Public procurement notice: Prior Information Notice Without Call For Competition
Published: 2020-08-25
Buyer: Ministry of Defence, C&C, C&C
Country: UK
Contract type: Services
CPV classification: 60400000: Air transport services
Estimated value:  GBP

Technical requirements: MEDEVAC, General Aviation Support and Aviation Fire Fighting Services for the BATSUB (Belize) areas of training responsibility.
(a) request information that will assist MOD with developing its requirement and procurement strategy; and
(b) to inform the relevant supplier market of the possible requirement for a MEDEVAC, General Aviation Support and Aviation Fire Fighting Services for the BATSUB (Belize) areas of training responsibility.
2) The BATSUB Aviation Project Team would like to hear from air providers to understand more about how industry could contribute or innovate to support the BATSUB with a MEDEVAC, general aviation and air firefighting service.
3) The possible requirement is for an aviation support helicopter and aircrew capable of operating to Visual Flight Rules (VFR) in Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) by day, when tasked in support of BATSUB staff, DIO staff and exercising troops being supported by BATSUB.
(a) An aviation MEDEVAC capability available from sunrise to sunset (as defined for Belize by the Belizean Meteorological Service), every day of the year, on Readiness State (RS) 30 defined as 30 minutes to airborne from receiving notification of a MEDEVAC, covering routine business, dry and live exercises in the BATSUB Area for Responsibility (AOR), with the following caveats.
(b) General aviation service (GAS): capability available through pre-arranged liaison and in accordance with the response state. This could include pax transfer, HLS maintenance, exercise recces and range clearance.
(c) Aviation fire fighting (AFF): capability integral to the platform. Available during daylight hours at RS60 taskable at the authority’s priority. This task will include: BATSUB live fire brush fires, military personnel (UK, and others using BATSUB allocated trg areas) created brush fires and fire threats to training areas from fires such as lightning strike, human fires or other natural fires. Missions will include, but are not limited to, fire suppression, fire monitoring, initial attack, STEP (single-skid, toe-in, hover entry/exit procedures), cargo letdown, prescribed fire and aerial ignition and other administrative and related resource activities.
(d) Twin/single engine RW platform(s) able to operate in all Belizean weather conditions. Twin engine option (if taken) must be capable of maintaining level flight after the loss of one engine.
5) The general scope of the contract may require the contractor to be able to deliver the aviation support capability. Key to the value of the service will be the Contractor’s ability to
(a) Provide a capability that is safe, and risk managed to As Low as Reasonably Practicable (ALARP) in all aspects in normal and predictable usage for all those who interact with it. Any risks above ALARP must be identified to the Authority at the time of their identification or at the earliest opportunity.
(c) Contribute to the continuous improvement of the capability design and conduct, including flight safety advice.
(d) Comply with Belizean Department of Civil Aviation (BDCA) regulations (BCARs) including possession of current certificates of platform registration, airworthiness and insurance.
(e) The contractor shall liaise with the BDCA to obtain permission to operate under a foreign operating certificate. Evidence of any permission granted will be required by the authority.
(f) Operate a manned rotary wing platform capable of at least 2 hours endurance, including transit to and from the respective training areas.