United Kingdom-Bristol: Provision of Smoke Dye for the RAF Aerobatic Team

Type of document: Contract Notice
Country: United Kingdom
Publication Ref: (2021/S 000-029106/EN)
Nature of contract: Supply contract
Type of bid required: Global bid

Contract notice
Supplies

Section I: Contracting authority
I.1) Name and addresses
Official name: Ministry of Defence
Town: Bristol
Postal code: BS34 8JH
Country: United Kingdom
Contact Person: Karen Lockyer
Email: karen.lockyer101@mod.gov.uk
Internet address(es):
Main address:

I.3) Communication
The procurement documents are available for unrestricted and full direct access, free of charge,at:
Additional information can be obtained from:
the above mentioned address
Tenders or requests to participate must be submitted:
electronically via:
I.4) Type of the contracting authority
Ministry or any other national or federal authority, including their regional or local sub-divisions
I.5) Main activity
Defence

Section II: Object
II.1) Scope of the procurement
II.1.1) Title: Provision of Smoke Dye for the RAF Aerobatic Team
II.1.2) Main CPV code: 24200000
II.1.3) Type of contract: Supplies
II.1.4) Short Description: Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) is inviting potential providers to participate in a competition for the supply of smoke dye for the RAF Aerobatic Team (the ‘Red Arrows’). The contract will run from 2022-2025, with options to extend for a further 2 years.
II.1.5) Estimated total value:
Value excluding VAT: 3000000.00 Currency: GBP
II.1.6) Information about lots:
The contract is divided into lots: no
II.2) Description
II.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
24211000, 24212600, 98316000

II.2.3) Place of performance
Nuts code:
Main site or place of performance:
The DE&S procurement team is based in Bristol. Dye trials as part of this competition are to be conducted at RAF Scampton. Product delivery is expected to be to RAF Scampton / RAF Waddington.

II.2.4) Description of the procurement:
Introduction
DE&S is inviting Potential Providers to take part in a competition for the provision of aerobatic smoke dye for the RAF Aerobatics Team (the ‘Red Arrows’). The winning supplier will be awarded a contract for the provision of dye until 2025 (i.e. a 3 year term), with options to extend for a further 2 years.
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Requirement
The requirement is for the provision of red and blue smoke dyes made to the specification of DefStan 68-272 Issue 1 [in order to access DefStan 68-272 potential providers are requested to register on the public version of StanMIS at ]. The contract will run until 2025, with two additional 12-month extension options.
It is expected that the quantity of dye required will be an annual provision of 16,500 – 25,000 litres of red and 16,500 – 25,000 litres of blue dye, as determined by the annual flying schedule. The dye is to be delivered in suitable containers in 1-2 batches per year (or as required) to RAF bases including RAF Scampton, RAF Waddington, or other locations as specified. There may also be additional bespoke requirements, such as for different colours beyond red and blue, or ad-hoc orders beyond the core annual provision. Further detail will be provided in the Invitation to Negotiate (ITN).
It is anticipated that the first delivery of dye will be required for September 2022.
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PQQ Evaluation
The Authority will use a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) to select a maximum of three (3) Potential Providers to invite to tender for provision of the service. The criteria for selection of the Potential Providers is detailed in the Guidance and Evaluation Criteria document attached to the PQQ. Unsuccessful Potential Providers will be issued with a debrief letter and excluded from further stages of the competition. In the event that fewer than three Potential Providers meet the minimum criteria of the PQQ, the Authority reserves the right to take through fewer than three to the next stage.
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Invitation to Negotiate (ITN)
Following the PQQ, successful Potential Providers will be issued with an Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) for the provision of the service. It is anticipated that the ITN will seek responses in three areas:
1) A Technical response, which will include responses to questions as well as a full ground and flight trial of Potential Providers’ smoke dye;
2) A Social Value response;
3) A Commercial/Price response.
Finalised weightings and evaluation criteria will be provided at the ITN stage. After submission of initial tenders, Potential Providers may be invited to a round of negotiations, with further details to be provided in the ITN. Please note that the Authority reserves the right to award the contract without any rounds of negotiation.
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Dye Trials
Potential Providers selected to progress to the ITN stage will be required to provide dye to be tested in ground equipment and in air trials. These trials are expected to take place at RAF Scampton over a week in 2022 to be determined by the flying programme, and no earlier than w/c Monday 31 January 2022. Confirmed dates for trials will be issued with the ITN. Dye to trial will be required at RAF Scampton the week prior to trials. It is anticipated that Potential Providers will be required to supply 400 litres of each colour (400 red, 400 blue) to be tested. This is to provide enough Smoke Dye to cover a range of ground and air tests, to be detailed in the ITN. Please note, Potential Providers will be required to cover all costs of manufacture & delivery of dye samples. Instructions for preparation and delivery of the dye samples will be provided with the ITN. Providers unable to provide dye to trial will be automatically excluded.
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Other Notes
It should be noted that this is a separate requirement to that advertised in the recently published RFI [tender_282616/987224] relating to R&D of a future dye solution, which is being conducted separately.
II.2.5) Award criteria

II.2.7) Duration of the contract,framework agreement or dynamic purchasing system
Duration in months: 60
This contract is subject to renewal: no
II.2.9) Information about the limits on the number of candidates to be invited
Maximum number: 3
Objective criteria for choosing the limited number of candidates: A maximum of three (3) Potential Providers will be selected following submission and evaluation of PQQ responses to progress to the ITN stage. If there are fewer than three Potential Providers who meet the criteria, the Authority reserves the right to invite fewer than three to the next stage.
The criteria used to select Potential Providers to progress to the ITN phase is outlined in the PQQ and the associated guidance documentation.

II.2.10) Information about variants
Variants will be accepted: no
II.2.11) Information about options
Options yes
Description of options: There will be two (2) additional option years included in the contract, each lasting twelve (12) months. It will be at the Authority’s discretion as to whether to take up these options.

II.2.13) Information about European Union funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds:no
II.2.14) Additional information: The Contracting Authority intends to use an e-Tendering system in this procurement exercise, please visit www.contracts.mod.uk for full details and to register your interest in this procurement.

Section III: Legal, economic, financial and technical information
III.1) Conditions for participation
III.1.2) Economic and financial standing
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents
III.1.3) Technical and professional ability
Selection criteria as stated in the procurement documents

Section IV: Procedure
IV.1) Description
IV.1.1) Type of procedure:
Competitive procedure with negotiation
IV.1.5) Information about negotiation
The contracting authority reserves the right to award the contract on the basis of the initial tenders without conducting negotiationsIV.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement(GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: yes
IV.2) Administrative information
IV.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number in the OJ S:2021/S 000-025413
IV.2.2) Time limit for receipt of tenders or requests to participate
Date: 2021-12-22 Local time: 23:59
IV.2.3) Estimated date of dispatch of invitations to tender or to participate to selected candidates
Date: 2022-01-17
IV.2.4) Languages in which tenders or requests to participate may be submitted:EN

Section VI: Complementary information
VI.1) Information about recurrence:
This is a recurrent procurement: no
VI.2) Information about electronic workflows
VI.4) Procedures for review
VI.4.1) Review body
Official name: Defence Equipment & Support
Town: Bristol
Postal code: BS34 8JH
Country: United Kingdom
VI.5) Date of dispatch of this notice:2021-11-22