MOD Awards Operational Field Catering Consumables Spares Support Contract

The Defence Support Group (DSG), part of the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) has awarded a new £7 million supply chain management contract for the provision of spares in support of its Operational Field Catering System (OFCS).

The new contract was awarded to TVS Supply Chain Solutions, part of the global $6.6bn TVS Group, following a reverse auction procedure, where a number of suppliers submitted compliant and acceptable proposals and bid against each other in order to provide best value for money for the Defence budget and the public purse.

The OFCS is used by the Armed Forces to provide meals and refreshments for deployed personnel serving in the field who have limited access to permanent catering facilities. The system can be manipulated to cook for up to 100 people using the same equipment and it is designed to allow the storage, preparation, cooking, and distribution of meals and beverages in safe and hygienic conditions in demanding operating environments. The system is flexible, modular and inherently safe to operate.

As part of the new contract, TVS will provide a comprehensive supplier management service including the sourcing and pricing of the complete range of items during the contract period. All of the products, which will include ovens, burners, service tables and water boiling vessels, through to pots, pans and plastic containers, will be delivered to and stored at MOD Donnington, near Telford in Shropshire prior to onward distribution to the Armed Forces catering specialists.

DSG is a UK Government trading fund owned by MOD responsible for providing secure access to a range of Defence equipment to support the UK’s Armed Forces. DSG’s remit includes providing onshore capacity and capability for the maintenance, repair, overhaul, upgrade and procurement of defence equipment. TVS already has an existing relationship with DSG through its contracts, which includes the provision of supply chain management services to support the front line vehicle fleet on the Heavy Armoured Spares Provision (HASP) project.

Irene Ainscough, Defence Director at TVS Supply Chain Solutions, commented: “We have a growing relationship with the Defence Support Group, based on the provision of best-in-class supply chain solutions for a range of defence-related spare parts and equipment. We are confident that we can provide a lean and effective sourcing and pricing solution for operational field catering systems which will make a significant contribution to the Defence Support Group’s goal of securing the best value for the Defence budget.”