General Dynamics Land Systems–Canada has been identified as the preferred bidder to provide the Canadian Army with a new fleet of light and heavy logistics vehicles, equipment and in-service support, according to an announcement by Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) on Jan. 10.
Under the Logistics Vehicle Modernization (LVM) project, Canada is planning to acquire up to 542 heavy trucks and as many as 1,113 light trucks to replace the Heavy Engineer Support Vehicle (HESV), Heavy Logistics Vehicle Wheeled (HLVW), and Light Support Vehicle Wheeled (LSVW), all of which entered service in the 1990s.
The light vehicles will serve in a variety of roles, from command post to field workshop and ambulance. The heavy trucks will include up to 22 vehicles capable of hauling 72,000 pounds, the equivalent of a main battle tank on a trailer.
“The identification of General Dynamics Land Systems–Canada as the preferred bidder represents a significant milestone in the competitive procurement process and follows a rigorous bid evaluation process,” PSPC said in a statement.
A contract is anticipated to be awarded to the company in spring 2024, conditional on final government approvals.
The General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada “power team” for the LVM project includes Marshall Canada, Mercedes-Benz (Daimler Trucks), SOFRAME, and Manac. The government’s Industrial and Technological Benefits Policy will apply to the procurement. It requires the supplier to make investments in Canada equal to the value of the acquisition.
The competitive procurement process began on Mar. 18, 2019, with the publication of a draft Invitation to Qualify (ITQ). The formal ITQ was published on Apr. 26, 2019, and a list of qualified suppliers was released on Jul. 8, 2019.
The final draft Request for Proposal (RFP) was provided to qualified suppliers in August 2021 in two phases, to allow suppliers the opportunity to review and provide feedback on the primary requirements of the LVM project. The final RFP was released in December 2021 and closed in May 2022.
