November 21, 2019 | Local, Naval
Andrea Gunn (agunn@herald.ca)
OTTAWA, Ont. —
Canada could have a thing or two to learn from the Australians when it comes to buying warships, a new report claims.
Ian Mack, a retired rear admiral and director-general in the Department of National Defence, released a paper via the Canadian Global Affairs Institute on Friday shedding light on what he believes are some key mistakes in the way Ottawa has handled the $60-billion procurement of a new fleet of frigates.
Mack has a unique perspective. He served in his DND role from 2007 to 2017 and was responsible for the conception, shaping and support of the launch and implementation of the National Shipbuilding Strategy, including the initial stages of the Canadian surface combatant competition. In 2017 Mack was selected by the Australian government to join an international expert advisory panel for their Future Frigate Program as it moved into its competitive evaluation process.
In the paper, Mack points out the similarities between the two countries: they embarked on the procurement process at about the same time, they both sought to break the boom-and-bust cycle of shipbuilding, and ultimately they would both end up selecting BAE's Type 26 global combat ship as their preferred design.
But the differences, Mack says, are what have encumbered Canada's process, and why the Canadian government took three years longer to go from government approval to design selection than the Australians,
In the paper, Mack points to excessive red tape, inexperience among officials working on the project, and a general lack of drive to change the process to make it more efficient and cost-effective.
For example, the Australian government made the decision up front to restrict the competition to three shipbuilders and their warship designs, whereas Canada only required shipbuilders to qualify to compete, which over 10 of them did.
The initial request for proposals for the Canadian surface combatant also included hundreds of mandatory technical requirements characterized in great detail which proved problematic and led to an eventual overhaul of the process. In comparison, for Australia's future frigate, there were only a few mandatory requirements of any kind with further guidance provided to bidders via a question and response process.
Mack also pointed out that in Canada, the project management office was about the same size as in Australia but entirely drawn from the public service and the Canadian Armed Forces, with a significant number of team members having little or no applicable industry experience or knowledge, whereas in Australia, the office was populated by knowledgeable contractors.
The Canadian government, Mack concludes, has traditionally worn blinders when it comes to executing complex procurement projects.
“It takes a serious investment of effort to study what others are doing,” he writes.
“One useful place to start is by comprehensively exploring other nations' approaches to identify gems we might adopt and trial before we need to buy warships again.”
June 7, 2023 | Local, Aerospace
Bids have been requested for the long-endurance plane that will be used to provide support to Canadian Special Operations Forces Command.
July 22, 2019 | Local, Aerospace
DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN Airbus and Boeing may pull out of a bidding process to supply Canada with new fighter jets because they say the contest is unfairly tilted toward Lockheed Martin's F-35, Reuters has reported. Officials with Saab have expressed similar concerns. The news comes as the request for proposals (bids) is expected to be released soon. Boeing and Airbus have now formally written to the federal government expressing concerns about the current requirements, according to Reuters. Pat Finn, the Assistant Deputy Minister for Materiel at the Department of National Defence, has confirmed one of the companies sent a formal letter but he didn't provide details. It's no secret Saab, Airbus and Boeing are upset with the changes made to the competition after the Pentagon threatened to pull the F-35 out of the $19 billion competition. Officials with Lockheed Martin's three competitors say the Canadian government went overboard to please the Pentagon and the bid package is now designed so the F-35 would emerge as the clear winner. That would make the Royal Canadian Air Force happy since it has always wanted the F-35 stealth fighter. The Liberal government has committed to purchasing 88 new fighter jets. The competition was launched on Dec. 12, 2017. Four fighter jets are to be considered. Those include the F-35, the Super Hornet, the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Gripen. In the fall of 2018 Dassault Aviation pulled out as a potential bidder. The company had planned to offer the Rafale but decided against competing the aircraft because of the extensive requirements for interoperability with the U.S. military. The first delivery of the jets is expected in the mid-2020s with the full capability available in the early 2030s, according to the DND document. The requirements for a new Canadian fighter jet put emphasis on strategic attack and striking at ground targets during foreign missions, according to federal government procurement documents obtained by Postmedia. While the Liberal government has been highlighting the need to buy the jets to protect Canadian airspace and meet the country's commitments to the U.S.-Canadian North American Aerospace Defence Command, the procurement criteria, currently in draft form, provides additional weight to those aircraft that can excel at ground attack for overseas operations. That criteria is seen to favour Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth jet, say those industry representatives allied with Lockheed's rivals. But Finn, the Department of National Defence's procurement chief, says there is such a wide variety of requirements to meet that while some aircraft might be seen to do well in some areas, they may not excel in others. “Somebody may be better in a high-end scenario but they're worst for cost,” Finn explained in a recent interview. “That's why we say it's the whole piece” that will be considered in the competition. Some will dismiss the latest news about companies threatening to pullout of the competition as a bluff or a last-ditch effort to force changes on the request for proposal package, which is expected to be released in a week or so. That is one scenario. The other scenario is this: the effort to prepare a bid is expected to cost each firm about $15 million and involve up to 30 staff members. It is an extensive process. If Canada's request for proposals is so tilted towards the F-35 – or seen to be tilted – then companies will think twice about committing to that process. (Analysis) https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/fighter-jet-firms-mull-pullout-from-canadian-competition-f-35-could-be-last-plane-standing
April 9, 2019 | Local, Naval
DAVID PUGLIESE, OTTAWA CITIZEN MV Asterix is now operating with HMCS Regina in Middle Eastern waters as part of a Canadian-led coalition task force. The Asterix, a commercial ship converted by Davie shipyards in Quebec and leased to the federal government to perform a military supply role, has been going almost non-stop since it was launched. It has refueled both Canadian and allied warships. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said there is no need for a second such interim supply ship and the head of the Royal Canadian Navy, Vice Admiral Ron Lloyd, says he is happy with having the Asterix as the force's only supply ship until 2023 when the first of two Joint Support Ships, to be built at Seaspan in Vancouver, is expected to be ready. Davie, however, has offered to convert a second such ship, MV Obelix, to the same capabilities of Asterix and lease it to the government. At one point the navy had three of its own supply ships supporting its vessels. Information recently tabled in Parliament indicates that even though Asterix has been going full-tilt over the last year, there was still a requirement for Canadian warships to receive fuel and provisions from supply vessels operated by foreign navies or for Canadian ships to head to port to receive fuel and supplies. Here are the details from Parliament: The Asterix is also at the heart of federal government's case against Vice Admiral Mark Norman. Norman has been accused by the RCMP of warning Davie that Liberal cabinet ministers wanted to derail the Asterix project. That development leaked out to the news media and the resulting embarrassment was one of the factors that forced the Liberal government to back down on its plans and Asterix proceeded. Norman has denied any wrongdoing. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had twice predicted that Norman would eventually wind up in court, prompting concerns of political interference and concerns the Liberal government is punishing the officer. Norman's lawyers are in pre-trial trying to get documents they argue are needed so the officer can defend himself. Norman's trial is scheduled for August. https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/defence-watch/the-case-for-a-second-interim-resupply-ship-new-stats-show-how-foreign-navies-continue-to-refuel-canadian-navy-ships