Shortlist of bidders announced for the next decade of Coastguard search and rescue aviation
The shortlist of companies being invited to tender for the next generation of search and rescue aviation has been announced by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
From today (10 June), the shortlisted bidders will be invited to tender for the UK Second-Generation Search and Rescue Aviation programme – known as UKSAR2G - to provide HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopters, planes and remotely piloted drones.
The UKSAR2G invitation to tender will be issued to these shortlisted bidders to provide their responses by the end of August this year:
Lot 1: Rotary, shorter endurance with standard carriage capacity for short range rescue work
- Bristow Helicopters Ltd
- EEA Helicopters Operations B.V
- Serco Limited
Lot 2: Rotary; High endurance with larger carriage capacity for long range/multiple casualty rescues
- Bristow Helicopters Ltd
- EEA Helicopters Operations B.V.
- Serco Limited
Lot 3: Fixed-wing, manned and potentially unmanned for rapid search, surveillance and pollution identification
- 2Excel Aviation Ltd
- EEA Helicopters Operations B.V
- Elbit Systems UK Ltd
- Serco Limited
Lot 4: A combined solution that contains all of the requirements for Lots 1, 2 and 3 but provided by one supplier/consortium, enabling the potential cost saving benefits of such an arrangement to be articulated in a single bid.
- Airbus Helicopters UK LTD
- Bristow Helicopters Ltd
- EEA Helicopters Operations B.V.
- Serco Limited
Once the responses have been received and following negotiation, the MCA expects to award the contract in late summer-2022, which will allow time for the successful bidder or bidders to establish operations before commencing service from 2024 for at least 10 years.
Damien Oliver, Senior Responsible Owner for UKSAR2G said:
Our extensive data has been used to develop the tools that will enable bidders for UKSAR2G to include cutting-edge, greener technology that will continue to meet the complex demands of Her Majesty’s Coastguard long into the future.
This is a truly pan-Government capability that recognises that more than 50% of the demand for Coastguard aviation today arises from other public bodies. UKSAR2G will continue to support UK policing, the health services and other law enforcement bodies in the work they do. The scale of this collaboration has never been seen before on a Government Procurement.
This is a really exciting programme that will continue to protect the public using state-of the-art aviation technology.
The cost of UKSAR2G is expected to be lower than the cost of HM Coastguard’s current search and rescue and aerial surveillance operations. It is up to bidders to ensure they propose a price that achieves the aims of UKSAR2G, while remaining affordable to the taxpayer.
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