MORTBEAM IN- SERVICE SUPPORT AMENDMENT VTN

The Specialist EOD&S, Exploitation and Countermeasures Project Team, part of the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (The Authority) is seeking to amend contract (Reference: 700979370) for the continued support of MORTBEAM (MORTBEAM In-Service Support Contract).

MORTBEAM (NSN: 6665-99-858-2463) is a handheld wire detector used by Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) Operators to defeat Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). The detector was originally procured as an Urgent Operational Requirement for Op HERRICK and was subsequently taken into Core Equipment Programme.

The current contract is to provide in-service support to MORTBEAM. This contract was initially awarded on Single Sources basis to Roke Manor Research LTD on 1st February 2021. The amendment shall take up an Option in the Contract for 4 years at an estimated cost of £238,000.00 in addition to the original contract value of £36,161.00, this will amend and take up the contract value to £274,161.00.

It is the intention of the Authority to amend the existing contract with Roke Manor Research Limited on a single source basis to meet this requirement by taking up the available option years.

MORTBEAM requires re-qualification testing to confirm that it still performs against original specification requirement. To complete this re-qualification testing the required tools and technical know-how only lies with Roke Manor Research Ltd as the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for the MORTBEAM equipment. Without this re-qualification testing, the equipment operator may be placed at an unnecessary and unacceptable level of risk. It is therefore essential that the Authority ensures that the equipment performs to the required specification, this is achieved through re-qualification testing. The OEM is the only supplier with the tools and technical expertise to undertake these tests to satisfy the Authority that the equipment is safe to operate and fit for purpose.

This Notice has been published for transparency reasons. The Authority is negotiating this amendment with the OEM on a single source basis on the basis that the OEM is the only supplier with the technical capability to undertake this requirement.