GLA Helicopter Services

Description

The procurement of General Lighthouse Authorities (GLA) helicopter services support for their Marine Aids to Navigation Strategy to 2035 and beyond by providing the means to access and maintain their more remote Aids to Navigation. An effective helicopter service is a vital element in the provision of the GLAs’ service to the mariner: a reliable, efficient and cost-effective network of marine Aids to Navigation. The required outcomes of this contract are: -A reliable, integrated, passenger and cargo service (including Helicopter External Sling Load Operations) to support Aids to Navigation maintenance activity. -A service able to respond quickly and efficiently to 'casualties' (light or other navigational aid failures) at any time and in any place in the GLA operational area. Not having an effective helicopter service, even for a short period of time, has the potential to make a serious impact upon the critical, statutory services the GLAs deliver around the UK and Ireland. * Please note it is the intention to Tender this contract as a Tri-GLA including Northern Lighthouse Board, Trinity House and Irish Lights. The Contract length in point V1.5 of this Notice is the minimum term for this contract and the GLA's may increase this beyond the 10 years. The Tri-GLA reserve the right to divide into Lots at Tender stage, subject to the development of the documentation Lot 1: Key Requirements: Passenger and cargo service (including Helicopter External Sling Load Operations) to and from lighthouse sites (including offshore locations) and lighthouse vessels. Task examples: -A smaller task would be to carry two technicians with small tools and emergency overnight kit to a lighthouse in the morning and return later the same day; the radius of action is likely to be between 5 and 100 nm. - A larger task might require twelve workers, their baggage and several tons of underslung material to be carried out in several trips from a vessel close by or an onshore location nearby and brought back a few days or weeks later. In practice there are a wide variety of tasks in terms of size, distance and complexity. A task may change to include underslung loads at any time. Underslung loads represent between 15 and 32% of the operational flying tasks per year (averaging 22%). They are usually flown from a GLA vessel close by or from an accessible point on the nearest mainland to reduce the distance and duration of the operation. The support of building and renovation tasks at lighthouses creates the requirement for a great variety of weights, shapes, sizes, and natures of underslung loads with different aerodynamic characteristics. The helicopter service will be required throughout the operating areas of the GLAs, but principally: - NLB - North from the Isle of Man through all the Scottish coast and islands, including the Orkney, Shetland, Western Isles and south-east to St Abb’s Head. - IL - All around the island of Ireland. - TH - from Anglesey south and east along the coasts of Wales and South West England, the Isles of Scilly and Channel Islands, English Channel and North Sea coast of England. Additional information: The GLA Helicopters are to be twin turbine helicopters equipped, certified and capable of operating single pilot IFR operations and to operate under Sub-Part HOFO and Part-SPO, capable of: - operating from legacy helidecks of GLA vessels (D value 12) - operating from sub-1D elevated lantern top helipads - operating on rough and uneven ground