According to the information Defence24.pl received from Lt. Col. Małgorzata Ossolinska, working as the spokesperson for the Armament Inspectorate, an assessment has been carried out regarding the requests for being included in the public procurement procedure, related to the deliveries of the long-range reconnaissance “Żmija” [Viper] vehicles for the Polish Armed Forces. The proceedings, carried out as “negotiations with announcement”, involved eight potential contractors. The conditions which were to be met in order to be included in the tendering procedure have been complied with by three of the companies above. These companies include Polski Holding Obronny sp. z o.o. (bęing a leader of the consortium which also involves the Concept company), Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa S.A. [Polish Armament Group] (leader of the consortium which also involves the Polish Military Automotive Works [Wojskowe Zakłady Motoryzacyjne S.A.]) and JLR Warszawa (leader of a consortium formed together with the AMZ Kutno Sp. z o.o. company).

The above-listed contractors will gain access to the terms of reference, and they will also receive an invitation to place the initial offers. The Inspectorate announced that selection of the contractor and the process, in which the procurement agreement regarding the deliveries of the long range reconnaissance vehicles between 2016 and 2022 is to be concluded, are both planned to happen in the third quarter of 2016. Meanwhile, the deadline, until which the deliveries of the above-listed equipment are going to begin, is going to be defined after the negotiations are finalized.

Selection of the contractor and the process in which the procurement agreement regarding the deliveries of the “ŻMIJA” long range reconnaissance vehicles between 2016 and 2022 is going to be concluded, are both planned to happen in the third quarter of 2016.  The deadline for deliveries of the aforesaid equipment is going to be defined once the negotiation process comes to an end.

Within the procedure, the aim of which is to procure the vehicles, the initial specification of the platform has been created. According to the available information, the contract assumes acquisition of 118 vehicles, with their dry weight below 1700 kilograms, and allowable total weight not exceeding 2.6 tonnes. Moreover, the platforms are to be fitted with a 4x4 drivetrain. The vehicle should also be capable of carrying a three persons crew, consisting of a driver, commander and a gunner, along with the relevant armament and payload. Permissible payload mass is expected to be no lower than 900 kilograms, which is going to make it possible for the crew to independently carry out reconnaissance operations for the period of 7 days.

The acquired vehicles should be tailored for being transported on the roads and via airborne means of transport (in the cargo bay of the C-130E Hercules aircraft and as a sling load cargo, hung under a helicopter). Moreover, it should also be possible to drop the vehicle on a parachute, transport it via railways, or onboard maritime vessels. Ballistic protection requirements for the lower ballistic steel sheet have been defined to be in line with the STANAG 4569 level 1 specification.

The Armament Inspectorate, acting as the Ordering Party, informs that within the framework of the public procurement procedure regarding the acquisition of the “Żmija” [Viper] long range reconnaissance vehicles, which is to be realized between the year 2016 and 2022, carried out as negotiations with announcement, an assessment was carried out within the scope of the conditions and requirements, defined as the ones needed to be fulfilled in order to have the requests placed by the contractors, regarding the potential inclusion in the tendering proceedings, accepted in the process.  The conditions for being included in the tendering procedure have been met by three contractors: 1. Polski Holding Obronny Sp. z o.o. [Polish Defence Holding], based in Warsaw  (leader of the consortium) Concept Sp. z o.o., based in Bielsko Biała  (member of the consortium); 2. Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa S.A. [Polish Armament Group], based in Radom;  (leader of the consortium)  Wojskowe Zakłady Motoryzacyjne S.A. [Military Automotive Works], based in Poznan  (member of the consortium); 3. JLR Warszawa Sp. z o.o., based in Warsaw  (leader of the consortium)  AMZ Kutno Sp. z o.o., based in Kutno  (member of the consortium); The remaining five contractors have been excluded from the proceedings. The above-listed contractors, who met the conditions of participation in the proceedings will gain access to the terms of reference, and they will also receive an invitation to place the initial offers (documentation is being agreed upon).