The UK’s Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), an arms-length defence acquisition organisation for the Ministry of Defence (MoD), agreed to a £22m contract with the Aurora Engineering Partnership.
A partnership between QinetiQ, Atkins, and BMT, Aurora is to provide subject matter expertise to the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary fleets until 2028 under the contract, which will support the DE&S Ships Maintenance Management (SMM) team.
Aurora and a team of specialised providers have been established under the MoD’s Engineering Delivery Partner (EDP) contract to become the primary procurement option for engineering services for DE&S, as well as other departments and agencies within the MoD.
Responsibilities to the DE&S
Under the new contract, Aurora has been tasked with providing the DE&S Maritime community with specialised reliability-centred management (RCM) expertise.
The proposed plan involves support for platform and equipment maintenance generation, which includes conducting RCM studies, third-party audits of RCM studies, and training the workforce in RCM methodology and application.
Xpedite, a professional engineering service under the EDP Provider Network, has won a competitive tender process to deliver the majority of the RCM small and medium enterprise activity. BMT will also be involved in the project, providing independent audit and training services.
The contract will provide direct assistance to all users of the Naval Service’s primary maintenance management system (UMMS). The achievement of this goal will be facilitated by the implementation of UMMS database management strategies that prioritise class focus, as well as the careful safeguarding of all data contained within the Integrated UMMS Environment.
According to SMM owner Cdr Matt Shirvill RN, the contract awarded will provide crucial maintenance support to the surface and sub-surface fleets, as well as the broader maritime support community.
Shirvill expressed his satisfaction with the decision: “Working together as one team, SMM and Aurora have secured world-class engineering excellence to support and empower frontline naval operations across the globe.
The Aurora Engineering Partnership
Prominent science and engineering firm QinetiQ specialises in serving the defence, security, and critical infrastructure sectors. This involves the testing of various technologies, systems, and procedures to ensure their efficacy.
BMT is a provider of independent technical expertise and consultancy services specialising in design, engineering, and risk management services, for a range of sectors. BMT has made significant investments in research and development for the defence sector and has a global presence maintained through a series of subsidiary companies that serve its customers worldwide.
Atkins specialises in design, engineering, and project management consultancy services, and has collaborated with the MoD on maritime, land, air, and joint domains for more than 30 years.
