MHC Procurement of TSC2002 IFF System & Associated Equipment - Amendment 1 - VTN

Concepts

• mhc procurement of tsc2002 iff system
• associated equipment
• bristol
• unmanned underwater vehicles
• procurement of tsc2002 iff system
• equipment
• tsc2002 iff transponder unit
• amendment
• vtn

Location

Manor Royal, Crawley, UK

Description

Procurement of TSC2002 IFF System & Associated Equipment

Total Quantity or Scope

1 x TSC2002 IFF Transponder Unit and Associated Equipment

Award Detail

Award Criteria

CPV Codes

• 35512400 - Unmanned underwater vehicles

Legal Justification

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.

Other Information

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