09 April 2009

£155m MoD Engineering Support Contract Awarded

A multi-million contract has been placed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for in-service support to the entire submarine flotilla.

The £155 million contract secures submarine engineering support services based in Bristol, which includes deciding what engineering work the submarines require when they undergo their scheduled maintenance, for the next 10 years.

The MoD and industry will work together as a joint team with shared goals under the new contract. The industry team includes Babcock, BMT Defence Services and Systems Evaluation and Assessment (SEA), and will co-locate a section of their team, currently based in Keynsham, alongside their DE&S colleagues in Abbey Wood, Bristol.

The Head of In-Service Submarines at DE&S, Alasdair Stirling, said: "These engineering services are absolutely crucial to maintaining safety and upgrading our submarine flotilla effectively, on time and at value for money.

"Over 11 successful years we have already built a strong working relationship with the industry team, and this new contract will further develop our collaboration. Instead of the traditional customer-supplier relationship, the joint team will take a pro-active approach to improving submarine support which makes way for innovation and cost reduction."

The new agreement will also expand the pool of expertise in this specialist area to ensure the sustainability of future submarine support.

Meanwhile, the MoD have also ordered new all-terrain vehicles to move vital equipment to troops on the frontline in Afghanistan.

Derbyshire-based Enhanced Protection Systems Ltd (EPS) has been awarded a £7 million contract to supply around 75 Springer vehicles.

Springer will have a crew of two and the ability to carry a combat load of 1 tonne. Its role is specifically focused on moving combat supplies from helicopter landing sites into the forward operating bases.

The MoD is expecting to take delivery of the new Springer vehicle this summer.

(JM/KMcA)