Public procurement notice: Additional Information
Published: 2018-08-10
Buyer: Ministry of Defence, ISTAR, Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Delivery Team (CBRN DT)
Country: UK
Contract type: Supplies
Procedure: Restricted procedure
CPV classification: 35113200 | 35113410
Submission deadline: 2019-08-31
Award criteria: The most economic tender

Technical requirements: Patsy (aircrew CBRN protection)– the supply of a below neck CBR protective clothing system for Aircrew:
Please note: The notice DOES NOT involve the setting up of a framework agreement - this is a system error. (ref II.1.3-4 Framework agreements)
The Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear Protection Delivery Team (CBRN DT) is seeking Expressions of Interest from parties wishing to be considered for the supply of a Below Neck CBR Protective Clothing System for Aircrew (Category D).
One of the key drivers for the programme is to provide the required level of Below Neck CBR protection (Key User Requirement) whilst imposing the minimum physiological burden on the wearer.
The selected contractor will be responsible for the supply of a Below Neck System (BNS) for approximately 524 aircrew personnel requiring 3 systems per person (approx. 1527), plus additional trials and training sets (approx 50) to be determined at Invitation to Tender (ITT). The first 900 systems are to be delivered at Contract Award (CA) + 23 months with the balance no later than CA + 45 months (earlier delivery is desirable to the Authority but not essential). Additional buys may be required on an Ad Hoc basis, stipulated by the Authority when required. The BNS should be a Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) solution. The Authority is looking for a Below Neck CBR System which will be an integrated CBR solution comprising of an undergarment, socks and gloves. For clarity, the system must cover personnel from the neck down and must integrate with the Authority’s Above Neck System (ANS - a development of the current APED In-Service solution) which includes a neck skirt. The Interface Control Document (ICD) will be issued at ITT containing details of the APED system.
A supplier may be a manufacturer or act as a Prime Contractor (PC) and sub-contract components of the system to other suppliers (e.g. gloves) to deliver the complete BNS. The supplier will be responsible for the integration of the BNS ensemble, i.e. undergarment, socks and gloves and compliance of their BNS with the ANS with the ICD. The Authority will be responsible for integration of the BNS with the ANS components and other Aircrew Equipment Assemblies (AEA).
The contracting authority considers that this contract may be suitable for economic operators that are small or medium enterprises (SMEs). However, any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement.
To enable the solution to enter operational service with UK military aviation formations, the supplier will be responsible for providing supporting information, including but not limited to: Training and Training Aids, Technical Publications, Safety and Environmental evidence, and Logistic Support Documentation.
It is required that the preferred contractor is working to the following (or equivalent) standards; AQAP 2110, AQAP 2105 (Quality Plan Standards), DefStan 05-61 Pt9.
The Procurement will follow the Restricted Procedure under Defence & Security Public Contract Regulations (DSPCR) to place a supply and initial in-service support contract for 5 years + 3 options years (in yearly increments).
A Cyber Security Risk Assessment for this requirement has been carried out and returned a risk level of Very Low Risk (REF: RAR-Y6FS7ZA6). Potential Suppliers are therefore required to maintain a Cyber Essentials Scheme certification in order to comply.
To qualify, Potential Providers must pass the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ), designed to evaluate Technical and Financial Capacity/Capability. The PQQ will be evaluated in two stages; stage 1 will consist of pass/fail questions and stage 2 will consist of Project specific questions which will be given a weighted scoring approach and will be scored 0 – 5 (5 being the highest score).
A word cap of 500 words has been applied to each Project specific question which will be detailed within the PQQ question criteria. Tenderers should note that additional words will not be counted however, supporting evidence and references will not be included within the wordcount.
Potential Providers who are given a “Fail” against any PQQ question or score of 0 or 1 against any of the Project questions will result in an automatic exclusion from being invited to Tender.
A maximum of 6 qualified potential providers will receive formal ITT. Where possible the Authority will invite a minimum of 3 Potential Providers to ITT however, the Authority reserves the right to invite 2 Potential Providers or revert to a Single Source Procurement if required. Potential Providers will be ranked in order of the weighted score achieved at section six (6), combined with passing all other elements of the PQQ criteria. The Authority reserves the right to invite more than 6 bidders to proceed to the ITT stage.