Purchase of Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) and Road Launching Trailers

Tender description

Border Force (BF) secures the border and promotes national prosperity by facilitating the legitimate movement of individuals and goods, whilst preventing those that would cause harm from entering the UK. BF currently operate a fleet of sea going patrol craft operating in both UK National and International waters. BF has a requirement to purchase Two (2) Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs), complete with Road Launching Trailers (RLTs) in accordance with MCA CAT 3 and DVSA regulations. Lot 1: BF require a Supplier who can provide the RHIBs and their trailers as a Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) solution to meet an aspirational delivery of January 2023. The primary role of the RHIBs will be; a) To provide a mobile, flexible seaborne force capable of maintaining an effective deterrent against illegal immigration, smuggling and other breaches of the law administered by the Home Office Operational Directorate: BF both within and outside the territorial waters of the UK; and b) To increase maritime intelligence, undertake surveillance and improve international liaison in combating illegal immigration, the smuggling of drugs and movement of instruments of terrorism by sea; The current high-level scope of this specification is; a) The RHIB and Trailer overall weight must be in compliance with DVSA Road Traffic Acts able to be towed by a vehicle with a maximum towable limit of 3500 kgs and with a by 50mm Class 3 ball tow hitch; b) To safely carry 6 persons seated on shock mitigating seats; c) To achieve more than 40 knots in a sea state 2 condition while in a Fully Loaded Condition of a full complement of crew (6), full fuel load and 35kgs of equipment; d) Continuously maintain 20+ knots in a sea state 4 condition; e) Provide a range of 180 nM @ 20 knots with a 10 percent margin of fuel remaining; f) Provide measures that mitigate against the effects of whole-body vibrations (WBV) and repeated shocks (RS) so that BF (notwithstanding applicable derogations) can as far possible, apply those parts of MGN 353 (M+F) The Merchant Shipping & Fishing Vessels (Control of Vibration at Work) Regulations 2007 to the operations of its RHIBs; and g) Provide, in accordance with MGN 352 (M+F) The Merchant Shipping & Fishing Vessels (Control of Noise at Work) Regulations 2007, that risks arising from exposure to noise are identified and either “eliminated or reduced as far as reasonably practicable”.