Final tender for technical support opens for aids to navigation maintenance in Australia

The much-anticipated tender for technical support and logistics for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s (AMSA’s) maritime aids to navigation network has launched on AusTender. This network includes some of Australia’s oldest lighthouses, marine buoys and beacons, automatic identification systems for boats and ships, met-ocean sensors and more, AMSA said.

Supporting future regional maintenance contractors, the successful tenderer for technical support and logistics will play a crucial role in completing AMSA’s new regionalised model for maintenance delivery on the aids to navigation network.

Eight other tender packages for regional-based maintenance work under this model are currently available on AusTender. The regions include North Queensland – the area of operation of AMSA’s emergency tug which protects the Great Barrier Reef – Torres Strait MetOcean, South Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania (combined region), South Australia, Western Australia and Northern Territory. A map of the regions can be viewed here.

AMSA Executive Director Response Mark Morrow said the safety authority was stepping away from a single national provider for maintenance, with the new regionalised model providing more diversification through more opportunities for more Australian businesses.

“Our regional maintenance contractors will focus on aids to navigation within their geographical region, increasing the depth of their knowledge and experience with these aids,” Mr Morrow said.

“They will be supported through AMSA’s in-house expertise, and the successful tenderer who secures the technical support and logistics contract.

“Services under the technical support and logistics contract will include remote technical support and monitoring of the network, equipment repair, configuration and testing, and logistics for the procurement, storage and shipping of equipment needed by regional contractors.”

Mr Morrow said the levels of technical capability and support were deeper than what has previously been offered under a national model for maintenance delivery.

“We’re looking forward to announcing the award of contracts in due course, and realising the benefits of this new regionalised model to the ongoing maintenance and operation of this network for which we have been the custodians for the last three decades.”