Award

Project CAESAR

MCA - MARITIME AND COASTGUARD AGENCY

This public procurement record has 2 releases in its history.

AwardUpdate

01 Apr 2025 at 12:15

Award Notice
Award

22 Nov 2024 at 09:15

Award Notice
Summary of the contracting process

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has awarded an extension of the Project CAESAR contract to Bristow Helicopters Limited. This contract, initiated in March 2022 to address rising emergencies in the English Channel due to small boat crossings, is critical in providing air-sea rescue services. The service combines fixed-wing unmanned aircraft with surface assets to effectively identify and rescue vessels in distress. The current contract is set to end in February 2025, and a one-year extension will be implemented to continue operations until 2026, providing ample time for MCA to address capability gaps and partner with other government entities. The procurement value is £11,000,000, and it falls under the industry category of air-sea rescue services in the South East region of the United Kingdom with key dates including a tender period end date on 1 November 2024.

This extension offers significant opportunities for large-scale aerospace and avionics companies capable of providing advanced surveillance technologies and efficient air-sea rescue operations. The contract's high value and the critical nature of the services required make it suitable for specialised providers with robust operational capabilities and innovative solutions in unmanned aerial systems and emergency response technologies. Business growth can be achieved through this tender by leveraging expertise in high-stakes, mission-critical services, thereby meeting the pressing national demand and contributing to public safety advancements.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Project CAESAR

Notice Description

The Channel Aviation Emergency Search and Rescue (CAESAR) contract was implemented in March 2022, at pace, to respond to the rising emergency in the English Channel caused by small boat crossings. The service provides a combination of fixed wing unmanned aircraft to provide a multi-layered operational picture over the Channel which allows His Majestys Coastguard (HMCG), and other Government operators, to identify vessels in the Channel, and then determine those vessels at most need of rescue in order to prioritise available surface assets and prevent deaths. CAESAR was implemented as a dedicated Channel capability, under the existing UK Search and Rescue Helicopter (UKSARH) service provision, freeing the MCAs Air Surveillance and Verification service, which had been providing a stop-gap interim service, to return to delivering the role it was designed for, whilst providing a structured service which better meet the operational need of HMCG in the English Channel. The UK Second Generation Search and Rescue Aviation programme (UKSAR2G), which will subsume both current Search and Rescue Helicopter and fixed wing Air Surveillance and Verification contracts, will come into effect between October 2024 and December 2026. However, since the incident data used to inform the UKSAR2G service was based on data up to the end of 2019, and small boat crossings have risen since that data, the data used to inform the UKSAR2G procurement is not reflective of the current demand in the Channel; UKSAR2G service provision cannot meet the national requirement and address the demand in the Channel. The MCA has commissioned data analysis to test the UKSAR2G model against a more up to date data set (up until the end of 2023), which indicated that the UKSAR2G service cannot also meet the current increased Channel demand. While further work is required to understand how best to quantify and mitigate the shortfall, there remains a pressing and immediate need to ensure that HM Coastguard is sufficiently resourced to respond to incidents in the Channel. With the current CAESAR contract due to conclude in February 2025, and the need to provide Bristow Helicopters with 4 months-notice of a contract extension, the only achievable and responsible course of action which meets the needs of the MCA is to extend the service as is. A one-year extension will provide time for the MCA to explore the options available with the UKSAR2G service to address any capability gap, in partnership with other Government delivery partners, to ensure the MCA has a cohesive and enduring capability to meet the aerial search and rescue demand of the UK under a single contracted service. The MCA continues to modify the UKSARH contract pursuant to Regulation 72 (1) (c), on the basis that the need for modification has been brought about by circumstances which a diligent contracting authority could not have foreseen.

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-b5fd17-6f96edd7-1bd4-406f-9ab3-990507889cd5
Publication Source
Contracts Finder
Latest Notice
https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/020f33a0-c25a-45e0-8ce0-474cce0ac3b0
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
Award Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Not Specified
Procurement Method Details
Other - Contract Extension to the Current Provision for UKSARH
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

60 - Transport services (excl. Waste transport)

CPV Codes

60443100 - Air-sea rescue services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
£11,000,000 £10M-£100M
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£8,404,500 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
Not specified

Notice Dates

Publication Date
1 Apr 202510 months ago
Submission Deadline
1 Nov 2024Expired
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
1 Nov 20241 years ago
Contract Period
1 Mar 2025 - 28 Feb 2026 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Not Specified
Awards Status
Active
Contracts Status
Not Specified

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
MCA - MARITIME AND COASTGUARD AGENCY
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
SOUTHAMPTON
Postcode
SO15 1EG
Post Town
Southampton
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLJ South East (England)
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLJ3 Hampshire and Isle of Wight
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLJ32 Southampton
Delivery Location
TLJ South East (England)
Local Authority
Southampton
Electoral Ward
Banister & Polygon
Westminster Constituency
Southampton Itchen

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

BRISTOW HELICOPTERS

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

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