Resupply and In-Service Support to maintain of CYPRES Auto Activation Devices (ADD)-UK5

The C17 Command Support and Airborne Equipment Project Team (C17CSAE PT) as part of the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) (the Authority) has a requirement for the resupply, repair, and maintenance of safety critical in-service CYPRES Automatic Activation Devices (AADs) for Airborne Forces Equipment (parachute systems).

The CYPRES device operates to deploy a reserve parachute if the parachutist is incapacitated during descent. The Authority intends to direct award a new contract to Airtec GMBH & Co. KG Safety Systems until 31st March 2029 at an approximate total value of £0.887m (eight hundred and eighty-seven thousand pounds) (Inclusive of VAT).

It is considered that this contract can be placed using the Direct Award procedure pursuant to Schedule 5 paragraphs 6 and/or 7 of the Procurement Act 2023, which permit direct award where there is only one supplier able to meet the requirement and/or additional or repeat goods or services can only be supplied by the original supplier due to technical reasons or where changing supplier would result in incompatibility or disproportionate technical difficulty.

Airtec is the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of the CYPRES AAD and is the only economic operator with the technical capability, proprietary knowledge, and authorised diagnostic tools required to support these safety critical devices.

Changing supplier would require the acquisition and clearance of an alternative AAD system with different technical characteristics, resulting in significant compatibility challenges with existing parachute systems and creating disproportionate technical and safety related burdens.