Nato Submarine Rescue System Third In-Service Support Period Contract Amendment for the relocation of the NSRS assets.

The In-Service Submarines Team, part of the UK Ministry of Defence, intends to award an amendment to the contract with JFD Ltd for the provision of the Nato Submarine Rescue Service (NSRS) to increase its scope to include:

1. Securing a lease on a suitable commercial premises for housing the full Nato Submarine Rescue System (NSRS);
2. Relocating the NSRS assets to the alternative commercial building and;
3. Modifying the alternative commercial building so it is fit for purpose in accordance with the system User Requirements Document.

The duration of this requirement is 4 years with the option of a further 2 + 2 years. The estimated total contract value is not to exceed £10m.

In accordance with regulation 4 of the Defence and Security Public Contracts (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (SI 2019/697) this procurement falls to be regulated under the provisions of the Defence and Security Public Contracts Regulations 2011 as amended (in particular by SI 2019/697 and SI 2020/1450). Prior publication of a contract notice in the Official Journal of the European Union is no longer appropriate. It is considered that the award of the contract without prior publication of a contract notice in the UK e-notification service (as required by the relevant legislation) is lawful in accordance with Regulation 16(1)(d)(i)(aa) of the DSPCR 2011.

Unforeseen circumstances at the Base Location have required structural surveys to be undertaken which have identified issues within the building fabric. This has resulted in limited access to personnel, affecting the Contractor's ability to fulfil their contractual requirements to maintain Rescue System readiness.

It is determined that the additional services can only be supplied by JFD Ltd because they cannot be technically or economically separated from the original contract without major inconvenience to the procurer. Technically, the additional services cannot be provided by another supplier because it would cause an intolerable risk to the provision of the core contract services. Scheduling and maintenance requirements need to be factored in to ensure no loss of critical submarine rescue capability during relocation, and the configuration of the equipment at the new location must be optimised to ensure training, maintenance and mobilisation can take place. Mobilisation of the assets already forms a key element of the contract and so JFD Ltd have subcontractor framework agreements in place which will maximise efficiency and minimise cost.

The value of this amendment does not exceed 50% of the original contract value (Regulation 16(5)).