Govt Nominates OFB to Develop Combat Vehicle

[Zarvan]

Representational Image
Contrary to its stance of providing a level-playing field for government firms, public sector units and private players in defence manufacturing under ‘Make in India’, the defence ministry has nominated the government-owned Ordnance Factories Board (OFB) as one of the three companies to undertake design and development of Fighting Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV). Two other Indian private companies will be selected by competition, according to a letter sent by the defence ministry to 10 bidders on January 14.

“We have been promised a level-playing field by the government. This FICV development project will cost between Rs 1,000-3,000 crore, and if government has already nominated the OFB, it sends a wrong signal to all the other private players,” top official of a private Indian defence company told The Indian Express.

In this project being executed under Defence Procurement Procedure-2008 (DPP-2008), two Indian firms were to be selected to design and develop separate FICVs within 18 months to replace the army’s fleet of obsolete 2,610 Russian BMP-2 carriers. After the latest amendment, three companies —and OFB has already been nominated — will develop the prototype, and each of them will be reimbursed 80 per cent of their costs by the government.

The Indian Express spoke to three firms bidding for the FICV project, who said that by executing the project under DPP-2008, the indigenous content will only be 30 per cent. If the project was to be executed under DPP-2013 — or under DPP-2016 which was announced by defence minister this week but is to be still notified — the indigenous content will be a minimum of 50 percent.

Private Indian defence firms allege that the assessment criteria for selection of two private companies are flawed and rule out most of the nine companies from contention. The financial criterion for a ‘Make in India’ project under DPP-2008 (Appendix C, Paragraph 22) stipulates that the company should have been registered for a minimum of 10 years, with a foreign holding of less than 26 per cent and an annual turnover of not less than Rs 1,000 crore in the past three years. These rule out seven of the nine private companies, except Tatas and L&T, invited for the bid.

On October 1, defence ministry had issued a note to the contenders stating that domestic operation alone would count whilst evaluating a company’s commercial eligibility and strength — a key determinant for who will win the FICV project. This has raised questions about profits from Tata’s UK-based subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which underpin Tata Motors’ consolidated turnover of Rs 2,63,695 crore and a net profit of Rs 13,986 crore last year.

If JLR’s profits are not counted towards Tata’s financial assessment, only L&T will qualify as a private company for designing and developing the FICV prototype. Industry sources say that this anomaly could be legally challenged by the losing bidders which will lead to stalling of the FICV project.

Meanwhile, clearing the air over its participation in the bidding for the FICV project, Tata Motors said that it continues to be a strong bidder.

“We meet the requisite criteria for bidding for the FICV project,” the firm said in a statement.

Private companies also say that the weightage of assessment criteria, where only 8.31 per cent weightage is given to technical assessment catering to the FICV product structure, runs contrary to the primacy promised in Paragraph 24 of the DPP.

Govt nominates OFB to develop combat vehicle | The Indian Express

 

[Water Car Engineer]

 

[Nike]

how old is your BMP-2 fleets?

 

[halupridol]

nice,,,ofb gets its "deserving" nomination,,,dpsu bhakto chalo ab taali bajao

 

[Water Car Engineer]

I am just amazed they let this happen. Originally, OFB was supposed to give their proposal like everyone else, the winning two would be shortlisted and trialed. Now they see that they might not win in a fair competition, we now have OFB + 2 Private firms. It's a joke.

These jokers showed off some crap wheeled BMP, which it's tires doesnt even seem fully pumped in 2014 expo. *This isnt FICV, but still....

This is after getting "ToT" and all contracts involving armor(and others), being the only assembler in the country for such vehicles since independence, this is what they have to show.

TATA on the other hand showed a working prototype AHEAD of schedule, even after their original German partner was blacklisted. *Kestrel based on wheeled FICV template

And also showed off LAMV.

This is after getting no contacts for frontline armored vehicles and debuting in this segment.

Even when this FICV program was being re-schemed, they went a head and pitched the wheeled FICV design to the army for another program, with DRDO(in the mean while). Continuing to modify and test the platform, dubbed Kestrel.

They were even shown testing a basic tracked chassis design back in 2013. Well before this program was being restarted.

Hell, the TATA spokesmen even mentioned them going to pitch it to Myanmar.


What is OFB doing then or now? I've never seen a pile of shit more dense than them in my life.

