Project NUMIDIAN · UK public procurement notice

Project NUMIDIAN: Provision of support to the design, preparation and delivery of Training Exercises including Contemporary Operating Environmental FORce (COEFOR), Opposition FORce (OPFOR), Hi-Fidelity Casualty Simulation (CASSIM), EXCON (Exercise Control), production of Operational Staff Work (OSW) and Exercise Scenario writing and Senior Mentoring services.

This Project will deliver a new three-year (plus 2 possible 1-year option periods) contract that provides greater access and flexibility across training levels across Defence.

This Project is looking at combining and optimising the outputs of the COEFOR and Project HANNIBAL contracts to deliver greater access and flexibility across training levels and environments (live, virtual and constructive). This approach would deliver a capability which would better support the future training requirement informed by the Integrated Review.

• The current COEFOR contract provides technical writing and live simulation to deliver a true to life training experience for Mission Ready and Combat Ready exercises. This is through role players portraying conflict environments, including COEFOR and OPFOR. It also provides high fidelity casualty simulation and pyrotechnics.
• The current Project HANNIBAL provides OPFOR, White Cell, EXCON, Operational Staff Work (OSW) production and mentoring in the constructive environment. The contract operates at Trg Levels GOLF (Brigade training (CT5)) and HOTEL (Divisional training (CT6)). This is conducted as a Command Post-Exercise (CPX) which trains Formation Headquarters so that they are competent at integrating capabilities and prepared for readiness or operations. The current contract works through Command Staff and Tactical Training Group (CSTTG). It also delivers the Threat Tactics Courses for Trg Levels FOXTROT (Battle Group (CT4)) to HOTEL.

It is the Authority’s intent that by combining the two contracts under Project NUMIDIAN, it creates a joined-up approach with intelligence analysis, Exercise design, planning and assurance which will filter down to the delivery of the Exercise. To ensure that at every Training Level, the training audience is challenged by contemporary threats. Project NUMIDIAN is also investigating the development and addition of the following capabilities:

• Information Manoeuvre. The activities that an Enemy or Adversary would undertake in the areas of Networks, Intelligence, Cyber, Influence and Security.
• Representative Armoured Enemy. Innovative approaches to the representation of armoured enemy in the Live environment.
• Pyrotechnics support. Limited to the provision of battlefield noise simulation excluding plastic explosives.
• Unmanned Air Systems. Provide the capability with GFE supplied equipment.
• Improved data capture and analysis. To include, but not limited to, data for After Action Review and Force Development.

The Authority is keen to understand where the market stands in terms of our requirement by inviting responses to a Request for Information (RFI), full details of which are in the attached document.

Please note the following:

• This RFI will assist the Authority to refine any future requirements.
• We reserve the right not to proceed with this procurement. Nothing shall constitute a commitment to instigating a formal procurement process.
• Any and all costs associated with the production of such a response either to an RFI or any resultant competition must be borne by the Supplier. The Authority will not contribute in any way to meeting production costs of any response.
• No down-selection of Potential Providers will take place as a consequence of any responses or interactions relating to this RFI.
• The Authority expect that all responses to this RFI will be provided by Potential Providers in good faith to the best of their ability in the light of information available at the time of their response.
• No information provided by a Potential Provider in response to this RFI will be carried forward, used or acknowledged in any way for the purpose of evaluating the Potential Provider, in any subsequent formal procurement process that may take place.
• Should a Potential Provider fail to respond to this Questionnaire, it will not affect any further participation in any possible future procurement for this capability.