My concern is that the UK does not have a comprehensive CSAR capability and this privatisation will make the future prospect of such a capability even more unlikely.
Why should it make it more unlikely? I know this may be a controversial view, but perhaps the military provision of a UK coastal SAR service is an outdated Coldwar anachronism.
Maybe if the new civilian contract is controlled by the UK Coastguard and funded by another government department, the MOD may be able to concentrate its funding on a deployable, CSAR capability - which is, after all, what the front-line needs these days.