What's Canada Buying? October 12, 2012

• “The Harper government is once again re-negotiating the contract to replace the air force’s outdated Sea King helicopters, The Canadian Press has learned.  Senior officials at Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., maker of the CH-148 Cyclone helicopter, recently told financial analysts the company is bargaining with Public Works to “reach agreement on an alternative contractual solution” for the troubled program, already five years behind schedule.  “I don’t want to sort of negotiate in public about what they want, but what they want is, certainly, sounds perfectly reasonable, right?” Michael Maurer, president of Sikorsky said during a question-and-answer session Sept. 27.  “They want their aircraft the way they ordered them. The issue is that this is a development program, and it really wasn’t structured as a development contract. So we’re both trying to navigate that and they have to follow their procurement rules and regulations.” ….”
  
• Missed sharing this yesterday…. “Discovery Air and Airbus Military announced Wednesday they’re teaming up to bid on a 20-year contract to provide and maintain Canada’s fixed-wing search and rescue fleet.  Airbus Military manufactures military and civic transport aircraft.  The two companies hope the contract would include setting up a search and rescue base in the North.  Currently, all military airplanes used in northern searches are dispatched out of CFB Trenton in eastern Ontario, or Winnipeg.  “From Discovery Air’s point of view, we think that’s wrong,” said Brian Semkowski, CEO of Discovery Air. “They should be closer to the North. If you want to search and rescue somebody, they should be closer to where the action is happening.”  Under the memorandum of understanding the companies have signed, Airbus will provide its C295 aircraft and Discovery Air will provide training, engineering and maintenance ….” – more from the companies’ info-machines here and from the NWT government’s info-machine here.
• Wanted:  someone to continue cleaning up “the former PMQ site and the adjacent property to the former CFS Sydney” for ~$317K.
• Remember this call for artists to share their credentials in preparation for calling for designs for a War of 1812 monument in Ottawa?  A few more details are being shared (including what details won’t be shared until the next phase) in the latest MERX amendment document here.
• What’s Canada Selling:  helmets to Denmark  “(Montreal-based) Revision Military, a world leader in protective soldier solutions, secures a landmark contract to supply the Danish Military with the Batlskin™ Cobra Helmet—an ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene shell—as well as components of the Batlskin Modular Head Protection system. Part of a 7-year contract, the company is set to deliver an initial 4,335 Batlskin Cobra helmet systems including a high-performance liner, ergonomic Retention System and multipurpose Front Mount. The 4,335 complete systems are to be delivered to the Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics Organization (DALO), which will have the option to purchase additional Batlskin helmet-mounted components including the Batlskin Visor and Mandible Guard.  Revision was awarded the Danish contract for a lighter-weight, blunt force, blast and ballistic higher protection level helmet after being down-selected to one of only several competitors able to fulfill this requirement. Testing of the Batlskin system was conducted at the Danish army test center with involvement from Army and Air Force military branches. Revision ultimately won the bid with high technical compliance scores, favorable end-user trials which were weighted at 60% of the evaluation and good price/value for this state-of-the-art head protection system ….”