Metal Additive Manufacturing as a Service Challenge

The Authority’s potential procurement intends to select Suppliers to:

• Produce certified metallic parts for the Defence Inventory, for which the print files are transmissible over the Defence infrastructure;
• Collect and share learning with The Authority and collaborative MOD/ industry working groups regarding the process to fit the parts onto In-Service platform/ equipments (conducted under extant support contracts with The Authority);
• Facilitate collaborative working to generate the underlying processes that will enable rapid scaling across further ranges of inventory;
• Achieve Industry, DE&S and FLC engagement, increased interest and commitment regarding the use of Additive Manufacturing within the UK Defence Supply Chain.

Following on from the initial task to produce a non-safety critical metallic NSN, a series of further spirals are envisaged that will seek to incrementally address increasing degrees of complexity as set out below:

• Spiral 2 - a safety critical metallic NSN, produced in the Industrial base, certified by the producer
• Spiral 3 - a non-safety critical metallic (or polymer) NSN, produced in a location remote from the Industrial base, certified by the producer
• Spiral 4a - a safety critical metallic (or polymer) NSN, produced in a location remote from the industrial base, certified by the producer
• Spiral 4b - a non-safety critical metallic (or polymer) NSN, produced in a location remote from the Industrial base, certified by the producer and where access to Design Rights is required Additional information: Industry Day

The Authority intends to hold a virtual Engagement Event, on 27 April 2022. The Authority will take 30-60 minutes outlining the background to the task and expectations, providing a further 30 minutes for clarification questions. Please submit clarification questions, via the Defence Sourcing Portal (DSP): contracts.mod.uk/esop/guest/go/opport… ↗