What's Canada Buying? November 16, 2012

• Big Honkin’ Ships  “The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, is pleased to announce an industry engagement session for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) Project. The CSC is one of the projects of the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS) and is intended to provide Canada with modern replacements for the Royal Canadian Navy’s existing fleet of destroyers and frigates.  Posted on MERX (bullet #6), the Government of Canada’s electronic tendering service, from October 26 to November 7, the Letter of Interest invited industry to participate in initial discussions that will ultimately lead to decisions on the procurement strategy which will result in the delivery of CSC ships ….”
• F-35 Tug o’ War  One analyst’s take  “…. The F-35 is the only aircraft built to meet the challenges Canada will face in the near future. The federal government should continue its commitment to the program to obtain further industrial benefits, while remaining vigilant for any issues that would affect the purchase. This approach strikes the right balance, ensuring Canadian defence needs are met — at a lower risk to to the exchequer.” – more in a longer report here.
• Wanted:  Someone to update, teach the Life Cycle Materiel Management Course
• “Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) and the Department of National Defence  (DND) have begun work on the procurement for a contract for the provision of Integrated Support Services for the Defence Resource Management Information System (DRMIS). As part of the procurement strategy, PWGSC and DND wish to engage the industry at the early stages, in order to obtain industry feedback on the DRMIS Integrated Support Services procurement ….”       
• Wanted:  Someone to build a “Cadet Sail Centre in Pasadena, Newfoundland & Labrador” for about $152,000
• “A new research project is aiming to create a low-cost radar sensor to meet the unique challenges of search and rescue (SAR). The project, called SAR2, will be completed by Toronto-based technology company Sightline Innovation Inc. in partnership with the Department of Engineering at the University of Western Ontario.  The radar sensor is to have broad aircraft mounting compatibilities including UAS/UAV, civilian, and military SAR aircraft.  The team said they hoped SAR2 can build on Canada’s leadership in space-based synthetic aperture radar from its RADARSAT-2 and future RADARSAT constellation satellites, which deliver enhanced geographical data.  “We are beginning to push the boundary in this space with several innovative concepts in developing low-cost radar systems and are confident that Sightline is the right partner to commercialize these ideas,” said Dr. Jagath Samarabandu of the University of Western Ontario’s Department of Engineering ….”

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