Australia’s national submarine builder and maintainer of the six Collins Class submarines – ASC Pty Ltd has signed a new contract with the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) for the maintenance of the Collins Class submarines going forward.
The new In Service Support Contract (ISSC) was announced yesterday by Minister for Defence, Stephen Smith, Minister for Finance and Deregulation, Penny Wong, and Minister for Defence Materiel, Jason Clare, with the contract signed at ASC’s submarine facility in Osborne, South Australia
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Steve Ludlam , said that this would mark a new era for the maintenance of the Collins Class submarines.
“The ISSC aims to support greater collaboration, cooperation and accountability to ensure that the requirements of our customer, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), are met while delivering value for money,” said Mr Ludlam.
“In particular, ensuring the required level of submarine availability and reliability for the RAN will be a key outcome, while ensuring safety and technical integrity requirements continue to be met.”
Mr Ludlam said that significant achievements and efficiencies had been achieved in the Collins Class submarine maintenance program to date.
“This experience and the lessons learned have provided valuable input in creating the new ISSC to ensure performance and efficiency continues to gain pace,” he said.
The contract encourages greater collaboration between parties within a commercial framework whereby both risks and rewards in relation to seeking efficiencies are shared.
The new ISSC contract replaces the previous Through Life Support Agreement (TLSA). The contract will be operationally effective from 1 July 2012.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, July 3, 2012