DAME Joins LUV, Will Be Heading To Limited Tender
Update
A followup today, one coming from our rumors section for once. A few weeks ago we reported that both DAME and LUV were looking to be sped up. Last week we were informed by the PM that LUV would move to limited tendering, with two companies selected to submit to the RFP coming this fall.
But despite our own expectations, the Domestic Arctic Mobility Enhancement was not included in this announcement deapite also having its tender cancelled. We didn't wanan rush on reporting this, so we left it off the rumors list. However, as of today we can confirm that DAME has moved to Limited Tendering.
Before we get into it though, lets quickly rundown the project for newcomers. DAME, or the Domestic Arctic Mobility Enchantment project aims to acquire up to 170 tracked, articulated vehicles (along with 77 trailers and around 17 new facilities to accommodate them). It is one of the Armys Core Four projects, alongside Ground-Based Air Defence, Indirect Fire Modernization, and Long-Range Precision Strike Land, as the existing BV206 fleet is operating beyond it's Life Expectancy.
That is split 153 for the Army and 17 for the RCAF. DAME planned to award a contact for 2028 at the latest with FOC for ~2032/2033. With this change that timeline has now moved up and, like LUV, its possible we see a contract as soon as this year, though perhaps a bit ambitious there. 2027 though is now very much garunteed at the latest, likely Summer.
DAME will provide CAF with a domestic platform able to support numerous tasks including Transport, Resupply, medical support, and support for Search & Rescue and Disaster Response.
DAME will come in four variants:
Troop Carrier
Cargo
Command Post (CP)
Ambulance
At this time no further variants are being explored, and there are no plans too. As I said before, the vehicle fleet must have a basic configuration of a separate front and rear section connected with an articulated drive train that provides power to all its wheels or tracks to both sections.
It needs to be able to operate in all remote and austere environments, and in both extreme temperature and terrain conditions as defined by STANAG 4370 AECTP-230. That means it needs to be able to operate in high temperature conditions A3 (39⁰C) through low temperature C3 (-51⁰C). It must start without an external power source at -51⁰C.
It must also be capable of crossing small bodies of water at greater than normal fording depth while breaking through sea ice and recovering itself back onto solid terrain.
DAME is required to be able to conduct self-sustained operations for up to 72 hours, up to ranges of at least 300 kilometers. DAME has no requirements for armament or armour. These are not expected to be combat vehicles, nor are they expected to be deployed in an expeditionary capacity.
They are primarily support vehicles, aimed to provide CAF a platform that can be rapidly deployed in any enviornment across the country with minimal preparation or support. They need to be able to use existing Infrastructure and equipment with minimal sustainment cost.
Beyond these HLMR each DAME variant has slightly different requirements to each other. All variants require space for 2 crew in the front compartment and a minimum payload of 3000 Kilograms.
The Troop Carrier is required to carry up to 10 passengers in the rear compartment along with their kit, radios systems and personal weapons. This is also the same for the Command Post, which also requires the capacity for the setup of multiple radio and information systems to be operated by personnel in the rear compartment.
The Cargo variant, as you can imagine, foregoes the requirement to transport passengers but maintains the 3000 kilogram minimum payload capacity.
Lastly, the ambulance variant is probably the most interesting of the four. It needs to be rapidly adaptable to allow for it to handle different medical personnel and patient capacities depending on the situation.
The requirements set this out as being able to provide care, life support and protection to casualties until they can be transported to another ambulance, evacuation platform or to a medical treatment facility.
The DAMEbulance, as I hope you all refer to it as from now on, needs to be able to transport either two litter casualties or a mixture of litter and ambulatory patients depending on the situation.
All together there isn't much difference between the variants. The Ambulance remains the major one where we start to see some key differences, and even that is fairly minimal. Same as you would find in many other vehicles.
