Just a few weeks ago, the Defence Department and Public Works issued a notice to companies that it would be buying 10,000 new rifles and 10,000 pistols.
But DND also stipulated that any firms wanting to bid on the two contracts would have to turn over their technical data and proprietary information to the government, which in turn would pass it on to Colt Canada. Colt would then manufacture the weapons at its plant in Kitchener, Ont.
But defence sources say companies told the government they had no intention of turning over the details of their firearms designs to a subsidiary of the U.S. small arms giant Colt, a key competitor for many of the firms on the international market.
The government then hastily retreated, cancelling its request to the companies for information about prices and availability.
In an email, the Defence Department confirmed that it asked Public Works to cancel the request “as a result of questions, and requests for clarification, from industry.”
The department is now re-evaluating its procurement strategy.
According to the DND email, its small arms project office is now “focusing efforts on clarifying the procurement strategy with the intent to facilitate future communication with industry.”
Comments from industry will be considered when the final requirements for the purchase are written, added the department email added.
But industry sources say Canada’s purchase of the rifles and pistols is considered small so the government will have little leverage demanding that international firearms companies turn over their technical data to a competitor. They suggest the entire procurement strategy will have to be overhauled.
DND has also tried to prevent firms from talking about the proposed pistol purchase. In its notice sent to arms companies for the upcoming procurement, it stipulated that, “No information or statements pertaining to this project shall be released to the media without written permission from the Department of National Defence.”
Such a stipulation is unusual, say industry officials. But there have been growing concerns about the lack of accountability and secrecy that surrounds DND’s procurement organization.
Earlier this year the Citizen obtained a DND report which concluded military procurement was secretive and that the government did not communicate with the public or industry on such matters. “Defence procurement and defence trade are neither free, open, nor transparent,” the study by an outside review team noted.
Jeff MacLeod, general manager of Colt Canada, said he isn’t sure why the government’s request for information from the small arms firms for the pistols and rifles was cancelled, But MacLeod said he expects to find out more information in the coming days.
The new rifles were to replace the Lee Enfield guns that the Canadian Rangers have been using for more than 60 years. The original purchase plan would have seen the Rangers receiving their new rifles at the end of 2014.
The Rangers, a sub-component of the Canadian Forces Reserve, patrol remote parts of the country’s North and other isolated areas of Canada.
For the last two decades the military has been maintaining the rifles from spare parts taken from other Lee Enfields. Although, the Canadian Forces are several years away from a shortage of parts, the number of spare components is becoming limited, according to army officers.
The new pistol would replace two types of handguns currently used in the Canadian Forces. One of those, the Browning Hi-Power, has been in use for decades.
The procurement plan for the new pistol called for a contract in place and deliveries of the new weapons by 2015. It is not clear now when the new rifles or pistols will be delivered.
Canadian Forces C7 rifles and other weapons were produced by Diemaco, a Canadian company in Kitchener, but in 2005 that firm was purchased by the U.S. arms giant Colt. It is now known as Colt Canada and is the federal government’s Small Arms Centre of Excellence.
The company has also supplied militaries in the Netherlands, Denmark and other nations with rifles. It employs around 100 staff at its facility in Kitchener.
The Rangers, a sub-component of the Canadian Forces Reserve, patrol remote parts of the country’s North and other isolated areas of Canada.
For the last two decades the military has been maintaining the rifles from spare parts taken from other Lee Enfields. Although, the Canadian Forces are several years away from a shortage of parts, the number of spare components is becoming limited, according to army officers.
The new pistol would replace two types of handguns currently used in the Canadian Forces. One of those, the Browning Hi-Power, has been in use for decades.
The procurement plan for the new pistol called for a contract in place and deliveries of the new weapons by 2015. It is not clear now when the new rifles or pistols will be delivered.
Canadian Forces C7 rifles and other weapons were produced by Diemaco, a Canadian company in Kitchener, but in 2005 that firm was purchased by the U.S. arms giant Colt. It is now known as Colt Canada and is the federal government’s Small Arms Centre of Excellence.
The company has also supplied militaries in the Netherlands, Denmark and other nations with rifles. It employs around 100 staff at its facility in Kitchener.
Origin
Source: Ottawa Citizen
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