Royal Navy looking for firm to support Batch 2 Offshore Patrol Vessels

The Ministry of Defence is inviting bidders to tender to provide engineering support for five Batch 2 River Class offshore patrol vessels.

According to the tender notice:

“The Off-Shore Patrol Vessels Future Support (OPV FS) Batch 2 project will secure the provision of engineering support (Fleet Time (FT)) and Non-Fleet Time (NFT)), logistic support and design services to the five current in-service Batch 2 Royal Navy (RN) Off-Shore Patrol Vessels (OPV’s) over an eight year period up to March 2031 (depending on the date of contract let).

The project will be delivered through a DSPCR competition, aiming to optimise the availability and readiness of the platforms to promote and ensure optimal value for money. The OPV FS contract start date is scheduled to be in July 2023.

These various support services – to be provided under a ‘Contracting for Availability’ style contract – will include but are not limited to the following:

i. the planning and execution of global repair and maintenance services;
ii. engineering support, planned preventative and corrective maintenance services;
iii. operational defect rectification services;
iv. obsolescence management services;
v. stores management services;
vi. logistic support services;
vii. risk management services; and
viii. post design services.

Taken in totality, these service packages are to form a pre-determined set of availability requirements. Interested parties are to note that whilst the project has been named Future In-Service Support Offshore Patrol Vessels (FISS OPV) since inception in 2020, the project will henceforth be referred to as Off-Shore Patrol Vessels Future Support (OPV FS) Batch 2.”

The contract will start in July 2023.

The Royal Navy say that two generations of River Class ships serve under the White Ensign. HMS Tyne, Severn and Mersey belong to the first (batch one), operating since the early 2000s. They have largely helped to protect fishing stocks, but also are frequently called on for general duties at home and abroad.

Since 2017, they’ve been joined by a new generation of River Class ships (batch two) – larger, faster, more capable. HMS Forth, HMS Medway, HMS Trent, HMS Tamar and HMS Spey are batch two vessels.