Warsaw, 24/04/2015
OPEN TENDER: Frontex/OP/166/2015/JL
Multiple framework contract with reopening of competition for the provision
of Aerial Surveillance Services Assets and Expert Support under two lots:
Lot 1: Maritime Area Aerial Surveillance
Lot 2: Land Area Aerial Surveillance
Clarification Document No. 1 – issued on 24.04.2015
Answers to the Requests for Clarification received from potential tenderers
European Agency for the Management
of Operational Cooperation
at the External Borders of the Member States
of the European Union
www.frontex.europa.eu
Plac Europejski 6, 00-844 Warsaw, Poland
Tel. +48 22 205 95 00
Fax +48 22 205 95 01
OPEN TENDER: Frontex/OP/166/2015/JL
Answers to the Requests for Clarification received from potential
tenderers
Question 1:
Concerning 6.3 Indicative budget - Under 6.2 the estimated number of specific contracts per year: 4 to 5
for Lot 1, 1 to 2 for Lot 2; could you provide more details on how the indicative budget of €10m is made
available? The maximum indicative budget of the FWC is 10 000 000 EUR, divided into 8 500 000 EUR for lot
1 and 1 500 000 EUR for lot 2 over a maximum total duration of four years. Would this be €8.5m or €1.5m
per service provider?
Answer 1:
The budgets allocated to the different lots are the total amounts that are available for those respective
lots. A lot may include different services to be provided by different service providers over the whole
duration of the framework contract.
Question 2:
Concerning 6.4.4 & 6.4.5. - Costs for operating from, and being accommodate near to, different airfields
may vary significantly. Identifying costs will only be truly possible once Frontex nominates a specified
airfield. Could any allowance / flexibility be made for this if the nominated aircraft has higher than average
operating costs for aircraft hangarage and crew accommodation?
Answer 2:
The offers put forward by the bidders should include a lump sum for covering all the expenses. These lump
sums will be weighted in the context of the evaluation of the offers.
Question 3.
Whilst an aircraft is deployed on a mission - is there an expectation that imagery from the aircraft will be
transmitted at all times from the AOI to the control centre. If so, this will be expensive for the BLOS
capability.
Answer 3:
It is not foreseen that images have to be transmitted on a continuous basis while the aircraft is in the AOI.
Rather the tactical situation encountered in the AOI will determine if and when image transmission is
necessary.
Question 4:
For the transmission of LOS data - does Frontex have details of spectrum allocation - these may vary from
country to country?
Answer 4:
As the exact AOI are not known at this point, spectrum availability will be indicated in each Specific Contract
Call under the FWC.
Question 5:
Radar equipment suitability to detect, track and identify objects of interest in the Area of Interest - What
is meant by ‘identify’ objects? Is ‘classify’ meant? Does this mean (I)SAR capability for the radar?
Answer 5:
In this context, ‘identify’ should be understood as ‘classify’ by using, in the case of a Maritime Radar, SAR
capabilities.
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OPEN TENDER: Frontex/OP/166/2015/JL
Answers to the Requests for Clarification received from potential
tenderers
Question 6:
Is it possible to clarify relationship between operational Empty Weight and Platform capability?
Answer 6:
Operational Empty Weight is defined in the Glossary of Annex 1, the definition does not include the payload.
Question 7:
Sensor sharing with FRONTEX Coordination Centers:
FRONTEX requests BLOS full motion video uplink to designated regional headquarter. Can FRONTEX be more
specific on this requirement? Based on the fact location nor timeframe of engaging the asset are known, it
will likely be required by the selected contractor to rent guaranteed 24/7 satellite transmission capability
on a yearly basis; the ROM cost of this capacity alone is nearly 60% of the maximum budget as stated for the
4 years.
Answer 7:
Full motion video is not required 24/7, transmission requisite will depend on the tactical situation,
specifically to report objects and events of interest in the AoI.
