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February 2, 2018 | Information, Land

Defence procurement - Land

The Major projects - Land directorate is responsible for acquisition related to several Department of National Defence projects, including the Medium support vehicle system project and the Tactical armoured patrol vehicle project.

  • Medium support vehicle system
  • Logistic vehicle modernization
  • Tactical armoured patrol vehicle

Medium support vehicle system

A cornerstone of army transformation, the Medium support vehicle system project will replace the department of National Defence's existing Medium logistics vehicle wheeled with two new vehicles as follows:

  • a quantity of up to 1,500 Standard Military Pattern trucks for operational units as well as logistics support for the life expectancy of the vehicle estimated at 20 years; and
  • a quantity of 1,300 "Militarized" Commercial Off-The-Shelf trucks for Reserve training in Canada.

The project will also acquire up to 300 trailers, up to 150 armour protection systems and up to 1,000 Special Equipment Vehicles (SEV) Shelters and associated Kitting. The kits consist of tailored workspaces such as medical units or command posts, which are fitted to the SEV Shelters. Once installed on a truck, they convert that vehicle into a specialized unit such as a dental clinic or an equipment repair facility.

Logistic vehicle modernization

The Logistic vehicle modernisation project seeks to acquire modern light and have logistice vehicle fleet capabilities. Project deliverables may include, but not be limited to, new vehicles, trailers, flat racks, specialized vehicle mounted modules, special containers and bulk material handling systems.

The project is replacing two fleets: the Heavy logistic vehicle wheeled and the Logistic support vehicle wheeled, and two minor fleets: the Heavy engineer support vehicles generations 1 and 2. These trucks will be used to carry light and heavy cargo with various vehicle configurations and roles for domestic and expeditionary training and operations. These fleets of light and heavy logistics vehicles are in need of replacement due to their age and waning ability.

Tactical armoured patrol vehicle

On June 7, 2012, the Government of Canada awarded Textron Systems Canada Inc. (TSCI), contracts for 500 Tactical armoured patrol vehicles (TAPV), as well as logistics support for the life expectancy of the vehicle estimated at 25 years. TSCI was awarded the contracts after a comprehensive two-stage procurement process involving a Statement of Interest and Qualification phase as well as a Request for Proposal process in which four companies ultimately submitted proposals.

Canada's Industrial and Regional Benefit policy was a mandatory element of the TAPV procurement, where TSCI is required to undertake business activity in Canada valued at 100 percent of the value of both TAPV contracts, thereby ensuring a dollar-for-dollar investment in the canadian economy.

The TAPV is a wheeled combat vehicle that will fulfill a wide variety of roles including but not limited to reconnaissance and surveillance, security, command and control, cargo, and armored personnel carrier. It will have a high degree of tactical mobility and provide a very high degree of survivability to its crew.

Armoured vehicles

The Armoured vehicles projects directorate is responsible for the acquisition, integration and in-service support of Wheeled and tracked armoured vehicles. In addition, the Directorate is responsible for managing the procurement of the following projects under the Family of land combat vehicles (FLCV) program, which seeks to upgrade or replace the current fleet of land combat vehicles. The FLCV projects under the directorate responsibility consist of the Light armoured vehicle (LAV III) upgrade and the Force mobility enhancement (FME).

  • Leopard 2 family of vehicles
  • Wheeled light armoured vehicles support
  • Project management office light armoured vehicles and light armoured vehicle III upgrade
  • Light armoured vehicle – Reconnaissance surveillance system upgrade project

Leopard 2 family of vehicles

The Leopard 2 family of vehicles consists of the Tank replacement project and the Force mobility enhancement project.

The Tank replacement project was established in 2007 to loan combat-ready Leopard 2 A6M tanks from Germany to support the operation in Afghanistan and to acquire 100 surplus modern Leopard 2 main battle tanks, from the Netherlands, to meet the operational and training needs of the department of National Defence. The total project value is estimated at $650M.

Delivery of the Leopard 2 A4 training tank variant was completed in October 2014. The project also procures Leopard 2-based Armoured recovery vehicles (ARV) to support the Leopard 2 main battle tank fleets. Delivery of the first ARV was completed in November 2014. The last ARV is scheduled to be delivered in December 2015.

The Force mobility enhancement project was established in 2009 for the acquisition of Leopard 2-based armoured engineering vehicles to support the Leopard 2 main battle tank fleets and to procure and integrate implements for the various Leopard 2 fleets, such as mine rollers, mine ploughs and dozer blades. The total project value is estimated at $376M. Initial delivery of the vehicles is expected in November 2015.

Wheeled light armoured vehicles support

Responsible for in-service support of the Canadian Forces fleets of Wheeled Light Armoured Vehicles (WLAV) consisting of 651 LAV III, 203 Coyote, 199 Bison and 75 RG-31. In-service support consists of spare part procurement, repair and overhaul, program management, fleet management and engineering support services.

The Optimized Weapon System Support (OWSS) contract for the WLAV is the main procurement instrument, and covers the vast majority of the required support. A significant portion of OWSS for WLAVis sub-contracted. Separate government contracts exist to cover other needs associated with additional armoured protection and specialized armament.

In-service support is also provided to other WLAV variants under separate contractual arrangements with their respective Original Equipment Manufacturers.

Prime Contractor: General Dynamics Land Systems – Canada, London, Ontario.

