Guidance

Novel Amphibious Craft: Competition Document

Updated 10 January 2023

1. Introduction

This Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) competition is seeking innovative technologies that could enable a Novel Amphibious Craft to:

1. travel at sustained high speed over a long range
2. provide the ability to deliver personnel and light vehicles to a coastal access point with limited or no impact on operational speed/capability
3. relaunch and return from the coastal access point
4. operate with low signature across all spectrums (thermal, radar, visual, acoustic, etc.) to reduce the probability of detection

Candidate submissions of technologies may contribute to any or all of the above areas

This competition is funded by the Defence Innovation Unit with £1 million available.

2. Competition key information

Submission deadline

Midday on 17 January 2023 (GMT)

Where do I submit my proposal?

Via the DASA Online Submission Service for which you will require an account. Only proposals submitted through the DASA Online Submission Service will be accepted.

Total funding available

The total funding available is £1 million bids expected between £100K – 350K (ex VAT). All projects must complete by 14 February 2024.

3. Supporting events

3.1 Dial-in sessions

3rd November 2022 & 8th November 2022 – A series of 15 minute one-to-one teleconference sessions, giving you the opportunity to ask specific questions. If you would like to participate, please register on the Eventbrite page. Booking is on a first-come, first-served basis.

4. Competition Scope

4.1 Background

The concept of amphibious landings has changed. Modern coastal defences have advanced to deter, disrupt and defeat an amphibious assault from any force using outdated technology. For the Commando Force to project themselves into high-threat environments safely, a bold new approach is required. Innovative technologies will be the key to enable the Commando Force to reach further, move faster, and strike decisively without being detected.

The Novel Amphibious Craft competition aims to investigate and accelerate innovative technologies that will assist in the fulfilment of operational requirements and mission success, including feeding into the development of a craft with the following (non-definitive and non-exhaustive) system requirements:

• configurable to enable any of the following carriage and delivery roles:

1. to carry and deliver up to 24 embarked persons and 4 crew fit to fight (considerations should be given to the environmental effects on personnel and equipment)
2. to carry and secure 2 x Light Vehicles and 6 embarked persons and 4 boat crew, (consider for calculations a Polaris MRZR(D). Each vehicle being approximately 3.56m long, 1.87m high, 1.51 m wide, Curb weight 953kg, Payload capacity 680kg.)
3. to carry and secure 2 x Inflatable Craft and 2 x Outboard Motors (OBMs) plus 14 embarked persons and 4 boat crew. (Consider for calculations an inflatable length 5.0m, width, 2.08m, height 0.9m weight 145kg. Consider a 50hp OBM of 75kg)

• ability to transit at least 25kts on sea transits of up to 350 nautical miles (NM) in the fully loaded condition, in up to Sea State 2 (significant wave heights of up to 0.5m)
• ability to safely operate in the fully loaded condition at least Sea State 4 (significant wave heights of up to 2.5m)
• ability to routinely land and retract from an unprepared coastal access point, which could be a composite of sand, shingle, pebbles, mud, etc.
• to be able to operate on a 1:120 beach delivering and recovering troops and vehicles.
• to be able to operate in surf up to a 2m breaking wave height in the fully loaded condition
• reduce any necessary wading/fording water depth for troops and vehicles (direct to dry land desirable; 0.75m maximum water depth acceptable)
• signature management capability that is integral to the craft design to reduce the probability of detection
• ability to provide environmental protection to crew and troops (protection from sea spray, rain, wind, heat and cold) Operating temperature ranges from Air -30°C to +50°C, Sea +1°C to +40°C)
• an air draft of less than 2m would be beneficial (this is the only dimensional constraint)
• Defence Maritime Regulations to be used as guidance.

The output of the Novel Amphibious Craft competition will inform the MOD of the options in technology innovation to meet operational requirements, the level of technology readiness, confidence in the technology and operational requirement achievability.