DAME is, at it's core a fairly simple project. It is not overtly complex as to be dragged out by timelines, and the Limited Tendering recognizes that. As it stands, three companies are positioned to participate:
• Roshel and ST Engineering with the ExtremV
• General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada and BAE systems with the BvS10 Beowulf
• UTV and Rheinmetall with the Voyager D12
We will, of course, soon do a deeper dive into these platforms and their capabilities against each other. For now, though, we acknowledge them as the standing contenders. Limited Tendering is a growing utility that the Federal government and DIA are planning to execute on to drive down timelines.
By focusing on specific competitors that are deemed to be sufficient to deliver certain capabilities, the hope is that we can cut down the clutter of competition. We want to focus on only a select few who can overwhelmingly meet requirements and the Government directives under things like the DIS, while also cutting the procurement timeline down to get to an RFP as quickly as possible.
In this case, both LUV and DAME had healthy, established competitors to go off of, and the choice was made to focus on those who were capable of delivering. LUV, in turn, had a much more cutthroat approach, removing redundancy and competitors who either didn't meet every requirement or who didn't have a domestic manufacturing capability.
Remember, supporting strategic industry is one of the exemption areas that Bill C-31 aims to codify as a tool in the DIA playbook, one of nearly a dozen that will be available to them. We already see the DIA undertaking such actions to test the waters on what is capable and the extent to which they can move on projects. We saw that with ESCP-P and with AEWC; while this is a far more tame and less legally contested example, it is still a test to see what can be done in the current environment.
Of course, for both DAME and LUV, I greatly support acceleration. Both are SSE holdouts that have been sitting for nearly a decade now for what are, essentially, very simple replacements of commercial fleets. A decade to replace a G-Wagon, Silverado, and BV206 is, quite frankly, ridiculous. It is the sort of thing you see in a parody of bureaucracy.
These are far from complex, technologically deep replacements. Ideally, such fleets would be out the door before they hit 15 years old, but here we are, I guess. Moving to Limited Tendering, where there is a viable pool of competitors already established on projects that are generally basic in nature, isn't controversial.
In a world where many countries opt to support their own domestic capacity for light vehicles—even amongst countries with limited capacity—the idea that we are making a bold, radical step in looking to protect our industry by focusing on proven Canadian suppliers with domestic solutions that could be manufactured here is laughable.
There is also limited reason to keep an ITQ opened months or even years after an established pool has been created, such as with LUV, which reopened its own ITQ last year despite having half-a-dozen suppliers already qualified. Even if I have sympathy for some, one has to ask about the inherent value of an ITQ being left open for nearly a year only to produce no additional suppliers, amongst an already credible and established field of players.
It is bloat, plain and simple—oftentimes needless bloat. It is also okay, as with LUV, to shift priorities and decide that certain suppliers are no longer capable of delivering on expectations. Demands change, and the environment changes as suppliers are left in a bidder's pool for years on end. We have established, through a very fair and open process, that only two people truly meet requirements, so why should we move ahead with an open RFP?
There does have to be limits, though, and I want to establish that. One cannot let it become a tool of picking favorites, which goes back to some of my Bill C-31 concerns about powers being vague and open-ended and people becoming confident and comfortable using what should be limited, but available, tools to a regular standard.
It invites several issues, including legal issues on the validity of such powers and the rights of industry to participate fairly. These powers are new, and we are in the phase of testing to see what is capable. Those powers, though, I hope are more defined and set in stone regarding their expectations and limits. I have confidence in Fuhr, at least, to do that. I have faith deeply that he will set those policies in action.
For now, though, we can at least celebrate that two of the simplest projects most used as examples of slow, disastrous Canadian procurement can be put to rest as soon as this year, and desperately needed replacements for the B fleet can start delivery as soon as next year. Wouldn't that be fantastic? I, for one, am ready for all of it, though personally I would like to still see LUV and DAME move towards a continuous sustainment model with their respective fleets expanded over time.
That is for LUV especially.