The U.K. Secretary of State for Transport (DfT) Philip Hammond recently told Parliament that to ensure continuity of service his ministry will run an interim search and rescue (SAR) helicopter service competition.
At the same time, DfT will work with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to work out a long-term plan after the collapse of a potential $11 billion joint procurement plan earlier this year due to bidding “irregularities” (Defense Daily, Feb. 15).
Because the existing Maritime and Coastguard Agency search and rescue helicopter contract for Portland, Lee on Solent, Shetland and the Isle of Lewis is about to expire, Hammond said: “The Department for Transport will shortly run a competition to procure an interim service for a period of up to five years.”
This contract would be similar to current arrangements, and open to all interested bidders “able to offer a service that fully meets our requirements and ensures the safety of the public and seafarers.”
Hammond said, “The Royal Air Force and Royal Navy will continue to provide coverage from their search and rescue bases as at present, while I consider the options for the long- term provision of search and rescue helicopter capability.”
In February, Hammond told the House that bidding irregularities led the government to cancel the Ministry of Defence-DfT procurement for future search and rescue capability.
The investigation into the circumstances leading to the cancellation of that procurement is ongoing, Hammond said. In December 2010, Soteria, the preferred bidder, voluntarily told the government of irregularities by one of its team members, CHC Helicopter, including accessing sensitive information on the industry bid evaluations and evidence that a former member of the team helped in bid preparation contrary to assurances. Soteria’s consortium includes CHC Helicopter, Royal Bank of Scotland, Thales and Sikorsky [UTX].
Also, work is under way to identify the optimum procurement options for the long-term provision of search and rescue helicopter capability for the United Kingdom.
Hammond plans to tell the House later in the year about a long-term solution. “The procurement strategy we adopt for the longer term will seek to ensure that the Ministry of Defence is able to complete its previously announced intention to withdraw its Sea Kings from service in 2016,” Hammond said.