4.2 Scope

This competition aims to develop technology up to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 to address the following challenge areas faced by the capability:

• how to reduce the signature across multiple spectrums (thermal, radar, visual, acoustic etc.)
• how to deliver the Commando Force (troops and vehicles) across the water gap to minimise the requirement for wading
• how to routinely land onto/retract from an unprepared coastal access point
• how to sustain speeds of at least 25kts in the fully loaded condition, in Sea State 2

We are also interested in innovation to components or subsystems that could support or enable solutions to these requirements.

Suppliers will submit innovative ideas and technologies to overcome the key challenges above.

5. Competition Themes

Proposals need to develop robust, reliable and durable systems that can be operated by Royal Marines and maintained by Royal Navy Engineers in harsh remote environments. We are looking for innovative and effective technologies that can be easily manufactured, repaired and maintained at scale once developed.

This competition has two themes. Suppliers can apply for funding in either theme.

5.1 Theme 1: Priority Challenges

Theme 1 aims to address the following technical challenges faced by the capability:

• Theme 1a: How to reduce the signature across multiple spectrums (thermal, radar, visual, acoustic etc.)
• Theme 1b: How to deliver the Commando Force (troops and vehicles) across the water gap to minimise the requirement for wading
• Theme 1c: How to land onto/retract from an unprepared coastal access point

This theme is a higher TRL theme up to TRL 6, which can include designs and concept demonstrators. Innovators bidding for this theme should explain how their innovation will integrate with and enhance the craft they are supporting in amphibious operations. Successful proposals in any of these areas should be consistent with our stated values in vessel speed and range.

5.2 Theme 2: Capability Design

Theme 2 aims to design a craft capable of delivering the complete capability defined above. This is a lower TRL theme up to TRL 4 (proof of concept); designs and concepts with a realistic pathway of delivery will be considered.

Successful bids must include provision of suitable supplier-provided test facilities and supplier-provisioned test instrumentation, vehicles and all associated materials. As part of this process, suppliers will be required to provide risk assessments and sufficient documentation to confirm the safety of their system to project staff and must adhere to the regulations within Defence Maritime Regulations.

No Government-Furnished Equipment will be provided to innovators.

5.3 Collaboration

DASA supports and encourages collaboration between suppliers to deliver the best innovation. If you choose to work in a consortium, there must be a lead supplier who submits the proposal and is responsible for the project. You may wish to consider having an agreement between consortium members regarding how your project, if successful, will be conducted. Any changes to the consortium during the life of the project must be pre-approved by DASA. Other suppliers within the consortium need to be listed as subcontractors. DASA will retain the right to terminate / seek repayment if the consortium agreement is terminated or materially changed without our consent.

To aid the formation of collaborative partnerships, we have a short survey to collect details of those who wish to explore collaboration possibilities. Please see this link to the collaboration survey for further information. The information you share with us will be held by DASA and shared by other participants solely for the purpose of aiding collaboration in the Novel Amphibious Craft competition.

We encourage anyone interested in forming collaborative partnerships to visit the Novel Amphibious Craft community of interest on the Ideas Marketplace. The Ideas Marketplace is an online networking Collaboration Platform for UK-registered innovators and organisations to meet and identify potential collaboration partners, and potentially share ideas, to meet defence and security challenges. Please note that the Ideas Marketplace is an open (non-confidential) platform, and use by any party is at your own risk. For this reason, please consider carefully what information you choose to post, excluding any commercially sensitive information. Novel Amphibious Craft is the first DASA competition to include a dedicated group on the Ideas Marketplace. As such, we recommend it is used in conjunction with the collaboration survey detailed above.

5.4 We are interested in…

We want novel ideas to benefit the Commando Force in amphibious operations. Your proposal should include evidence of:

• how the challenges above have been addressed either individually in Themes 1a – 1c, or in their entirety (Theme 2)
• theoretical development, method of advancement or proof of concept research which can demonstrate potential for translation to practical demonstration in later phases
• innovation or a creative approach
• clear demonstration of how the proposed work applies to any defence and security context

5.5 We are not interested in…

We are not interested in proposals that:

• do not consider the challenges described above in Themes 1a – 1c or provide a solution to Theme 2
• constitute consultancy, paper-based studies or literature reviews which just summarise the existing literature without any view of future innovation
• are an unsolicited resubmission of a previous DASA bid
• offer demonstrations of off-the-shelf products requiring no experimental development (unless applied in a novel way to the challenge)
• offer no real long-term prospect of integration into defence and security capabilities
• offer no real prospect of out-competing existing technological solutions
• do not adhere to the Defence Maritime Regulations

6. Accelerating and commercially exploiting your innovation

It is important that over the lifetime of DASA competitions, ideas are matured and accelerated towards appropriate end-users to enhance capability. How long this takes will depend on the nature and starting point of the innovation.

