On Thursday, with no alternative competitors left, and knee-deep in political chaos that made any thought of a Government Assurance process ridiculous, the DfT/MCA abandoned the timetabled September announcement and awarded the UKSAR2G contract to Bristow and friends. The award is not yet in the government contract finder.
GOV.UK
Ministerial
Bristow
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Although the current 2015 to 2026 contract seemed like a ground-breaking step forward, UKSAR2G is actually the first time that this has been done thoroughly based on a proper data set.
At the start of this bid process, the DfT/MCA team provided an air rescue data set and a software solution accessible to bidders that allowed them to run models to simulate their aircraft and base solutions.
This contrasts with 2011-13 when bases were "in the vicinity of" the results from November 2011's "10 Base Solution" which, although allowing some flexibility around the 10 locations, was quite a fixed solution. It made improvisations based upon an aggregate life saving capability across the UK SRR. Like all of the solutions of 2011; GAPSAR and that Main contract; these were rushed solutions that were forced upon the department and their contractors by the collapse of the 25 year PFI earlier in the year. All credit to the DfT, MCA, BHL and CHC for making all that work well in super quick time.
That is not where we are now. Witness, back to 12 bases including a part-time element, three different aircraft types, bases with different numbers of aircraft. Why? There are people dying over there and they are dying in a certain way and THAT is the solution. But over here there are people dying in a different way, at different times, and in different groups and THIS is the solution.
In some districts, AW139 may not be a welcome downsize. In Scotland, lack of S-92 seems like a problem for large searches. If anyone thinks we're going from Lewis or Kinlochbervie to Lee-on-Solent for training, they can #*&%£*#.
It will probably work out fine.
And all the new aircraft are relatively cheap ones. And there are enough S-92 left over to do Ireland.
