Voluntary ex ante transparency notice
Directive 2014/24/EU
Section I: Contracting
entity
I.1) Name and addresses
Ministry of Defence, Air Support, Flight Simulation and Synthetic Trainers Project Team (FSAST PT)
Walnut 3a, Mailpoint #1317, MOD Abbeywood
Bristol
BS34 8JH
UK
Contact person: James Cowley
Telephone: +44 1179181755
E-mail: James.Cowley104@mod.gov.uk
NUTS: UKK11
Internet address(es)
Main address: www.mod.gov.uk
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Ministry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local subdivisions
I.5) Main activity
Defence
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
Hypobaric Chamber Support and Maintenance
Reference number: 700859369
II.1.2) Main CPV code
50000000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Services
II.1.4) Short description
Support and maintenance of hypobaric chamber training and testing facility at RAF Henlow.
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.1.7) Total value of the procurement
Value excluding VAT:
350 000.00
GBP
II.2) Description
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
34152000
39162200
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UKH25
Main site or place of performance:
Central Bedfordshire.
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
Support and maintenance of hypobaric chamber training and test facility at RAF Henlow.
II.2.5) Award criteria
Criteria below:
Price
II.2.11) Information about options
Options:
No
II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds:
No
II.2.14) Additional information
The Cyber Risk Profile for this requirement identified by the Cyber Risk Assessment is Low (Reference – RAR-Y28ASCJJ).
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.1) Type of procedure
Negotiated procedure without prior publication
Justification for selected award procedure:
The works, supplies or services can be provided only by a particular economic operator for the following reason: absence of competition for technical reasons
Explanation:
The Flight Simulation and Synthetic Training (FsAST) Team, part of the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (‘the Authority’) intends to enter into a contract with a duration that is expected to be up to 6 years (this may include options) with Vacuum Furnace Engineering Ltd (VFE) for the support and maintenance of the hypobaric chamber training and test facility at RAF Henlow. The equipment consists of a pressure vessel for human occupancy and simulates the effects of high altitude, up to 45 000 ft, on the human body.
The contract will incorporate works including:
• annual maintenance, servicing and safety checks to all elements of the equipment, including air-conditioning plant equipment, vacuum pumps and receivers and associated plant;
• acting as the design organisation advise the Authority on likely effects of changes in legislation or technical design of equipment;
• annual review of maintenance publications and other technical information;
• provide a Post Design Services (PDS) support solution to investigate faults and ensuring all faults are addressed and completed to the authority’s satisfaction.
It is considered that this contract can be procured using the negotiated procedure without prior publication of a contract notice pursuant to Article 32(2)(b)(ii) of Directive 2014/24/EU (Regulation 32(2)(b)(ii) of the Public Contracts Regulations). This is because competition is absent for technical reasons as only VFE, as the original equipment manufacturer and design organisation, have the necessary know-how, experience, design data and source code to carry out the support and maintenance required. Only VFE have the necessary technical specifications and design drawings for the hypobaric chamber; and the underlying source code for the software control system, to meet the authority’s requirements. Further, without this know-how, experience, design data and source code, a third-party supplier would not be able to meet the strict safety requirements critical to the safe functioning of the system.
IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement:
No
Section V: Award of contract/concession
Contract No: 700859369
Title: Provision of Support and Maintenance to the Hypobaric chamber training and test facility
V.2 Award of contract/concession
V.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract/concession
03/07/2020
V.2.2) Information about tenders
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators:
No
V.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
Vacuum Furnace Engineering Ltd
Unit 8, Hingley Road, Hayes Industrial Estate
Halesowen
B63 2RR
UK
Telephone: +44 1384426170
NUTS: UKH25
The contractor is an SME:
No
V.2.4) Information on value of the concession and main financing terms (excluding VAT)
Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot/concession: 350 000.00 GBP
Total value of the concession/lot:
350 000.00
GBP
V.2.5) Information about subcontracting
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.3) Additional information
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.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-security-classifications
Advertising Regime OJEU: this contract opportunity is published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU), the MoD Defence Contracts Bulletin and www.contracts.mod.uk Go reference: GO-202083-DCB-16908623
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
Ministry of Defence, Air Support, Flight Simulation and Synthetic Trainers Project Team (FSAST PT)
walnut 3a, Mailpoint #1317, MOD Abbeywood
Bristol
BS34 8JH
UK
Telephone: +44 1179181755
E-mail: edward.wintebottom505@mod.gov.uk
VI.4.2) Body responsible for mediation procedures
Ministry of Defence, Air Support, Flight Simulation and Synthetic Trainers Project Team (FSAST PT)
Walnut 3a, Mailpoint #1317, MOD Abbeywood
Bristol
BS34 8JH
UK
Telephone: +44 1179132548
E-mail: Julia.Veale101@mod.gov.uk
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
03/08/2020