6.1 A clear route for commercial exploitation

For DASA to consider routes for commercial exploitation, ensure your deliverables are designed with the aim of making it as easy as possible for collaborators/stakeholders to identify the innovative elements of your proposal.
All proposals to DASA should articulate the expected development in technology maturity of the potential solution over the lifetime of the contract and how this relates to improved operational capability against the current known (or presumed) baseline.

If you have any questions during the competition, please contact us via the Accelerator email or your regional Innovation Partner.

6.2 How to outline your exploitation plan

A higher technology maturity is expected in subsequent phases. Include the following information to help the assessors understand your exploitation plans to date:

• the anticipated benefits (for example, in cost, time, improved capability) that your solution will provide to the user
• whether it is likely to be a standalone product or integrated with other technologies or platforms
• expected additional work required beyond the end of the contract to develop an operationally deployable commercial product (for example, “scaling up” for manufacture, cyber security, integration with existing technologies, environmental operating conditions)
• additional future applications and wider markets for exploitation
• wider collaborations and networks you have already developed or any additional relationships you see as a requirement to support exploitation
• how your product could be tested in a representative environment in later phases
• any specific legal, ethical, commercial or regulatory considerations for exploitation

6.3 Is your exploitation plan long term?

Long-term studies may not be able to articulate exploitation in great detail, but it should be clear that there is credible advantage to be gained from the technology development.

Include project specific information which will help exploitation. This competition is being carried out as part of a wider MOD programme and with cognisance of cross-Government initiatives. We may collaborate with organisations outside of the UK Government and this may provide the opportunity to carry out international trials and demonstrations in the future.

7. How to apply

7.1 Submission deadline

Midday on 17 January 2023 (GMT)

Where do I submit my proposal?

Via the DASA Online Submission Service for which you will be required to register.
Only proposals submitted through the DASA Online Submission Service will be accepted.

Total funding available

The total funding available is £1 million, with bids expected between £100K – 350K (ex VAT). All projects must complete by 14 February 2024.

For further guidance

See how your proposal is assessed here.

Send queries to the DASA Help Centre – accelerator@dstl.gov.uk

7.2 What your proposal must include:

• when submitting a proposal, you must complete all sections of the online form, including an appropriate level of technical information to allow assessment of the bid and a completed finances section
• completed proposals must comply with the financial rules set for this competition. The upper-limit for this competition is £1 million (ex VAT). Proposals will be rejected if the financial cost exceeds this capped level
• you must include a list of other current or recent government funding you may have received in this area, making it clear how this proposal differs from this work
• a project plan with clear milestones and deliverables must be provided. Deliverables must be well defined and designed to provide evidence of progress against the project plan and the end-point for this phase; they must include a final report
• you should also plan for attendance at a kick-off meeting at the start, a mid-project event and an end of project event, as well as regular reviews with the appointed Technical Partner and Project Manager; all meetings will be in the UK. Meetings may also take place virtually
• your proposal must demonstrate how you will complete all activities/services and provide all deliverables within the competition timescales (full delivery by 14 February 2024). Proposals with any deliverables (including final report) outside the competition timeline will be rejected as non-compliant
• the proposal should focus on the requirements but must also include a brief outline of the next stages of work required for commercial exploitation. Costings are not essential for this part of the proposal

7.3 What your resourcing plan should include

Your resourcing plan must identify, where possible, the nationalities of proposed employees that you intend to work on this phase.

