The acquisition of light tactical armoured vehicles, LTAVs, for the Defence Forces has been identified as a key priority by the military authorities for 2005. The LTAVs will complement the work of the 65 Mowag armoured personnel carriers delivered in the last few years at a cost of €84 million.
The procurement of the light tactical armoured vehicles is being undertaken by way of a tender competition, which is being run in two stages, a request for proposal stage and a restricted tender stage. The RFP stage, which began this week with the issuing of documentation to interested suppliers, will establish, on the basis of a broad-parameter specification, the range of suitable vehicles available in the marketplace as well as an indication of the costs involved. Proposals are due back in the Department in early April 2005. In the second stage, formal tenders will be sought, on the basis of a more precisely defined specification, from a restricted list of firms, those successful in the first stage.
The acquisition of the LTAVs forms an integral part of the ongoing re-equipment programme for the Defence Forces. The precise number of vehicles to be acquired will be confirmed at a later date. The cost of the LTAV programme will only be evident after the tender competition is held. I expect that a contract for the supply of the LTAVs will be in place by the end of this year.
