Two bidders left in Norway SAR tender
On 9 July, the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security announced that it has informed the four bidders that were in the running for the Norwegian All Weather Search and Rescue Helicopter (NAWSARH) contest that further negotiations will be only held with AgustaWestland and Eurocopter for the replacement of the current Sea King fleet, putting NH Industries and Sikorsky out of the running. NH Industries had proposed its NH-90 model, with Sikorsky offering the S-92. The remaining Eurocopter and AgustaWestland bids comprise the EC225 and the AW101 respectively.
On 9 July, the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security announced that it has informed the four bidders that were in the running for the Norwegian All Weather Search and Rescue Helicopter (NAWSARH) contest that further negotiations will be only held with AgustaWestland and Eurocopter for the replacement of the current Sea King fleet, putting NH Industries and Sikorsky out of the running. NH Industries had proposed its NH-90 model, with Sikorsky offering the S-92. The remaining Eurocopter and AgustaWestland bids comprise the EC225 and the AW101 respectively.
Norway intends to procure up to 16 new SAR helicopters with an option for additional six. The project target is that the contract will be awarded by the end of 2013 and the last Sea King phased out by end 2020.
The process for the acquisition of new SAR helicopters commenced on 21st October 2011 by an invitation to a pre-qualification process formally announced on the public Doffin/TED system. The Invitation to Tender (ITT) was released on 12 July 2012 and the offers received from the four bidders on 18 December 2012.
After evaluation and negotiations during spring 2013 the Ministry said it has, based on offers received on 7 June 2013, selected the two bidders with the highest overall results for further negotiations. Other bidders will be put on hold and may only be called to re-enter the competition if, for some reason, one of the remaining participants withdraws, or any other reason necessitates to call on a rejected bidder to sustain a competitive environment.
The Ministry said it thanked the Sikorsky and NH Industries for their ‘significant contribution to the process’, adding: “The bidders have put a lot of efforts in the process, which has contributed to a good and strong competition for the delivery of the new SAR helicopters.”