https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/imps ... e-project/As the UK Defence Minister, Gavin Williamson, spent last week showcasing UK shipbuilding capabilities in Glasgow to his Australian counterpart, London has decided to put a pause to the Type 31e programme.
First reported by Jane's and confirmed to Shephard by the UK MoD, the current competition for the Type 31e light frigate will be ‘restarted due to insufficient compliant bids received for an effective and robust competition’.
In a statement the MoD said: ‘Making this decision now and starting a new procurement is the right thing to do to deliver the best outcome. We will present plans for a new streamlined procedure imminently.’
Although it could be seen as detrimental to the tight deadline industry has been given for the project, with a first ship delivered by 2023, the MoD appears to believe this is still an achievable goal despite the disruption to proceedings.
‘There have been no changes in our plans to procure a first batch of five new Type 31e frigates to grow our Royal Navy. We still want the first ship delivered by 2023 and are confident that industry will meet the challenge of providing them for the price tag we’ve set.
‘This is an early contract in a wider procurement process, and we will incorporate the lessons learned and begin again as soon as possible so the programme can continue at pace,’ the statement said.
Merseyside shipbuilder Cammell Laird meanwhile said that the UK's National Shipbuilding Strategy 'required a new approach' from the MoD and industry, while it remained confident that the company 'will deliver a world class frigate' should it win the competition 'in due course'.
Cammell Laird had partnered with BAE Systems to propose its Leander platform, itself heavily based on the Khareef corvettes currently in service with the Royal Navy of Oman.
It is understood that industry is being encouraged by the MoD not to engage with the media and Babcock, which is offering its Arrowhead 140 design (pictured), declined to comment.
BAE Systems showcases Type 31e design to international audiences at DIMDEX 2018 (9. März 2018)
https://www.baesystems.com/en/article/b ... imdex-2018
Request For Information (RFI) to support Type 31e (T31e) Market Testing (s.v. ANNEX F – T31E KEY CHARACTERISTICS DESCRIPTION)
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.u ... 1e_RFI.pdf
