Norway – Unmanned underwater vehicles – ANSK-24-0498 AUV

The University of Bergen (UiB) shall procure an autonomous underwater vessel (AUV) with the capacity to operate at sea level down to 6,000 metres. The need is an AUV with advanced sensors, including high-resolution sonars and cameras, as well as high operational security and precision. The procurement is financed by the Ministry of Energy through the Norwegian Shelf Directorate. The vessel shall be operated by UiB at the Institute of Geosciences and will be a part of the national research infrastructure. Justification for exceptions UiB has been researching deep sea problems for many years and has a separate centre for deep sea research. Good infrastructure here is crucial and there is a need for cooperation across and national. In 2008, FFI invited both HI and UiB to a partnership for the use of a HUGIN AUV, called Hugin HUS. The Centre for Geobiology took the initiative at UiB to prepare G.O. Sars for AUV operations. The Centre for Geobiology and the Centre for Deep Sea Research have used Hugin HUS for a ten year period with very good results. Due to age and wear and tear, Hugin HUS has been inaccessible for deep sea operations since 2019, and FFI has today been replaced with a new HUGIN 3000. This vessel is, however, dedicated to FFI's own use and is less accessible for academia. The contracting authority therefore needs to procure a separate AUV. The need is an in-depth AUV with advanced sensors, including high-resolution sonars and cameras, as well as high operational security and precision. There are several AUV models that can go down to a depth of 6,000 metres, but as the AUV shall be used in cooperation with other partners, it is not possible to purchase other AUVs than the HUGIN 6000. The new AUV shall be accommodated in an existing infrastructure and it must be able to be used on existing ships together with other AUVs. Competence at collaboration partners is also required, as UiB has limited capacity and competence to continue the development of technology and functionality. It is a prerequisite for such synergies that UiB procures a Hugin-AUV. The long-term cooperation between UiB and FFI is currently highlighted by the FFI leading a work package with the goal of developing Hugin and AUV technology in a new Centre for Research Driven Innovation (SFI) aimed at deep sea mapping, which UiB is seeking to establish. Norway also have a significant need for AUV capacity for stand-by and monitoring of marine infrastructure, and the new AUV at UiB shall be available for such use. It is a prerequisite that the same technology is used by others in the Norway, as HUGIN is known and does not require training or adaptations and additional equipment. We have assessed that the terms for the procurement without a competition are fulfilled, cf. § 13-4: "The contracting authority can hold a procurement without a competition if b. the procurement concerns services that only a specific tenderer can deliver because the 2nd competition is impossible for technical reasons no. 2 (...) applies only when there are no reasonable alternatives and the lack of competition is not due to the contracting authority having adapted the procurement documents to a particular tenderer;' Kongsberg Discovery is the only company that can meet this need. Competition is therefore impossible.