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Canadian Forces Weapons – General Service Pistol – MERX P&A/LOI – Sept 2011 Retirement Age –  Replacing 65 year old  Browning High Powers With new General Service Pistols –  MERX  Price and Availability Update 17 Oct 2011:  This P&A has been cancelled. The Ottawa Citizen reported that potential suppliers objected to its requirement to supplying proprietary details to Colt Canada. No suppliers regarded this small order as worth surrending industrial secrets. A Price and Availability request is the first step in procurement and is considered akin to a Letters of  Interest request.  This P&A is for 10,000 new General Service Pistols to replace all current in-service Canadian Forces sidearms, including venerable Browning High Powers (which first entered Canadian Army service in 1944 ) and a small number of  newer SIG Sauer P225 automatic pistols bought for senior officers and aircrew, etc. The P&A refers to the 'SAM Project' without explanation. This is the 'Small Arms Modern- ization Project' which,  in turn, spun-off  from the Small Arms Replacement Project 2. Part of Phase 1 of SARP 2, the General Service Pistol program is connected with a planned grenade launcher, breaching shotguns, and Canadian Ranger Rifles. That  CR Rifle raises questions about apparent inconsistancies with Phase 1. This P&A makes clear that the design selected as the new General Service Pistol will be licence-built here (by Colt Canada). The latter is dictated by the Munitions Supply Program (begun when Ottawa privatized military munitions production).  Naturally, the Feds would like some control over the production of  Army sidearms.  The question is: why wasn't this stricture applied to another Phase 1 component - the 10,000 CR Rifles? Colt's parent  no longer offers combat pistols chambered  for 9mm [1] explaining the licence deal. The existing  9mm round is specified for "ammunition interoperability [with] allies and NATO." Denmark is also a member of  NATO but that didn't stop them  from buying a non- NATO pistol.  The reason was simple.  Sirius Patrol knew that 9mm pistols would not stop a charging polar bear.  So, the Danes chose a Glock 20 chambered  for 10mm Auto instead.  And Colt does make a 10mm Auto pistol. Commonality and adherance to NATO standards explains DND's slavishly attachment to the 9mm round. Then a niggling detail pops up. The GSP is to have a MIL-STD 1913 rail system (usually milled into the frame beneath the barrel on pistols). This Picatinny- style system is about to replaced by the NATO Accessory Rail. The rest of  SARP 2 is already anticipating NAL (aka STANAG 4694), so why did planners 'spec' that US rail? Does it matter? Consistancy should count for something. What fits on MIL-STD 1913 rails will also fit on the NAL. But there's no guarantee that future devices designed for NAL will work as well on the US rail. Or maybe NAL just doesn't fit GSP timing and the DND planners decided to go their own way. Fine. Then why not 'break step' on calibre as well ? Canadian soldiers would probably rather have a wobbly flashlight on a pistol able to penetrate modern body armour or stop a charging 680kg polar bear in its tracks. [1] Colt's Double Eagle and 9mm 1991 were a similar to the Browning HP. Colt Canada ended Diemaco's arrangement with the Toronto automatic pistol-maker Para-Ordnance. ________________________________________ GENERAL SERVICE PISTOL [GSP] – 9mm Browning/ SIG Sauer Replacement  –  MERX  Price & Availability ________________________________________ Reference Numbers              PW-$$BM-027-21769 Solicitation Numbers           W8476-123150/A Organization Name               Public Works and Government Services Canada                                                  Travaux publics et Services gouvernementaux Canada Source ID                               FD.DP.QC.10077.C2 Associated Components     Yes Dates Published     2011-09-08 Revised         — Closing         2011-10-14  11:59 AM  Eastern Daylight Saving Time  EDT Details Category     Armament GSINS          N1095:  MISCELLANEOUS WEAPONS Region of Delivery  Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia,                                    New Brunswick, Quebec, National Capital Region, Ontario, Manit-                                    oba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, Northwest                                    Territories, Nunavut, Foreign Region of Opportunity     — Agreement Type                NONE Tender Type                       Price and Availability  ( P&A ) Estimated Value                  — Solicitation Method           — Notice Description GENERAL SERVICE PISTOL Trade Agreement:  NONE Tendering Procedures: All interested suppliers may submit a bid Attachment: None Competitive Procurement Strategy:  N/A - P&A/LOI Only Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No