[Peetwo]

Correcting the record - slightly

Spatial Source - "..Evidence that ATSB’s alternate plans are already underway came last week when ATSB issued a call for tender entitled “Provision of a Drift Modelling and Search and Rescue System.”..."

"K" said - "..What a strange tender; it’s got me beat; why ATSB would have a need for ‘drift modelling’ let alone put out a tender for such?  Now, AMSA seeking ‘new’ data and techniques I could readily understand; they are after all, Australia’s #1 go to Search and Rescue outfit; they don’t bugger about, know what to do and manage very nicely; thank you..."

Well actually Ferryman Spatial Source have reported that slightly wrong, you might be somewhat pleased to discover that AMSA have issued the request for tender:

ATM ID:
16AMSA084
Agency: Australian Maritime Safety Authority
Category: 83121604 - Online database information retrieval systems
Close Date & Time: 19-Sep-2016 2:00 pm (ACT Local Time)
Show close time for other time zones

Publish Date: 24-Aug-2016
Location: Other, Overseas
ATM Type: Request for Tender

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Multi Agency Access: No
Panel Arrangement: No

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Description: AMSA is assisting in the establishment of a Drift Modelling and Search and Rescue system to support the search and rescue (SAR) agencies of our partner countries.

A system is required to support the search and rescue (SAR) agencies of Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Mauritius (the “partner countries”) to model the drift of floating objects and to provide support in prosecuting and managing search and rescue incidents.

This tender is for the provision of the system (including the first year’s maintenance) and the payment of the second year’s maintenance fee.

Contracting and payment for maintenance of the system beyond the second year will be undertaken directly between the successful tenderer and the respective partner countries should they choose to continue.

Conditions for Participation:

1. Tenderers must meet the following conditions for participation in this ATM: 
   • The system provided must have screens, documentation, training material and printouts in the English language.
     
   • The system provided must have drift modelling capability.  Incident response support capability is highly desirable but not essential.
     
   • The system provided must be currently available and not a planned development.
     
   • A test version of the system provided must be made available for evaluation if the tenderer is short listed.  This is preferably through internet access or installation of the product in Canberra, however, a Webinar or similar process would be considered.
     
2. For all other conditions please refer to the RFT documentation.
   

 
Timeframe for Delivery: The Term of the subsequent contract will be for a potential minimum period of 20 months. 
Address for Lodgement: https://www.tenders.gov.au
Addenda Available: View Addenda

Now maybe it is purely coincidental but I am not really a great believer in coincidences and AMSA have had a long running MoU with the CSIRO on oceanography research & support, including SAR drift modelling:

Ref: CSIRO blog - "..CSIRO has a Memorandum of Understanding with AMSA that allows them, during a maritime incident, to call on us for scientific knowledge and technical support.

Incidents include oil spills, search and rescue, shipping accidents and in the case of MH370, modelling and projecting the track of debris spotted by satellites..."

  
Ever an optimist, what I'd like to think is that the 'powers to be' have finally seen the error of their ways and are now going to pass back responsibility to the true Maritime expert Government agency AMSA. After all, as "K" eloquently put, WTD does the ATSB know about SAR, deep sea search/salvage and drift modelling...
A further sign that there is something afoot, our friendly frog Oceankoto ()  picked up on the fact that Fugro tender period has been extended and an additional $4 million has been added to the MH370 tab... :

CN ID: CN2562511-A10
Agency: Australian Transport Safety Bureau
Amendment Publish Date: 7-Sep-2016
Category: Marine transport
Contract Period: 11-Aug-2014 to 11-Aug-2018
Contract Value (AUD): $143,401,427.50
Amendment Value (AUD): $4,275,000.00
Amendment Start Date: 11-Aug-2016
Description: Prime Contractor for provision of Services for the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370)
Parent CN: CN2562511
Procurement Method: Open tender
ATM ID: RFT570-04
Confidentiality - Contract: Yes
Confidentiality Reason(s) - Contract: Costing/profit information
Intellectual property
Confidentiality - Outputs: Yes
Confidentiality Reason(s) - Outputs:
Intellectual property
Consultancy: No
Agency Reference ID:

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Supplier Details

Name: Fugro Survey Pty Ltd
Postal Address:
Town/City: Balcatta
Postcode: 6021
State/Territory: WA
Country: AUSTRALIA
ABN: 81 009 172 990

   
Could this extension (and additional monies) be to keep Fugro on standby until such time as AMSA can narrow down a higher probability search zone, based on independent expert analysis (drift modelling) from the AMSA tender? The timeframe of the tenders certainly matches...
Cynically speaking these tenders also mean that the ATSB will keep effective narrative and control of the MH370 southern sector of the 7th Arc until 11 Aug 2018...
MTF...P2