Dive Support Vehicle for the Specialist Search and Recovery Team

The Specialist Search and Recovery Team take the Customer's capability beyond dry land. Diving tasks include recovering cars, murder weapons, stolen property and searching for missing people. They often work through the night in the coldest and darkest conditions through the weeds, mud and refuse. They can also search in confined spaces such as sewers and holes underground.

By the very nature of their role, and the fact that staff can be deployed to extremely remote locations for up to 12-15 hours at a time, it is imperative that they have a support vehicle that not only acts as their transport to and from a search operation, together with all their equipment, but also affords the staff welfare facilities that are necessary for the well-being of those staff both during and on completion of a search. This needs to include things such as an external shower facility (for decontamination purposes), internal toilet and hand washing facility, food storage and preparation area, washing up, eating and rest area.

The Customer wishes to appoint one Contractor to provide a full turn key vehicle solution comprising of a chassis cab, together with a rear body compartment. The whole vehicle will be expected to last for at least 15 years and it will be capable of the safe and comfortable carriage of a minimum of 10 officers and all their equipment as shown in a link set out in the Specification.

Some of the equipment will need to be hung (ie, dive suits) or stored at low level (ie, air cylinders) and there is a requirement for a separate storage area in order to keep wet or contaminated equipment away from dry and or non-contaminated equipment. Where wet equipment is being stored, there must be a solution to soak/drain away any excess water. It is also essential that all of the storage solutions that house any damp/wet equipment are made of materials that are not subject to rust/rotting, etc. All equipment must also be secured correctly so that its movement is minimal, especially when the vehicle is moving.