Nature of  Requirements: General Service Pistol (GSP) - Price and Availability Request Introduction The Canadian Forces (CF) are looking to replace all current types of pistols in use with a newer weapon and is gathering information on the Price and Availability of weapons and the number of potential contenders as part of its planning and budget process [...] The GSP will replace the 9mm Browning High Power and the 9mm Sig Sauer Model 225 pistol. The sought family of  General Service Pistols  is  based on  the direct fire effects capability requirements, in the context of the Future Security Environment, that are required to support Adaptive Dispersed Operations in the Army and other roles and missions of Canada's Naval and Air Forces. Activities and Timelines Price &Availability letter published:                   Summer 2011 P&A results received:                                           14 Oct 2011 Options Analysed and Requirements refined:  December 2011 Definition, buy & try:                                            Jun 12-Mar 15 RFP issued:                                                             Summer 2015 Weapon Selected and Contracted awarded:     Winter/Spring2015 Start of delivery of new GSP:                               Fall 2015 Project Scope The aim of the SAM Project is to procure approximately 10,000 GSP, ancillary equip- ment and secure the necessary Integrated Logistic Support for the in-service support. Not included in this Price & Availability Request, the successful [GSP] bidder will be requested to provide the following additional requirements: o  Integrated Logistic Support (ILS) necessary to introduce the system and support     during the first two years of service including:  •  A Technical Data Package;  •  Propose and deliver the necessary  User and Maintenance conversion training     package and Train the Trainer type training;  •  User and maintenance bilingual (English and French) publications in Canadian     Forces Technical Order (CFTO) format;  •  Initial provisioning repair parts for two years usage; and  •  Special Tools.  •  Project Management;  •  Provision of  engineering services to support the introduction and  fielding for the     first two years of  use. Munitions Supply Program (MSP) Some degree of weapons support shall be conducted by Canada's Small Arms Strat- egic Source and Centre of Excellence under the Munitions Supply Program, currently Colt Canada. [E]ventual bidders will be required to enter into an agreement to provide a Technical Data Package (TDP) to the Crown with the understanding that the TDP will be passed to Colt Canada in order that: a.  for National Security reasons, the [General Service Pistols] will be produced in      Canada by  Colt Canada under license; and b.  3rd  line depot-level maintenance and Life Cycle support can be provided to this      [General Service Pistols] weapons fleet by Colt Canada. Constrains Only robust Military-Off-The-Shelf (MOTS) products will be considered to limit the testing required to validate that the proposed pistol is effective and robust enough to meet its intended role. Only pistols chambered for NATO 9 x 19mm ammunition will be considered because Canada is committed to maintaining ammunition interoperability and standardization with its trusted allies and NATO.   [...] Security Contractors are requested to indicate their ability, and that of any subcontractors, to accommodate personnel and facility security requirements, together with controlled goods restrictions (e.g. International Traffic in Arms Regulations), export licenses and 3rd party release requirements. Contractors are to clearly identify any implications that may affect delivery of the proposed solution in accordance with the Industrial Security Program of  Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) requirements. Requested information This P&A is the first step in engaging industry to refine the GSP requirements and support concepts, as well as defining budget, schedule and risk elements associated with a best-value approach. Industry is encouraged to be innovative in their proposed method(s) of capability delivery and support options. Based on the requirements de- tailed in this document, the P&A seeks vendors to provide the following information:  o The estimated unit cost and technical description of  the GSP. The description must specifically address the P&A requirements [...] and the following are assumptions for the at  Annex B:  •  Up to 10,000 complete GSP. A complete GSP includes:     A NATO-STD 1913 rail; 3 magazines; A holster; A lanyard; and A cleaning kit.  •  The cost for and additional 10,000 magazines and 1,000 cleaning kits.  •  A statement of delivery capability [...] whether or not the milestones stated in this     P&A can be achieved, if not, provide the best possible delivery Schedule;  [...]