading the load better across the body, and reducing perception of burden. This will in turn improve the agility of the User with an improved fit and design which enables the User to have a greater range of movement.
The Key User Requirements for the requirement are as follows:
— The User shall be provided with a capability that does not cause physical injury,
— The User shall be able to maintain their personal agility levels and their ability to undertake kinematic actions,
— The User shall be able to optimise their personal configuration against mission requirements,
— The VIRTUS capability shall be interoperable with specified UK service equipment,
— The components of the VIRTUS system shall be integrated,
— The User shall be able to carry appropriate equipment and supplies on their person,
— The User shall be able to store and access carried items,
— The User can be extracted from immediate danger,
— The User shall be able to access the location of any injury,
— The User shall be protected from injury due to Small Arms Fire with scalable levels of protection to provide optimum protection for mission requirements,
— The User shall be protected from injury due to fragmentation attack,
— The capability shall be available and sustainable throughout operations.
Expressions of interest are invited from any Company that will provide the role of Prime Contractor and is capable of delivering a fully integrated system as detailed above.
An Industry Day will be held on February 12th 2013 as advertised in the Defence Contracts Bulletin on the 5.12.2012, Vol. 10 No, 24, and the 23.1.2013, Vol. 11 No, 1, where more information will be released regarding the requirement, as well as giving potential Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) an early opportunity to engage with Primes.
Further information on the Industry Day is available from the following Contact:
DESLESSP-Del-Surv-VIRTUS-PM1@mod.uk
Subsequent to receipt of expressions of interest, the Authority intends to undertake a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) exercise where Company(s) will be required to demonstrate their level of competence against the Authority's questionnaire criteria. Full criteria and the evaluation process will be detailed within the PQQ documentation which is currently due to be issued during Quarter 2 2013. After assessment of the PQQ's it is the intention of the Authority to invite a maximum of four companies to tender for this requirement. The Authority currently intends to issue Tenders during Quarter 3, 2013. Tender Assessment will also incorporate User and Human Factors Integration trials which are currently scheduled to take place between Quarter 4 2013 and Q1 2014. Whilst the dates in this paragraph are the best current estimate, they may be subject to change due to unforeseen events, and therefore cannot be guaranteed.
If a Potential Provider is successful at PQQ stage and invited to Tender there will be a requirement to provide a number of sets of your proposed VIRTUS Pulse 1 solution for testing and trialing. The requirement will be in the order of 50-60 sets of the full system, which will be subjected to a Military Judgement Panel (MJP) in the UK and used in temperate trials and Hot/Dry A2 conditions abroad.
The Authority will Contract separately for these testing and trialing items, with a capped rate per Contractor available for the purchasing of these items. The Trials Equipment Contract will be for delivery of approximately 50-60 full sets (with a maximum capped price available) during Quarter 4 2013 (date to be confirmed in the Invitation to Tender).
Delivery for the samples will be to ITDU Warminster and full details will be issued with the Invitation to Tender.
Tenders will be assessed to establish the most economically advantageous/best value for money solution, which meets the requirement. Full criteria will be specified within the Invitation to Tender documentation, alongside the evaluation process.
Potential Providers should note that the AWARD evaluation tool will be used at PQQ and Tender stage for this requirement.