 

[vayuputhra]

OFB bunch of over payed incompetent babus, they lack innovation and ideas and if someone has the talent they will never allow him, mainly OFBs are located in West Bengal a state full of strikes and unions, and i am sure they will surely produce a tin can unfit to field it even in Maldives.
this Kurdish man is better than the big OFBs

 

[Echo_419]

I am just amazed they let this happen. Originally, OFB was supposed to give their proposal like everyone else, the winning two would be shortlisted and trialed. Now they see that's they might now win in a fair competition, we now have OFB + 2 Private firms. It's a joke.

These jokers showed off some crap wheeled BMP, which it's tires doesnt even seem fully pumped in 2014 expo. *This isnt FICV, but still....

This is after getting "ToT" and all contracts involving armor(and others), being the only assembler in the country for such vehicles since independence, this is what they have to show.

TATA on the other hand showed a working prototype AHEAD of schedule, even after their original German partner was blacklisted.

And also showed of LAMV.

This is after getting no contacts for frontline armored vehicles and debuting in division.

Even when this FICV program was being re-schemed, they went a head and pitched the wheeled FICV design to the army for another program, with DRDO(in the mean while). Continuing to modify and test the platform, dubbed Kestrel.

They were even shown testing a basic tracked design back in 2013. Well before this was program was being restarted.

Hell, the TATA spokesmen even mentioned them going to pitch it to Myanmar.


What is OFB doing then or now? I've never seen a pile of shit more dense then them in my life.

Don't worry these idiots won't win the competition

 

[halupridol]

Don't worry these idiots won't win the competition

u don't worry bacchu,,,,they very well know tht they wont win d competition
but they made sure tht hazar crore ka dana pani milta rahe,,,all in the name of chindiginas screwdriver

 

[surya kiran]

Lo. Gayi bhains paani mein. Why did they have to compulsorily let them in.

 

[Echo_419]

u don't worry bacchu,,,,they very well know tht they wont win d competition
but they made sure tht hazar crore ka dana pani milta rahe,,,all in the name of chindiginas screwdriver

Their monopoly will slowly end

 

[Fandingo]

You friggin armchair generals. The deal says 3 companies.

OFB - manufacturing (they got dhanush ready)
TATA - design
L&T - consultants

Is it that friggin difficult to figure out.

 

[Water Car Engineer]

You friggin armchair generals. The deal says 3 companies.

OFB - manufacturing (they got dhanush ready)
TATA - design
L&T - consultants

Is it that friggin difficult to figure out.

That is not at all how FICV works, what you talking about? The winning companies also manufacture. TATA has land already in place for a dedicated armor manufacturing plant if they win.

And for design and consultants, these companies have teamed up with outsiders. Who the hell is L&T going to consult in this field at this time?

 

[Fandingo]

That is not at all how FICV works, what you talking about? The winning companies also manufacture. TATA has land already in place for a dedicated armor manufacturing plant if they win.

And for design and consultants, these companies have teamed up with outsiders. Who the hell is L&T going to consult in this field at this time?

OFb has manufacturing units all over the country. After production starts orders may be gradually handed over to TATA.

L&T has been involved in pretty much every defence deal since brahmos. Tata is new. It pays to have consultant.

The tender is rigged to get these 3 together.

 

[Water Car Engineer]

OFb has manufacturing units all over the country. After production starts orders may be gradually handed over to TATA.

L&T has been involved in pretty much every defence deal since brahmos. Tata is new. It pays to have consultant.

The tender is rigged to get these 3 together.

L&T themselves need help in all of these new programs. The designs for the launchers, etc they get help from DRDO divisions. Forget an IFV, they're the ones that need consultants.

And that TATA manufacuring belt was to come up right after they won the contact. No different to L&T's K9 Thunder plant they'll beginning to make.

OFB was to compete with TATA, LnT, etc on equal terms to get into that 2 company shortlist slot. Now supposedly this government rewrote the rules to automatically make OFB a third design agency without even competiting like the original plan.

 

[Abingdonboy]

Representational Image
Contrary to its stance of providing a level-playing field for government firms, public sector units and private players in defence manufacturing under ‘Make in India’, the defence ministry has nominated the government-owned Ordnance Factories Board (OFB) as one of the three companies to undertake design and development of Fighting Infantry Combat Vehicle (FICV). Two other Indian private companies will be selected by competition, according to a letter sent by the defence ministry to 10 bidders on January 14.

