Prior information notice
This notice is for prior information only
Section I: Contracting
authority
I.1) Name and addresses
Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office
King Charles Street
London
SW1A 2AH
UK
E-mail: kathy.ponteen@fco.gov.uk
NUTS: UK
Internet address(es)
Main address: www.gov.uk/fcdo
Address of the buyer profile: https://fcdo.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.html
I.3) Communication
Additional information can be obtained from the abovementioned address
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
General public services
Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title
ESND - Provision of Electronic Counter Measures (ECM)
II.1.2) Main CPV code
35730000
II.1.3) Type of contract
Supplies
II.1.4) Short description
The purpose of PIN is for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to gauge the current market to identify suitable UK manufacturers of next generation Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) equipment for future procurement activity.
The FCDO seeks to engage with UK ECM equipment manufacturers who have developed and are currently manufacturing next generation commercial off the shelf (COTS) ECM equipment in the UK. Engagement is requested from UK companies that hold UK List X status and who are currently manufacturing next generation ECM equipment at a technology readiness level (TRL) of 8 (TRL 8 – actual technology completed and qualified through test and demonstration).
The FCDO utilises ECM in some operational environments in civilian armoured vehicles (CAV) and is seeking to engage with suppliers of ECM systems to replace the current capability with a next generation ECM system, which must meet the following criteria:
1. The ECM System must be UK manufactured.
2. The capability must be evergreen. It must be modular and upgradeable to facilitate capability uplift in the face of new or emerging threats.
3. The system must be able to operate within a frequency range of 20Mhz to 6Ghz and be extendible should the FCDO wish to add additional modules to increase the system capability beyond 6Ghz if required.
4. The ECM systems must be designed using open architecture protocols and standards.
5. The system must be reconfigurable and programmable within the area of operations to implement an appropriate threat response to defeat existing or new threat systems.
6. It is desirable for the system be able to detect and log threat frequency equipment activation events when the system is in operation (providing inhibition) and record these events by frequency and GPS location to assist in developing a location specific threat map. Information should be able to be viewed post mission with generic or supplier provided digital mapping software.
7. The supplier must have a pedigree in the supply of ECM systems to NATO countries and be able to evidence previous installations in CAVs and the integration of other vehicle systems such as radio communications and tracking equipment.
8. The supplier will be required to integrate and maintain the ECM system and FCDO CAV communications and tracking systems for a minimum of 5 years and have a pedigree in supporting their systems in a similar manner.
9. The supplier must be prepared to have their ECM system independently assessed for technical capability at no cost to the FCDO.
The FCDO plans to tender the requirement for up to 100 systems in September 2021. FCDO will not hold a supplier day prior to the ITT release date and the ITT will be restricted to those bidders identified as having the technical capability and ECM systems that meet the baseline requirements listed above.
II.1.5) Estimated total value
Value excluding VAT:
20 000 000.00
GBP
II.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots:
No
II.2) Description
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
35730000
II.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS code:
UK
II.2.4) Description of the procurement
The FCDO utilises ECM in some operational environments in civilian armoured vehicles (CAV) and is seeking to engage with suppliers of ECM systems to replace the current capability with a next generation ECM system, which must meet the following criteria:
1. The ECM System must be UK manufactured.
2. The capability must be evergreen. It must be modular and upgradeable to facilitate capability uplift in the face of new or emerging threats.
3. The system must be able to operate within a frequency range of 20Mhz to 6Ghz and be extendible should the FCDO wish to add additional modules to increase the system capability beyond 6Ghz if required.
4. The ECM systems must be designed using open architecture protocols and standards.
5. The system must be reconfigurable and programmable within the area of operations to implement an appropriate threat response to defeat existing or new threat systems.
6. It is desirable for the system be able to detect and log threat frequency equipment activation events when the system is in operation (providing inhibition) and record these events by frequency and GPS location to assist in developing a location specific threat map. Information should be able to be viewed post mission with generic or supplier provided digital mapping software.
7. The supplier must have a pedigree in the supply of ECM systems to NATO countries and be able to evidence previous installations in CAVs and the integration of other vehicle systems such as radio communications and tracking equipment.
8. The supplier will be required to integrate and maintain the ECM system and FCDO CAV communications and tracking systems for a minimum of 5 years and have a pedigree in supporting their systems in a similar manner.
9. The supplier must be prepared to have their ECM system independently assessed for technical capability at no cost to the FCDO.
The FCDO plans to tender the requirement for up to 100 systems in September 2021. FCDO will not hold a supplier day prior to the ITT release date and the ITT will be restricted to those bidders identified as having the technical capability and ECM systems that meet the baseline requirements listed above.
II.3) Estimated date of publication of contract notice:
01/09/2021
Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.8) Information about Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement:
Yes
Section VI: Complementary information
VI.3) Additional information
Please indicate your interest in participating in this procurement process by registering on the FCDO portal at https://fcdo.bravosolution.co.uk/web/login.html
Accessing Jaggaer Advantage Portal
This requires Two Factor Authentication (2FA). The process for Jaggaer 2FA works as follows.
1. Log into the FCDO portal via the web login page, (requires registration first time which is free and instantaneous) enter your username and password. This is your first form of authentication.
2. You will then be presented with a QR code to scan. This requires a mobile phone with the Google or Microsoft Authenticator App.
3. Upon scanning the QR code with Google or Microsoft Authenticator you are presented with a code.
4. The code must be entered into the Token Number field within the allotted time. You must then select the “Submit” button on the right hand side of the screen to complete the second form of authentication which completes the Jaggaer login process.
5. For all future logins you will not be required to scan the QR code and instead can navigate to the Google or Microsoft Authenticator App and enter the current token into the Token Number field.
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice
23/07/2021