The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has announced a tender for the provision of Underwater Engineering Services (UES), valued at up to £71 million, to support the Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA).
The contract will span seven years, covering services both within the UK and globally, with an application deadline of 19 December 2024.
The MOD states that the framework will ensure the delivery of essential underwater inspection, maintenance, and repair activities for Royal Navy ships and equipment. According to the notice, the contract will be split into two lots:
- Lot 1: Provision of UES within the UK, estimated at £6.2 million.
- Lot 2: Provision of UES outside the UK, estimated at £65 million.
The MOD has emphasised that potential providers may register for one or both lots.
Key Services Required
The MOD outlines the scope of the services in the tender notice:
- Commercial Diving Services: These services must adhere to UK Health and Safety Executive Diving at Work Regulations. They will include a range of tasks, such as underwater inspection, maintenance, and repairs for Royal Navy vessels.
- Engineering Procedure Development: Providers will need to review and update underwater engineering technical procedures, including the creation of engineering drawings and manufacturing data packs.
- Specialist Equipment Services: The contract covers the inspection, repair, manufacturing, or supply of specialist underwater equipment, such as hull aperture blanks, cofferdams, and hull cleaning tools.
The tender adds, “No business whatsoever is guaranteed under any resultant Framework Agreement or contract. Indeed, there is no guarantee that any Framework Agreement or contract will be put in place in relation to this notice.”
The MOD has highlighted that the indicative values for each lot are estimates, stating, “The Authority may order or place tasks to a total value less than the estimated values and shall not be bound to place any orders or tasks under either Lot 1 or Lot 2.”
Furthermore, the notice clarifies that suppliers should proceed with full understanding: “No compensation etc. will be paid if a tender or resulting Framework Agreement is withdrawn for any reason. Potential Providers should take part in this process only on the basis that they fully understand and accept this position.”
Application Details
The UES framework will be managed by the MOD’s Salvage and Marine Operations Delivery Team (SALMO DT) on behalf of Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S). The contract’s delivery period is scheduled from 1 November 2025 to 31 October 2032.
Interested providers can access the Dynamic Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (DPQQ) through the Defence Sourcing Portal: MOD Contracts Portal.
This tender reinforces the MOD’s focus on maintaining and modernising naval support capabilities, ensuring the operational readiness of the Royal Navy’s fleet through strategic industry partnerships.
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“Commercial Diving Services: These services must adhere to UK Health and Safety Executive Diving at Work Regulations. They will include a range of tasks, such as underwater inspection, maintenance, and repairs for Royal Navy vessels.”
The RN Diving branch I believe already carried out IWMAR, so are they getting cut now too if MoD is asking for commercial assistance?
Northern and Southern Diving Groups operated in UK waters, as well as clearing UXO.
They were just reformed into D&TEG.