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A Sikorsky S-92 operating with CHC for the MCA. MCA image
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UK cancels SAR-H
As expected the UK government has axed the contract to privatise the search and rescue helicopter force.
Gary Parsons - 8-Feb-2011
February 8: As expected, the UK government has axed the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) deal for privatising the country’s search and rescue (SAR) helicopter force.
The contract was due to come into force in 2015 and would have seen the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy fleets of Sea King helicopters replaced with commercially-operated Sikorsky S-92s.
At present search and rescue work is provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week from 12 bases around the country -
four are already operated by Soteria's CHC on behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), with eight by the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.
Together the bases cover 11,000 miles of coastline, 1.4million square miles of sea and regular overland work.
SAR-H was intended to bring a harmonised service, operated under the joint auspices of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and MCA.
Soteria, which comprises CHC Helicopter, Thales and Sikorsky, was named as the preferred bidder a year ago to run the UK's SAR-H service.
It was planning to operate a fleet of S-92 heavy lift helicopters for the contract, worth £6 billion, over 25 years.
The cancellation of the contract with the preferred bidder, Soteria, has come about after alleged corruption.
In a statement to Parliament, the Transport Secretary, Philip Hammond, said: "In mid December, the preferred bidder in the SAR-H competition, Soteria, had come forward to inform the government of irregularities regarding the conduct of their bid team, which had only then recently come to light.
"The irregularities included access by one of the consortium members, CHC Helicopter, to commercially sensitive information regarding the joint MoD/Department for Transport project team's evaluations of industry bids
and evidence that a former member of that project team had assisted the consortium in its bid preparation, contrary to explicit assurances given to the project team.
"In addition, the MoD Police is investigating how the commercially sensitive information came to be in the possession of the bidder."
He said the MoD and Department for Transport would now "consider the potential procurement options to meet future requirements for search and rescue helicopters in the United Kingdom, including options to maintain continuity of search and rescue helicopter cover until new longer term arrangements can be put in place".
In response Soteria made the following statement:
“Soteria is disappointed to learn that the UK government has announced the cancellation of the SAR-H programme.
We remain confident that Soteria was designated as the preferred bidder for the SAR-H programme as a result of the value, expertise, dedication, excellence and exceptional technical solution that Soteria can provide in leading search-and-rescue efforts across the UK.
“Soteria is evaluating the government's decision and if given the opportunity is confident that it is capable of delivering the SAR-H programme and stands ready to work with the UK government.”