Vanguard Magazine

8 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019 www.vanguardcanada.com S Sit REP The Government of Canada has announced that it's launching a com- petitive process to include a third Canadian shipyard under the National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) to join Irving Shipbuilding Inc. and Seas- pan's Vancouver Shipyards. Through an Invitation to Qualify, the government will shortlist pre- qualified shipyards that will be eligible to submit a formal proposal to become the third strategic partner under the NSS, according to a press release. Shipyards that are interested in submitting a proposal have 15 days to respond to the Invitation to Qualify. Those shortlisted will move on to the next steps in the process of submitting a formal proposal, evaluated by a third party to assess the respective shipyards, and have a financial due diligence process completed to see if they have the financial capac- ity to perform the work. The government will then begin negotiations with the successful ship- yard for a potential umbrella agreement, one that "closely mirror the ex- isting agreements with Irving Shipbuilding Inc. and Seaspan Shipyards and will identify the shipyard as a third strategic source of supply under the National Shipbuilding Strategy." The selected shipyard will build the next fleet of six new icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard. Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Jonathan Wilkinson said that by adding the new program icebreakers they are en- Canada issues RFP for 88 future fighter jets Third shipyard under NSS to build six new icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard The long-awaited Request for Proposal (RFP) for the purchase of 88 fighter jets for the Royal Canadian Air Force has finally been released. On July 23, the government issued the formal RFP to four eligible suppliers: • SAAB AB • Airbus Defense and Space GmbH (with MBDA UK Limited, L3 Technolo- gies MAS and CAE Canada) suring that the women and men of the Canadian Coast Guard have the equipment they need to deliver icebreaking services in the Arctic, the St. Lawrence waterway and Canada's East Coast. Icebreakers are essential to Canada's economy in supporting year- round marine trade and providing the means to make Canadian ferries operate during the winter. The program icebreakers are also used to ser- vice Canada's Arctic communities and industries. CF-188A Hornet. Photo: wikipedia.org CCGS Henry Larsen, Medium Icebreaker, in St. John's, NL, Canada Photo: D. Gordon E. Robertson • Lockheed Martin Corporation (Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company with Pratt and Whitney) • The Boeing Company (with Peraton Canada Corp., CAE Inc., L3 Technolo- gies MAS Inc., GE Canada and Raytheon Canada Limited Services and Support Division) These suppliers have until spring 2020 to submit initial proposals to Canada. After which, the competition will be cut down to two bids and the winner selected by 2022. The delivery of the first aircraft is expected in 2025. The proposals will be assessed on elements of 60 per cent techni- cal merit, 20 per cent cost and 20 per cent economic benefits. The four bidders will have two opportunities to present a plan to meet Canada's security and interoperability requirements. The first is due in fall 2019, and after receiving feedback from Canada, the "bidders may revise and resubmit that offer as part of the initial proposal in spring 2020." Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility, Carla Qualtrough said that the release of the RFP is "an important step in the process that will provide the women and men of the Royal Canadian Air Force with the aircraft they need to help ensure the safety and security of Canadians, at the right price and with the most economic benefit to Canada." The new fleet of fighter jets will replace the aging CF-18s, which were purchased in the early 1980s.

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