Vanguard Magazine

16OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2024 www.vanguardcanada.com P R O C U R E M E N T Procurement The procurement method, to be deter- mined by Public Services & Procurement Canada (PSPC), in conjunction with In- novation, Science and Economic Devel- opment Canada (ISEDC), will set the framework for how the procurement is to be achieved. Historically, Canada has usually demanded a competition for both build and long-term support (separate contracts), using an Invitation to Qualify (ITQ) process to reduce the number of authorized bidders. With this, a procure- ment timeline (in years) 10 would normally be: • D - Delivery of first submarine into ser- vice • D - 1 year – Post build trials and accep- tance • D - 8 years – Commence construction • D - 10 years – Contract Award and de- sign review • D - 12 years – Request for Proposal is- sued • D - 14 years – Invitation to Qualify is- sued • D - 16 years – Requests for Informa- tion/Industry Engagement • D - 18 years – Memoranda to Cabinet and Project approval Based on the above timeline, it is clear the decision to replace these submarines is considerably overdue. Moreover, if one were to optimistically assume that the 18-year procurement clock could start in 2024, it would see the first submarine de- livered, at the earliest, to Canada in 2042, with the subsequent loss of a national sub- marine capability, as all four Victoria-class submarines must be retired by the end of the 2030s. In short, the historical procure- ment process will simply not work in this case and Canada will have to consider oth- er procurement avenues, such as: • Sole source using an Advanced Contract Award Notice (ACAN), a process similar to the CC-117 Globemaster Procure- ment Project in 2006. 11 • An ITQ process where only one quali- fied supplier was identified, a process similar to the Strategic Tanker Capability Project in 2021. 12 In summary, as Canada's current subma- rine fleet will retire from service by the end of the next decade, there is limited time left to build and deliver a replacement, that is on average about eight years. To maintain a submarine capability, the first new vessel must be delivered by 2035, which means that Canada must be in contract with a proven builder by 2027 at the latest – less than three years from now. Furthermore, as Canada has always procured submarines from an off-shore builder, the reality of the situation precludes any suggestion that Canada could put in place the necessary specialized infrastructure and expertise to build submarines in Canada – there is sim- ply not enough time. Now is the time to accelerate the process by selecting an in-service submarine de- sign that can meet Canadian requirements, without significant modifications, and be delivered by a proven 'on time' submarine builder. As can be seen, there are not a lot of options available to Canada - in both de- sign and delivery time. The use of a rapid ITQ process to determine the best option for Canada should then be followed by im- mediate procurement action. These actions would not only expedite the replacement of an ageing capability with a submarine designed to meet national requirements, as articulated in Our North, Strong and Free, but also free up precious fiscal resources dedicated to maintaining an ever increas- ingly expensive legacy fleet. References: 1. Canada, Our North, Strong and Free (April 2024). 2. "Netherlands Picks France's Naval Group over Saab for Submarine Deal," The Defence Post (April 2024) 3. Rudy Ruitenberg, "Dutch navy starts retiring submarines, but successor still unknown," Defence News (October 2023) 4. CDA Institute, "Statement on the Defence Policy Update" (April 12, 2024). 5. One option that will be examined is AIP technology for extending range. Wikipedia, "Air-independent propul- sion." 6. 2023 briefing by the RCN Director Naval Requirements on the Canadian Patrol Submarine project indicated the requirement for the submarine to operate in an ocean-going environ- ment and be able to transit 3500 nau- tical miles (nm) to a patrol area, patrol for three weeks and return without refuelling or resupply 7. IMO, Polar Code Infographic. 8. The only previous submarines built by Germany of over 2000 tons submerged displacement are the Israeli Dolphin class and the Type 218 Singaporean Invincible-class. The 2400-ton (INS Rahav) was laid down in 2008 and delivered in Jan 2016 – 96 months. 9. This is a nuclear-powered submarine. Naval Group has indicated that de- livery for first conventionally pow- ered version of the Barracuda-class submarine for the Dutch navy will be 10 years (120 months) from contact award. 10. Assumed an arbitrary 8-year (96 month) build to deliver timeframe 11. Government of Canada, "CC-177 Globemaster procurement project." 12. Government of Canada, "Strategic Tanker Transport Capability project." Reprinted with permission, Starshell Spring 2024, www.navalassoc.ca Capt(N) Norman Jolin [Ret'd] served 37 years in the Royal Canadian Navy, in a ca- reer that saw service across the entire spec- trum of maritime operations in both ships and submarines, including command of the Halifax-class frigate HMCS Montréal. His final appointments were outside Canada in support of NATO and defence diplomacy, notably as the Naval Adviser to the UK and the Defence Attaché to Denmark. In 2017 he joined CFN Consultants specializing in sup- port to naval and maritime issues Now is the time to accelerate the process by selecting an in-service submarine design that can meet Canadian requirements, without significant modifications, and be delivered by a proven 'on time' submarine builder.

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