Article 28 – 3 (a)

for supply contracts

for additional deliveries by the original supplier which are intended either as a partial replacement of normal supplies or installations or as the extension of existing supplies or installations where a change of supplier would oblige the contracting authority/entity to acquire material having different technical characteristics which would result in incompatibility or disproportionate technical difficulties in operation and maintenance.

Justification:

Twenty Eight (28) Fortress 200 Armoured Utility Vehicles

These additional vehicles are required to provide the Defence Forces with essential operational mobility, particularly in overseas theatres of operation. Each separate vehicle platform in the organisation, and in overseas theatres of operation, present a unique and significant supply chain and training (technical and operator) burden. For this reason having two vehicle platforms procured from different suppliers, to fulfil the same function, is problematic and carries with it substantive risk as outlined below.

Existing DF Armoured Utility Vehicles are heavily customised particularly in armoured and mission essential elements with a significant percentage of the vehicles comprised of non-standard/bespoke Centigon designed/owned parts. It is essential to maintain a single type vehicle fleet to avoid the significant risk to the protection of Defence Force troops arising from logistical complication caused by a mixed fleet of vehicles.