The industry briefing for the Arafura class OPV through-life support was cancelled in Perth yesterday due to social distancing measures introduced by health experts.
“The Commonwealth would like to advise that the OPV CLCM RFT Industry briefing, scheduled to occur on Monday 16 March 2020 in Perth, is cancelled due to the potential impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) and travel restrictions imposed on a number of companies. The OPV Transition Team apologises for any inconvenience caused,” according to communication via Austender.
“To ensure the timely provision of the briefing information, the Commonwealth will release an Addendum to MSD/RFT/12626/1 by COB 18 March 2020 which will contain the Industry briefing presentations, talking points and additional supporting material (including responses to questions already received by the OPV Transition Team). The Commonwealth wishes to ensure that no tenderers are disadvantaged by travel restrictions or concerns surrounding COVID-19.”
Under the arrangements, the pilot program for Plan Galileo (CASG’s new approach to maritime fleet sustainment – see ADM’s October 2019 for more), the Department of Defence is seeking to procure Capability Life Cycle Manager (CLCM) services in support of the Sea 1180 OPV.
“The CLCM will conduct assurance and capability stewardship services during the acquisition and sustainment phases of the OPV Capability Life Cycle, as well as ensuring a smooth transition into service,” according to Austender.
The CLCM Contract will be a maximum of seven years and will be split up into a number of phases. The first phase is the Assurance and Planning Phase (one year), with the primary objective of ensuring the integrity of OPV Support System Technical Data. The second phase is the Acceptance and Delivery Phase (three years), which includes acceptance of the initial tranche of OPVs into sustainment. The third phase is the In-Service and Delivery Phase (three years), which involves the long-term stewardship of the OPV Capability. The CLCM will be located in and perform the services in Western Australia, according to documentation already released.
Editor’s comment: I suspect this will be the first of many such cancellations over the coming weeks and months. The social distancing measures being introduced nation-wide in conjunction with self-isolation measures for international travellers mean that we truly will see what meetings could be emails or telecons. ADM will continue updating our Tender bulletin as these details come to light.