“We have been promised a level-playing field by the government. This FICV development project will cost between Rs 1,000-3,000 crore, and if government has already nominated the OFB, it sends a wrong signal to all the other private players,” top official of a private Indian defence company told The Indian Express.

In this project being executed under Defence Procurement Procedure-2008 (DPP-2008), two Indian firms were to be selected to design and develop separate FICVs within 18 months to replace the army’s fleet of obsolete 2,610 Russian BMP-2 carriers. After the latest amendment, three companies —and OFB has already been nominated — will develop the prototype, and each of them will be reimbursed 80 per cent of their costs by the government.

The Indian Express spoke to three firms bidding for the FICV project, who said that by executing the project under DPP-2008, the indigenous content will only be 30 per cent. If the project was to be executed under DPP-2013 — or under DPP-2016 which was announced by defence minister this week but is to be still notified — the indigenous content will be a minimum of 50 percent.

Private Indian defence firms allege that the assessment criteria for selection of two private companies are flawed and rule out most of the nine companies from contention. The financial criterion for a ‘Make in India’ project under DPP-2008 (Appendix C, Paragraph 22) stipulates that the company should have been registered for a minimum of 10 years, with a foreign holding of less than 26 per cent and an annual turnover of not less than Rs 1,000 crore in the past three years. These rule out seven of the nine private companies, except Tatas and L&T, invited for the bid.

On October 1, defence ministry had issued a note to the contenders stating that domestic operation alone would count whilst evaluating a company’s commercial eligibility and strength — a key determinant for who will win the FICV project. This has raised questions about profits from Tata’s UK-based subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which underpin Tata Motors’ consolidated turnover of Rs 2,63,695 crore and a net profit of Rs 13,986 crore last year.

If JLR’s profits are not counted towards Tata’s financial assessment, only L&T will qualify as a private company for designing and developing the FICV prototype. Industry sources say that this anomaly could be legally challenged by the losing bidders which will lead to stalling of the FICV project.

Meanwhile, clearing the air over its participation in the bidding for the FICV project, Tata Motors said that it continues to be a strong bidder.

“We meet the requisite criteria for bidding for the FICV project,” the firm said in a statement.

Private companies also say that the weightage of assessment criteria, where only 8.31 per cent weightage is given to technical assessment catering to the FICV product structure, runs contrary to the primacy promised in Paragraph 24 of the DPP.

Govt nominates OFB to develop combat vehicle | The Indian Express

I am just amazed they let this happen. Originally, OFB was supposed to give their proposal like everyone else, the winning two would be shortlisted and trialed. Now they see that's they might now win in a fair competition, we now have OFB + 2 Private firms. It's a joke.

These jokers showed off some crap wheeled BMP, which it's tires doesnt even seem fully pumped in 2014 expo. *This isnt FICV, but still....

This is after getting "ToT" and all contracts involving armor(and others), being the only assembler in the country for such vehicles since independence, this is what they have to show.

TATA on the other hand showed a working prototype AHEAD of schedule, even after their original German partner was blacklisted.

And also showed of LAMV.

This is after getting no contacts for frontline armored vehicles and debuting in division.

Even when this FICV program was being re-schemed, they went a head and pitched the wheeled FICV design to the army for another program, with DRDO(in the mean while). Continuing to modify and test the platform, dubbed Kestrel.

They were even shown testing a basic tracked design back in 2013. Well before this was program was being restarted.

Hell, the TATA spokesmen even mentioned them going to pitch it to Myanmar.


What is OFB doing then or now? I've never seen a pile of shit more dense then them in my life.

I don't buy this news one bit.

Remember how the FICV is meant to work? Companies/entities produce wheeled and tracked designs for evaluation, after technical analysis the IA selects 2 entites and they then produce the actual prototypes to be tested and subsequently selected. This hack article doesn't make any damn sense- OFB may be allowed to participate just like TATA, L&T and Mahindra and submit designs but that is it, they aren't automatically going to be part of the FICV.

This entire article is illogical without even the most basic critical thinking applied.


@Water Car Engineer remember how the Kestral project worked? DRDO put out a RFP for the production of the chassis (and other components), TATA won this hands down (they won all RFPs related to the Kestral incidentally), the OFB didn't even get a look in. What is being proposed in the article is entirely in contravention of these facts and, in fact, how the FICV selection process even works- the GoI can't force the winning entities to work with the OFB, whoever wins will be in charge of all elements from design to fabrication, testing and devlopment.