Project management office light armoured vehicles and light armoured vehicle III upgrade

The Project management office (PMO) Light armoured vehicles (LAV) provides strategic procurement leadership, contract management and administration services to the department of National Defence for all LAV projects. It is now delivering the LAV III upgrade project. The LAV III upgrade project valued at $1.4B, will deliver mobility, protection and lethality upgrades on 550 LAV IIIs, with an option for an additional 60, over the next three years.

Light armoured vehicle – Reconnaissance surveillance system upgrade project

The PMO LAV is also responsible for developing and executing the procurement strategy, as well as for providing contract management, for the Department of National Defence's LRSS Upgrade project. This Project will modernize Land Force reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities. Modernization will be achieved through the acquisition of new sensor suites, vehicle and ground mounts, operator control stations and silent watch power supplies. These systems and equipment will collectively increase the performance of the LRSS and enhance the capacity to collect, process and disseminate information on the battlefield.

The contracting office will be responsible for the overall management of this complex acquisition process, the timely delivery of procurement services, and to provide leadership, expertise and strategic level guidance in sourcing the LRSS from industry.

https://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/app-acq/amd-dp/terre-land/index-eng.html

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  • Managing Intellectual Property in Defence and Marine Procurement

    January 9, 2018 | Information, Naval

    Managing Intellectual Property in Defence and Marine Procurement

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  • The real obstacle for reforming military spending isn’t in the defence ministry. It’s the Treasury Board

    November 14, 2019 | Information, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

    The real obstacle for reforming military spending isn’t in the defence ministry. It’s the Treasury Board

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  • Bridging the ­Procurement Divide

    April 24, 2018 | Information, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR

    Bridging the ­Procurement Divide

    CHRIS MACLEAN © 2018 FrontLine Defence (Vol 15, No 2) A critically honest and engaged discussion about government and industry engagement, was held recently at the Telfer School of Management as part of the new Complex Project Leadership Programs. The program participants (mostly federal civil servants who are involved in procurement) interacted with executive-level industry leaders – Joe Armstrong, Vice President and General Manager at CAE; Jerry McLean, Vice President and Managing Director of Thales Canada; Iain Christie, Vice President of AIAC; and Kevin Ford, CEO of Calian – who shared their leadership insights, as well as what it is really like to do business in Canada. Through the highlighting of mutual pain points and frustrations, as well as identifying what is being done well and ways to move forward together, efficiently, each party gained insight and understanding that is sure to improve communication and future progress. It was evident that both sides wanted to learn from each other and pinpoint the principles that would help achieve mutual success; ultimately impacting the national economic footprint and saving taxpayer dollars. From the industry perspective, dependability equals direction. When a company can be assured that it has a fair opportunity to compete for a contract, it can set its sights on that goal and will make the necessary investments to ensure the best possible outcome. When government programs start and stop and change and restart, companies find it difficult to justify the extended costs because they lose their competitive edge and/or any ability to make a profit. Instability does not save the taxpayer, but it does have the potential to impact both quality of product and sustainability of the bidders (therefore employment numbers). Contracts equal sustainability and confirmation that the company direction is on track for success. Profit equals growth and further investment. Employment and supply chain purchases depend on a profit margin that allows growth. This “number one” business requirement conflicts with the government's prime directive is to ensure its bidders make a bare minimum of profit. When asked what they need from their government counterparts in order to create a better working relationship and foster a robust industry that can contribute to a strong GDP, the industry panelists identified two key elements. One was “more accuracy in the procurement process” and the other was “predictability”. Industry must be able to foresee where profits and sustainability could potentially come from. The time it takes to award large projects is also a limiting factor to success. It was noted that, since the beginning of time, a cornerstone of success for industry has always been ensuring the satisfaction of its client. It is believed that trust in the quality of the product and ease of customer service will lead to sustainability in the form of continued business. Not so with government contracts, which seem skewed to ensure previous successes gain no advantage, and must in some cases be hidden from decision-makers. Not taking into account a company's excellent past delivery performance, was said to contribute to industry's lack of incentive to perform to the best of its ability at all times. A company's ability to invest goes beyond individual contracts, which means the prospect of being evaluated for value can be a powerful incentive for going that extra mile – if exploited, not suppressed. Government employees were encouraged to exhibit courage in pursuing ways to truly streamline the procurement process, rather than repeatedly adding more and more layers of approvals and meetings. Industry leaders across the spectrum have commented on a palpable “lack of trust” on the part of government negotiators. Does this mistrust come from contract negotiators feeling the pursuit of profit is somehow un-Canadian? Or does it mean a company does not care enough about its customers? Neither assumption is accurate, and this may be one area where a culture change could make a world of difference. As one audience member exclaimed: “This was the best, most transparent conversation regarding the procurement process, I have ever heard.” While large-scale procurements will always be contentious due to the huge dollars and risk at stake, embracing the concept of open and unreserved dialogue, like what was experienced by this small group, has the potential to uncover procurement pitfalls and create a more progressive process. The Telfer School of Management's Complex Program Leadership programs focus on the hard and soft skills necessary to successfully deliver inherently complex programs and projects, while emphasizing strategic thinking, creative problem solving, stakeholder engagement, and leadership skills as key building blocks for this goal. http://defence.frontline.online/article/2018/2/9586-Bridging-the-vast-%C2%ADProcurement-Divide

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