Aircraft-operation services

Tender description

Following the Icelandic volcanic eruption in April 2010 the CAA determined that a dedicated aircraft capable of detecting volcanic ash (VA) in the atmosphere and measuring its concentration should be available to help inform the forecasting of the movement and dispersion of ash. The Met Office in conjunction with a third party aircraft operator currently provides the resulting civil contingency aircraft service on behalf of the CAA. Whereby, the aircraft is equipped with specialist atmospheric monitoring equipment, to provide real-time information about the current location of ash, and its concentrations. The Met Office is looking to engage the market to understand future operating options, and aircraft/UAV capabilities, by way of an expression of interest process and a supplier open day on the 19.9.2019, in Exeter, Devon. Following the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption in April 2010 the CAA determined that a dedicated aircraft capable of detecting volcanic ash (VA) in the atmosphere and measuring its concentration should be available to help inform the forecasting of the movement and dispersion of ash. The Met Office in conjunction with a third party aircraft operator currently provides the resulting civil contingency aircraft service on behalf of the CAA. Whereby, the aircraft is equipped with specialist atmospheric monitoring equipment, to provide real-time information about the current location of ash, and its concentrations, to the Met Office atmospheric scientists and forecasters. The Met Office is looking to engage the market to understand future operating options, and aircraft/UAV capabilities, by way of an expression of interest process, and a supplier open day on the 19.9.2019 The output of this engagement exercise will be to gain an understanding of these operating options and available aircraft capabilities, the affordability of these options, such that this can form part of the investment case for provision beyond the current contract. The intention thereafter, is that the new contract will be formally tendered to select the future provider, albeit this process will depend on the overall affordability. Due to the nature of instrumentation operated from the civil contingency aircraft, the airframe would need to undergo conversion to deploy external sensors. Hence the need to engage the market as early as possible.