If your proposal is recommended for funding

In the event of a proposal being recommended for funding, the DASA reserves the right to undertake due diligence checks, including the clearance of proposed employees. Please note, that this process will take as long as necessary and could take up to 6 weeks, in some cases, for non-UK nationals.

You must identify any ethical / legal / regulatory factors within your proposal and how the associated risks will be managed, including break points in the project if approvals are not received.

MODREC approvals can take up to 5 months therefore you should plan your work programme accordingly. If you are unsure if your proposal will need to apply for MODREC approval, then please refer to the MODREC Guidance for Suppliers or contact your Innovation Partner for further guidance.

Successful suppliers should be aware that their information and data produced under this competition may be used in future Defence procurement programmes to develop Defence and Security capabilities. Accordingly, this competition requires Full Information Rights and under existing treaties this information may be shared with the UK’s strategic allies.
Requirements for access to Government Furnished Assets (GFA), for example, information, equipment, materials and facilities, may be included in your proposal. DASA cannot guarantee that GFA will be available. If you apply for GFA, you should include an alternative plan in case it is not available.

Failure to provide any of the above listed will automatically render your proposal non-compliant.

7.4 Export control for overseas partners

Upon completion of contracts, successful proposals may attract interest from the Marine Corps of the United States and the Netherlands, as well as the UK MOD.

All bidders must abide by the export control requirements of their originator country. All relevant export control regulations will apply if a company ultimately wants to sell a developed solution to a foreign entity. All bidders must ensure that they can obtain, if required, the necessary export licences for their proposals and developments, such that they can be supplied to the UK, the Netherlands and USA. Please ensure you detail in your proposal any deliverables that you believe to be export controlled and the stage you are at regarding arranging export licences. If we believe that you will not be able to obtain export clearance, additional checks may be conducted, which may also result in your proposal being sifted out of the competition.

7.5 Cyber risk assessment

Supplier Assurance Questionnaire

Innovators must complete a Supplier Assurance Questionnaire (SAQ), using the DASA Risk Assessment Reference (RAR) for this competition: RAR-371805471 and answer questions for risk level “Very Low”.
DASA has completed a Cyber Risk Assessment (CRA) for this competition. In order to submit to this competition innovators are required to work towards cyber resilience. If selected for funding, the supplier must prove cyber resilience before a contract will be awarded.

Defence Cyber Protection Partnership

The Defence Cyber Protection Partnership (DCPP) will review your SAQ submission and respond with a reference number within 2 working days. The completed SAQ form and resulting email response from DCPP must be downloaded and included within the DASA submission service portal when the proposal is submitted. Please allow enough time to receive the SAQ reference number prior to competition close at midday on 10 January 2023.
If the proposal is being funded, the SAQ will be evaluated against the CRA for the competition, and it will be put it into one of the following categories:

1. compliant – no further action
2. not compliant – if successful in competition and being funded, the supplier will be required to complete a Cyber Implementation Plan (CIP) before the contract is placed, which will need to be reviewed and agreed with the relevant project manager

Innovators can enter a proposal without all controls in place, but are expected to have all the cyber protection measures necessary to fulfil the requirements of the contract in place at the time of contract award, or have an agreed Cyber Implementation Plan (CIP). The CIP provides evidence as to how and when potential innovators will achieve compliance. Provided the measures proposed in the Cyber Implementation Plan do not pose an unacceptable risk to the MOD, a submission with a Cyber Implementation Plan will be considered alongside those who can achieve the controls. A final check will be made to ensure cyber resilience before the contract is placed. Commercial staff cannot progress without it. This process does not replace any contract specific security requirements.
Further guidance for completing this process can be requested by emailing the DASA Help Centre: accelerator@dstl.gov.uk.
Additional information about cyber security can be found at: DCPP: Cyber Security Model industry buyer and supplier guide.

7.6 Public-facing information

When submitting your proposal, you will be required to include a title and a short abstract. The title and abstract you provide will be used by DASA, and other government departments, to describe your project and its intended outcomes and benefits. They may be included at DASA events in relation to this competition and in documentation such as brochures. The proposal title will be published in the DASA transparency data on GOV.UK, along with your company name, the amount of funding, and the start and end dates of your contract. As this information can be shared, it should not contain your Intellectual property.

