Public procurement notice: Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency Notice
Published: 2016-03-12
Buyer: Forsvarsmateriell
Country: NO
Region: NORGE
Contract type: Supplies
Procedure: Contract award without prior publication
CPV classification: 34310000 | 34311000 | 34320000 | 34330000 | 34913000
Estimated value: 150000000 NOK

Technical requirements: Framework agreement spare parts, maintenance services and technical support for the Norwegian Defence's Mercedes Benz products.
The Norwegian Defence Material Agency (NDMA) is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the Norwegian Defence's Mercedes Benz products, which currently consist of 2150 field vehicles of varying configurations, of which 1 750 are in daily operation. The field vehicles are currently between 20 and 35 years old. NDMA shall now establish a new framework agreement to ensure the supply of spare parts, workshop services and technical support for the lifetime of the field vehicles. The framework agreement includes workshop services, supply of spare parts as well as technical support in the form of, amongst other things, engineering services. Some of the Norwegian Defence's other Mercedes Benz products will also be included in the framework agreement to a limited extent.
Mercedes Benz field vehicles were procured by the Norwegian Defence from the start of the 1980s up until 1997. Throughout the entire lifetime Bertel O. Steen, has, as the total system supplier of Mercedes Benz products, supported the system with workshop services, technical competence and delivered spare parts. This has led to Bertel O. Steen possessing valuable competence that NDMA depends on for being able to operate the Mercedes Benz field vehicles for the remainder of their lifetime. No other suppliers have this competence, which is crucial for the continued operation of the Norwegian Defence's field vehicles for the remainder of their lifetime. Bertel O. Steen's necessary competence consists of, amongst other things, possessing critical technical documentation, including workshop handbooks, user handbooks, spare parts catalogues and technical drawings as well as all the updates/changes in the material's almost 40 year lifecycle, engineering competence in the material system that is critical for changes in vehicle systems, nationwide workshop and services, development and possession of special tools, unique obsolescence handling of outdated parts. As the system supplier, Bertel O. Steen can, in addition, carry out technical changes in the system that can be approved and changed in the vehicle registration paper data and manufacture data. A change of supplier will, in addition to drastically weakening the service, inflict very large costs and resource use on the Norwegian Defence. When seen as a whole, NDMA depends on Bertel O. Steen's unique technical competence and ability to cover the need for spare parts for the Norwegian Defence for parts that are up to 40 years old and are gradually going out of production. NDMA is of the opinion, due to the above mentioned reasons, that no other suppliers can provide the necessary technical services so the contract must be awarded to Bertel O. Steen AS. The Norwegian Defence also has a limited number of other Mercedes Benz vehicles and engines that naturally come under the framework agreement that shall be established. It will not be very cost efficient to establish separate contracts for this material, which is very limited. The same arguments for the sole supplier for field vehicles will also mostly apply for the other material.
Workshop services, spare parts and technical supports for all types of Mercedes Benz vehicles and products
Any appeals must be submitted in writing to the contact person, Cathrine Thrane, by 29.3.2016, 12.00 at the latest.