Public procurement notice: Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice
Published: 2018-06-12
Buyer: Ministry of Defence, Air Support, Air Commodities Project Team (AC PT)
Country: UK
Contract type: Services
Procedure: Negotiated without a prior call for competition
CPV classification: 35113000: Safety equipment
Estimated value: 25000000 GBP

Technical requirements: The Provision of Spares, Repairs and Post Design Technical Support for Aircrew Safety Equipment including Life Rafts, Life Preservers, Anti-G Trousers and Immersion Protection Garments.
The Provision of Spares, Repairs and Post Design Technical Support for Aircrew Safety Equipment including Life Rafts, Life Preservers, Anti-G Trousers and Immersion Protection Garments for a period of 5 years, inclusive of 2 1 year options.
2 Contractual options to extend the duration of the Contract in 1 year increments following the initial 3 year period, up to a total maximum duration of 5 years.
The Secretary of State for Defence [the Air Commodities Team of the Ministry of Defence (MoD)], intends to place a 3 year single-supplier framework contract (with 2 1 year options) with RFD Beaufort Ltd, part of the Survitec Group of 1-5 Beaufort Road, Birkenhead, Merseyside, CH41 1HQ, UK: for the provision of spare parts, repairs and technical support for various in-service aircrew safety equipment. The MoD wishes to provide for the ongoing maintenance of its current life preserving equipment and, in respect of an item considered to be beyond economical repair, to purchase a replacement item. It is considered that this contract can be placed using the negotiated procedure without prior publication, pursuant to Article 28(1)(e) Directive 2009/81/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council (Regulation 16(1)(a)(ii) of the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2015), because, for technical reasons, the contract can only be awarded to RFD Beaufort Ltd.
The products; Anti-G trousers (unique to military fast jet aircraft), Immersion suits, Life Preservers and Life Rafts for which the spares, repairs and technical support are required, are for use on military aircraft and are specifically adapted for such use.
RFD Beaufort Ltd are the designers and manufacturers of the goods and hold the relevant technical drawings, manufacturing process information, qualification test evidence and modification history and relevant confidential information necessary to deliver the contract’s requirements to the standards required by the MoD. Furthermore, the MoD must comply with Military Aviation Authority (MAA) requirements in respect of these items. MAA approval must be gained and assured in order to use these items on military aircraft. In order to gain such approval, access to the confidential and technical information held by RFD Beaufort Ltd, the Design Authority, is required. No other company would have access to this information and this requirement cannot be carried out without it.
This notice is for Transparency purposes. The Authority has not yet entered into a Contract with RFD Beaufort Ltd. for this requirement and does not intend to do so until 19.10.2018. The Date of conclusion of the contract / concession award decision identified in this notice is not factually correct and has been chosen to allow this notice to be published. GO Reference: GO-2018611-DCB-12594643.


Winner: RFD Beaufort Ltd.
Award value: 25000000