7.7 How your proposal will be assessed

At Stage 1, all proposals will be checked for compliance with the competition document and may be rejected before full assessment if they do not comply. Only those proposals that demonstrate compliance against the competition scope and DASA mandatory criteria will be taken forward to full assessment.

Mandatory Criteria
The proposal outlines how it meets the scope of the competition.	Within scope (Pass) / Out of scope (Fail)
The proposal fully explains in all three sections of the DASA submission service how it meets the DASA criteria.	Pass / Fail
The proposal clearly details a financial plan, a project plan and a resourcing plan to complete the work proposed.	Pass / Fail
The proposal contains a credible test plan where appropriate.	Pass / Fail
The proposal identifies the need (or not) for MODREC approval.	Pass / Fail
The proposal clearly identifies the requirement, or not, of GFA.	Pass / Fail
Maximum value of proposal is £1 million (ex VAT).	Pass / Fail
The proposal demonstrates how all research and development activities/services (including delivery of the final report) will be completed by 14 February 2024.	Pass / Fail
The supplier provides unqualified acceptance of the terms and conditions of the contract.	Pass / Fail
The supplier has submitted a Supplier Assurance Questionnaire (SAQ) – See section 7.5 above.	Pass / Fail

Proposals that pass Stage 1 will then be assessed against the standard DASA assessment criteria (Desirability, Feasibility and Viability) by subject matter experts from the MOD (including Dstl), other government departments and the front-line military commands. You will not have the opportunity to view or comment on assessors’ recommendations.
DASA reserves the right to disclose on a confidential basis any information it receives from innovators during the procurement process (including information identified by the supplier as Commercially Sensitive Information in accordance with the provisions of this competition) to any third party engaged by DASA for the specific purpose of evaluating or assisting DASA in the evaluation of the innovator’s proposal. In providing such information the supplier consents to such disclosure. Appropriate confidentiality agreements will be put in place.
Further guidance on how your proposal is assessed is available on the DASA website DASA assessment criteria].
After assessment, proposals will be discussed internally at a Decision Conference where, based on the assessments, budget and wider strategic considerations, a decision will be made on the proposals that are recommended for funding.

Innovators are not permitted to attend the Decision Conference.

Proposals that are unsuccessful will receive brief feedback after the Decision Conference.

7.8 Things you should know about DASA contracts: DASA terms and conditions

Please read the DASA terms and conditions which contain important information for innovators. For this competition we will be using the Innovation Standard Contract (ISC) Terms and Schedules. We will require unqualified acceptance of the terms and conditions; if applicable, please ensure your commercial department has provided their acceptance.
Funded projects will be allocated a Project Manager (to run the project) and a Technical Partner (as a technical point of contact). In addition, the DASA team will work with you to support delivery and exploitation including, when appropriate, introductions to end-users and business support to help develop their business.
We will use deliverables from DASA contracts in accordance with our rights detailed in the contract terms and conditions.
For this competition, £1 million is currently available to fund proposals. There may be occasions when additional funding may become available to allow us to revisit proposals deemed suitable for funding. Therefore, DASA reserves the right to keep such proposals in reserve. In the event that additional funding becomes available, DASA may ask whether you would still be prepared to undertake the work outlined in your proposal under the same terms.

8. Key dates

Pre bookable 1-1 telecom sessions	3 & 8 November 2022
Competition closes	17 January 2023 (at midday GMT)
Feedback release	Late March 2023
Contracting	Aim to start late February 2023 and projects complete by no later by 14 February 2024.

9. Help: Contact the DASA Help Centre

Competition queries including on process, application, commercial, technical and intellectual property aspects should be sent to the DASA Help Centre at accelerator@dstl.gov.uk, quoting the competition title. If you wish receive future updates on this competition, please email the DASA Help Centre.
While all reasonable efforts will be made to answer queries, DASA reserves the right to impose management controls if volumes of queries restrict fair access of information to all potential innovators.