Project GASKET is the MOD's upgrade of its CBRNE vehicle fleet, with opportunities for suppliers worth up to £100 million. It will procure around 300 vehicles total across 4 phases to replace the current fleet. The vehicles will be commercial models modified with additional equipment to operate in all UK conditions on a 24/7 basis. A single prime contractor will be selected to manage the entire project lifecycle, including vehicle selection, integration, support, and reducing total ownership costs.

1. 24 MOD DCB :: 16 November 2016 :: Vol 14 No 22 :: www.contracts.mod.uk
F E A T U R E
roject GASKET is the name given to
the Ministry of Defence’s upgrade
of its counter chemical,biological,
radiological,nuclear and explosive
(CBRNE) fleet of vehicles.The project is split
into four phases with two delivery teams,
opportunities from £20 million to £100
million in value and a focus on Commercial
off the Shelf (COTS) procurement.
Phases 1 and 2 are under way with the
Operational SupportVehicles Programme
(OSVP)Team and will likely utilise PHOENIX 2
or Crown Commercial Service arrangements
to secure vehicles such as staff cars,vans and
off-road 4x4s;these vehicles will be fitted
with additional items of equipment such as
special to role racking,communications
systems and blue lights.
Projects 3 and 4 are also proceeding
through the Special Projects Search &
Countermeasures (SPSCM) ProjectTeam.Its
requirement is to integrate some of the base
systems required in Projects 1 and 2,together
with a focus on the more complex integration
of electrical / electronic sub-systems into
Logistics Support platforms for more
specialist roles.The additional challenge of
vehicle selection,design,testing and post-
delivery in-service support is focused towards
a Prime Contractor approach.
The opening two phases will require the
procurement of around 175 vehicles while
the final two phases will require around 100-
125 vehicles;the whole GASKET fleet will
hence number around a maximum of 300
vehicles,all with integrated sub-systems.
Across the whole GASKET project,vehicles
will be acquired by DE&S as standard
commercial platforms and modified to fit the
requirement.Selection will be based on a
range of criteria,including their ability to
operate across all terrains and in all weather
conditions anywhere in the UK on a 24/7 basis.
GASKET Assistant Team Leader,Lt Col
Brandon Wellard (SPSCM),commented:
“Wedonotwantbespokemilitaryvehiclesper
se,butsomethingthatisfitforpurposeonto
whichwecanintegrateexistingmission
systems.”
He added:“Wehavetobesurethat
whateverthevehicletypeisitcanoperate
acrossallterrainsandinallweatherconditions.”
GASKET Project Manager Marc Norvill
said:“Projects 3 and 4 cover vehicles of a
similar role that are geographically dispersed
between the UK mainland and Northern
Ireland.As such,they are being considered as
a single project and our plan is to deliver
these capabilities collectively.”
Six suppliers have been down-selected
for Projects 3 and 4 – Babcock,General
Dynamics,Jankel,Marshall,QinetiQ and
Thales.SPSCM intends to host a
Requirements Day before the end of 2016,
in order to provide the supply chain with
more information on potential sub-
contracting opportunities and DE&S
aspirations for the projects.
These opportunities will only be fully
realised once a single Prime Contractor is
chosen following the Invitation to
Negotiate (ITN) in the first quarter of 2017.
Then,in 2018,the project will progress
towards Main Gate.Finally,the fleet will
move into service in 2019,with an expected
lifespan of ten years.
Throughout the lifespan of Project
GASKET the aim is for the Prime Contractor
to manage and support the fleet.
Mr Norvill explained:“ThePrimeContractor
willberequiredtoselecttherightvehiclesand
conductalldesign,manufacture,integration
andtestactivitieswithadirectinputfromthe
user communityinordertoensureoperational
effectivenessisdesigned-in.
“Oncein-service,thePrimewillberesponsible
forsupportingthesystemthroughlife,asolution
thathastobeanimprovementontheold-school
approachwhereoneteambuysthevehicles,
anotherdoestheconversionandthenboth
supporttheirrelativesystemareaswithconfusion
oftenarisingastowhereboundarieslie.”
This single point of contact should not only
reduce procurement costs,but also make it
easier for the end users to get support and
advice about the vehicles when needed.
Another way in which Project GASKET
aims to provide a more user-friendly fleet is
through smarter integration of equipment
into vehicle interiors.
Mr Norvill said:“Oftenwhenweworkwith
defencesupplierstheexternaltechnologyis
great,buttheintegrationoftheinteriorisnotvery
slickandvehiclesoftenlooklikeone-offprojects.
“We have seen what is available in the
commercial sector and know that their
vehicle interiors are well fitted,robust and can
stand the test of time;so we would like the
defence industry to team up with the
commercial sector to give us this more
polished solution.”
Whileupgradingtheinteriorofavehicle
mightnotsoundvital,itiswhenitcomesto
enablingquickaccesstolife-savingequipment.
Lt Col Wellard said:“Therearelotsofgreat
ideasouttheretodowithtraining,safety
measuresandracking;sowewanttogetsome
ofthiscommerciallyeffectivetechnologyand
incorporateitintoourvehicles.”
Thistechnologywillalsoworktoimprove
theeffectivenessofthefleet,asMrNorvillexplained.
He said:“What we are also looking for is
lower through-life costs and essentially to
make sure the vehicle system is of a good
reliability standard,improving the service
intervals and miles per gallon.
“This will ensure the new system is more
economically viable and reliable than the
current system.”
Further Information
For more information,email GASKET
Project Media Lead Justin Andrews at:
DESLESTSP-SPSCM-4b1@mod.uk
P
Project GASKET:
advancing UK
homeland security
Think‘defence vehicles’and most of us will picture
tanks on operations overseas,but equally vital are
the vehicles used to help maintain UK homeland
security.With some of these vehicles now undergoing
an upgrade under Project GASKET,MOD DCB features
editor Julie Shennan examines the opportunities this
will bring to the UK supply chain.