Gun-Fire Control System Mk 8 (GSA 8) - Early Engagement

The International Guns, Missiles & Rockets (IGMR) team within DE&S is conducting early market engagement to gain an understanding of the potential level of interest in the market and give suppliers the opportunity to comment on the procurement strategy for the provision of Gun-Fire Control System Mk 8 (GSA 8) equipment In-Service Support. The requirement is to assist the Authority in maintaining availability and capability of the GSA8 system as fitted in T23 Frigates and shore establishments. The potential contract value is up to £1.5M over 16 months (from 1 Feb 2023 till 31 May 2024). At the end of this 16-month period combined support for GSA 8 and GSA9 systems over a longer period may be explored.

Background: GSA8 is the current Gun Fire Control System (GFCS) for the 4.5˝ Mk8 Medium Calibre Gun (MCG) fitted to the T23 Frigates, in conjunction with the General-Purpose Electro Optical Director (GPEOD) which provides Situational Awareness (SA) and visual target tracking. GSA8/GPEOD has been in service since 1988 and there have been significant obsolescence issues. Since 2021 the T23 population has commenced a gradual draw down of hull numbers and in 2035 the final T23 is due to reach her Out of Service Date (OSD). The intention is for the GSA8/GPEOD systems recovered from T23s, as they each have their own individual OSDs, to be made available to augment current stores holdings and support the remaining T23s.

The following equipment shall be supported under this Contract: - The 12 x GSA8 system as fitted to T23 Frigates. - Spares held in stores and on-board ships and at Contractors facilities - The GSA 8 Reference Rig as maintained by Leonardo MW - The GSA 8 System as fitted at the Shore Integration Facility (SIF) at Portsdown Hill. - The GSA 8 Training systems fitted at HMS Collingwood. - Special to Type Test Equipment held by the Contractor in support of this contract

Request for feedback:

The IGMR Delivery Team wishes to understand the views of interested providers, particularly in relation to challenges of providing intermediate support and the relatively short contract duration thereafter. Interested providers views on constraints relating to the contract transition and access to necessary Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), is particularly sought). The interested suppliers are invited to submit their feedback to [email protected] .

Further to above, interested suppliers are also invited to attend a Market Interest Day which will be held virtually via MS Teams on 18 February 2022, 10.00-11.00 to further discuss and capture potential suppliers' views on the requirement, including viability and possible delivery options, as well as allowing discussion around elements of the commercial strategy, such as pricing mechanisms and duration. In order to participate in Market Interest Day, interested suppliers must confirm their attendance by 11 February 2022 by emailing [email protected]

Additional information: This is not a formal tender document. Participation of this soft market engagement will not prejudice suppliers participating in any future procurement. The Authority is publishing this announcement without any commitment to issue a tender or place a contract. Accordingly, any expenditure, work or effort undertaken before contract award is a matter solely for the commercial judgement of potential suppliers.