Published date: 16 June 2020

Closed opportunity - This means that the contract is currently closed. The buying department may be considering suppliers that have already applied, or no suitable offers were made.


Closing: 26 August 2020

Contract summary

Industry

  • Laboratory, optical and precision equipments (excl. glasses) - 38000000

Location of contract

United Kingdom

Value of contract

£400,000

Procurement reference

METOFC001-DN476919-22737332

Published date

16 June 2020

Closing date

26 August 2020

Contract start date

19 October 2020

Contract end date

18 October 2024

Contract type

Supply contract

Procedure type

Open procedure

Any interested supplier may submit a tender in response to an opportunity notice.

Contract is suitable for SMEs?

Yes

Contract is suitable for VCSEs?

No


Description

The Met Office provide weather forecasting and related services in the Falkland Islands, which are relied upon for the optimal operation of RAF Mount Pleasant airfield.
A key weather-related challenge for the operation of the airfield is down-slope wind effects (more commonly referred to as Rotors). At present, a lack of observational data, model weaknesses in capturing inversion height and intensity, and potential severity of lee-wave events all coincide to make rotor events a well-recognised hazard, when combined with a lack of suitable diversion options for air-traffic.
Because of this, the Met Office has investigated ways to better support the management of the airfield during, and around, Rotor events; with the aim of identifying more windows of opportunity that the airfield operator can exploit to support operations and activity. We believe that the best way to achieve this is to improve our remote sensing capabilities at the airfield, specifically using Doppler LiDAR technology. We therefore require a Doppler LiDAR solution that complies with the specifications set out in the tender documentation.
The aim of this procurement is therefore to improve our ability to detect rotor effects in real time, which might allow us to assign an objective quantification of the severity of the turbulence. This could improve the advice provided to the airfield operator, potentially giving them sufficient confidence to make real-time airfield management decisions based on this advice.


About the buyer

Contact name

Adam Rossiter

Address

Fitzroy Road
Exeter
EX1 3PB
United Kingdom

Email

adam.rossiter@metoffice.gov.uk

Website

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk