20 April 2018. Trouble in paradise? The early assessments of the bids for the Canadian Surface Combatant project indicate that there are problems. The bids all failed to meet some of the government’s requirements, not necessarily major elements but nonetheless none exactly meet the requirements. Does this mean that the bidders are allowed to revise their proposals – the ‘cure process’ – or does the government revise its requirements? And how long will this take? See David Pugliese’s article in the National Post, "New Canadian warship project off to rocky start as bidders fail to meet some requirements." (available at http://nationalpost.com/news/canada/new-canadian-warship-project-off-to-rocky-start-as-bidders-fail-to-meet-some-requirements). It’s interesting to see the same process unfolding in other countries as the UK goes through a process to build new ships, the United States begins the bidding process for the USN Next-Generation Frigate (FFG(X)). (See https://news.usni.org/2018/04/17/report-congress-u-s-navy-next-generation-frigate-ffgx-program for details.) And Australians argue about the costs of building new offshore patrol ships. The phrase ‘misery loves company’ comes to mind.
'Insightful and engaging'
3 thoughts on “Bids for the Canadian Surface Combatant: Back to the drawing board?”
Considering the amount of secrecy surrounding this project, you would think we were actually at war. The RFP, as shown to the public, is miniscule, which leads us to believe it is a fairly simple procurement, which is obviously far from the truth. Seriously though, what could possibly be missing or non-compliant? Two of these vessel types have been in service for at least 10 years, and the third has been approved by our oldest and second largest ally. What could Canada possibly want from any of these vessels that multiple allied Navies aren’t already using? Or is it the much reported “Intellectual Content”? Seriously, I can’t understand why these foreign designers, who stand to make millions if not billions of dollars from their proprietary designs and technology, would have a problem sharing them with a potential competitor such as Irving. (sarc.) Not that Irving will ever actually compete. Even if they do design a future combattant, it is highly unlikely the design would be sold outside of Canada. We have tried that before but for some reason, even with exceptional ships such as the Halifax-class frigates, nobody ever buys. In any case if this is a problem why does the government not simply guarantee all information will be kept confidential and not used to compete with the original designer? I guess that’s too simple.
It is time for our so-called leaders to get off their duffs and make some decisions. We have been without a credible AAD Vessel for several years now and our frigates are not getting any younger or better armed than they are. We need the ships, not the stupid controversy.
Come on PWGC and MND, get over yourselves and get some ships built for Pete’s Sake!
Hopefully this ‘cure’ process will not take longer than this Fall. I realize we must get this right, but if the decision process lags on too long, we will find ourselves in another year and will cost us more for these CSCs (possibly over $65-70B CAD). This may be unacceptable for the Canadian public. I agree with ‘lobdar’. Let’s get on with the decision soon (before the end of this Summer 2018). The Australian government has just selected the BAE Type 26 Frigate for its replacement of the Anzac-class frigates. In my opinion, the government should make the same decision and go with the LM/BAE Type 26 bid!
Don’t know if the Type 26 Frigate will win the bidding process after the “Curing” process on July 21, but if the LM/BAE Type 26 does, here is the class and ship names I believe would be appropriate for each coast. I believe the first ship should be named for our country, and the second ship for when our country first became of age (as Vimy Ridge is considered sacred Canadian ground):
“ Canada Class” Type 26 Frigates:
Halifax Based:
HMCS CANADA-FFH 380-East; HMCS VIMY RIDGE-FFH 381-East; HMCS ONTARIO-FFH 382-East; HMCS QUEBEC-FFH 383-East
HMCS NOVA SCOTIA-FFH 384-East; HMCS NEW BRUNSWICK-FFH 385-East; HMCS PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND-FFH 386-East
HMCS NEWFOUNDLAND-FFH 387-East
Esquimalt Based:
HMCS NUNAVUT-FFH 388-West; HMCS SASKATCHEWAN-FFH 389-West; HMCS MANITOBA-FFH 390-West
HMCS ALBERTA-FFH 391-West; HMCS BRITISH COLUMBIA-FFH 392-West; HMCS YUKON-FFH 393-West
HMCS NORTHWEST TERRITORIES-FFH 394-West