Question 8:
Can you confirm the number of Border Guard and/or FRONTEX task specialists that can occasionally
accompany the flight and that this requirement is valid for the maximum mission length of 6 hours?
Answer 8:
Regardless of flight duration, one officer may be required to accompany the flight.
Question 9:
In some/most of the countries where operations are supposed to occur from, the delays to obtain the
necessary diplomatic and aerial work authorizations are up to 3 weeks minimum. This makes contract
engagement on delays of 5 days unrealistic. Has FRONTEX pre-arranged any authorizations, if YES, with what
countries and what are they? Have arrangements been made by FRONTEX to facilitate out-off particular
airfields?
Answer 9:
FRONTEX has not pre-arranged any authorizations. Operating authorizations and airport facilitation will
need to be obtained during the Specific Contracts phase, not at the stage of entering the Framework
Contract.
Question 10:
Surveillance Service flights will consist of a total of 100 flying hours provided along one month. Normal flight
duration will be 3 hours (day or night) with the possibility of extending the flight to 6 hours, either in a
single flight or in two consecutive flights. For this costing scenario, 30 hours will be flown during the night,
3 flights will have 6 hours duration. How will the cost be evaluated between aircraft that are able to do a 6
hour flight and those where a refueling is necessary? (e.g. if the AoI is located at 100NM from the operating
base, a 150 KTAS aircraft will use 01:20 flight hours only for the refueling transit part, i.e. outoff 06:00
mission hours, only 04:40Hr (76%) will be spend on surveillance
Answer 10:
Bidders scoring above the minimum points established in Table 1 of Annex 1 will be invited to join the
Framework Contract. Endurance of the aircraft will be a criterion for Specific Contract bids evaluation.
Precise scoring for endurance will be adapted to Frontex needs in each particular Service Deployment Area.
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OPEN TENDER: Frontex/OP/166/2015/JL
Answers to the Requests for Clarification received from potential
tenderers
Question 11:
The maximum rest periods between two flights are marked as respectively 10 and 13 Hrs for 3 or 6 Hrs
sorties. What is the minimum rest FRONTEX plans on?
Answer 11:
Frontex does not determine the rest period duration. Minimum rest periods should comply with the
applicable rules in the country of registration of the aircraft, the Flight Operation Manual, and/or relevant
company rules.
Question 12:
Operating costs for the assets for LOT 1 and LOT 2 can be very different due to technical requirements
(single versus multi-engine, search radar or not etc). If exact number of missions for LOT 1 and LOT 2 are
not known, and costs of fuel and airport fees can be up to 100% different between operating areas /
countries on the Mediterranean border, what parameters and assumptions should be used to determine the
submitted price proposals on Annexes 2.a. and 2.b.?
Answer 12:
The parameters and assumptions of the cost scenarios provided in Annex 1 (points 6.5.2 and 6.5.4) should
be used. Bidders may include in their proposal other assumptions they deem necessary to make.
Question 13:
Relevant to flight hours, can FRONTEX clarify this is BLOCK to BLOCK time (when aircraft starts to move for
its take-off to stopping the engines post flight)?
Answer 13:
Flight hours is the time between the first movement of an aircraft from its parking position at the departure
airport (off-blocks) in order to manoeuver to the runway for take-off until the wheels are standing still again
at the destination airport and all engines are shut down (on-blocks).
IMPORTANT NOTE
It has recently been noticed that in the Annex 1 – Tender Specifications, point 7.3., a typo mistake has
been made. Therefore the first sentence under the point 7.3., instead of
7.3. Choice of the selected tenderers to enter the FWC
The contract will be awarded per lot to maximum of five tenderers for each lot offering the best value for
money, taking into account the awarding criteria listed above.
should be read now as:
7.3. Choice of the selected tenderers to enter the FWC
The contract will be awarded per lot to maximum of ten tenderers for each lot offering the best value for
money, taking into account the awarding criteria listed above.
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