Viking Combined Support Contract

Concepts

• support contract
• bristol
• firearms and ammunition
• uk armed forces
• repair services
• provision of support
• provision of a technical support service
• enabling arrangement
• 5-year period
• repair and maintenance

Location

Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Bristol/Bath Area:

Description

An enabling arrangement for the provision of support and repair services in respect of the in-service fleet of Glock weapons and supporting ancillaries with the UK Armed Forces. The contract will be for a 5-year period and will include the provision of a technical support service and allow for procurement of additional in-service weapons if required.

Award Detail

CPV Codes

• 50620000 - Repair and maintenance services of firearms and ammunition

Legal Justification

The Dismounted Close Combat programme team, part of the UK Ministry of Defence, intends to award a 5-year enabling contract with Viking Arms Ltd for the Combined Support, Supply and Repair of the in-service fleet of Glock weapons and supporting ancillaries with the provision to procure additional systems if required. It is considered that this Contract will be placed using the Negotiated Procedure without Prior Publication of a Contract Notice pursuant to Regulation 16(1)(a)(ii) and 16(1)(b)(i) of the UK Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011 for Technical Reasons. This is because the chosen supplier is the sole UK agent for the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) and Design Authority (DA) for the Glock family of weapons and are the only economic entity with the necessary technical data, knowledge and expertise, and proprietary documentation maintained by the DA. These are all fundamental in order to provide the required technical support, assure any repairs, and undertake any Post Design Services to underwrite any changes or modifications in compliance with the OEM quality assurance controls and measures that maintains operational performance and effectiveness of the weapons. Without access to the proprietary documentation, technical drawings, tooling and test equipment, specific manufacturing processes and knowledge and expertise, any goods or services provided by another entity would require new testing, new verification and validation to ensure that the safety and suitability for service of the weapons, operational performance and effectiveness, and the interoperability with other weapons and platforms is not compromised and that the Safety Case for the system is not invalidated. A change of supplier would also oblige the Authority to acquire goods having different technical characteristics, resulting in incompatibility between the existing platforms and weapons, affecting the support, technical publications and documentation, user training, and logistics of a multiple platform fleet from that already provided and currently in-service. There would also be disproportionate cost, time and technical difficulties incurred to the Authority associated with introducing new items into the Authority’s supply chain and inventory.

Other Information

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