GB-Edinburgh: SATELLITE BROADBAND SERVICES FOR NLV POLE STAR AND NLV PHAROS

Our requirements are for a reliable, high speed, secure, fully functioning Managed Satellite Broadband Service solution that will give us an always on 24/7/365 availability in our working waters for our two vessels, NLV Pharos and the new vessel currently in construction in Spain, the replacement for NLV Polestar. The contract term is 3 years + 1 option year to allow NLB flexibility to change to anticipated new technology in the next few years, which are likely to generate further cost savings and increased value for money.

The NLB Vessels operate throughout the waters of Scotland, including Shetland, Outer Hebrides down to the Isle of Man and on the East coast throughout the North Sea servicing Buoys and lighthouses. There are occasions however when they must travel further afield to English/Irish waters and to Norway and other north European ports. NLB would like any proposed solution to work in all of these required areas with no restrictions or loss of performance and enable automatic switching to satellites covering these areas should it be required. The provider must ensure that they maintain a reliable connection to the onboard equipment to ensure they are able to remotely diagnose and remediate any issues with limited assistance from the crew onboard.

Attendance at one of the following site visits is mandatory for tenderers. Site visits are proposed to be held on 10 October 2024 and 24 October 2024. It is anticipated that these will take place when the ship is docked on the East Coast of Scotland or in Oban. Tenderers are only required to attend one of these site visits. Full details will be shared with tenderers via Delta eSourcing.

This procurement is under CCS Framework RM6235- Space-Enabled and Geospatial Services and therefore only suppliers registered on this framework will be considered for the opportunity.

Tender return date is 1 November 2024.

Installation of service and hardware on NLV Pharos in January 2025 in Scotland. Full survey/visit of NLV Pharos end of Q3 2024 to ensure all cabling and installation requirements are captured.

Installation of service and hardware on new vessel NLV Polestar V in April/May 2025 in Spain with service starting in June 2025. (to be confirmed)

Additional information: The contracting authority considers that this contract may be suitable for economic operators that are small or medium enterprises (SMEs). However, any selection of tenderers will be based solely on the criteria set out for the procurement.