Ottawa firm wins $73.5M deals to build ‘mobile workspaces’ for DND

OTTAWA—An Ottawa-based manufacturer has won $73.5-million in contracts from the Department of National Defence to build “mobile workspaces” for the Canadian military.

Announced by Public Works Minister Diane Finley and Defence Minister Rob Nicholson, the contracts awarded to DEW Engineering and Development ULC is part of the larger Medium Support Vehicle System project announced in June 2006.

In August 2009, DEW won a $130-million contract to build 895 baseline shelters for the Canadian military.

The new deal, a follow-on the the original contract, will see DEW build an additional 99 shelters through a contract amendment valued at $25-million, in addition to the 895 previously ordered.

Under a separate contract award, valued at $48.5-million, DEW will also design and “kit,” or equip, 846 of the shelters with items like power generators, tools, work benches, and electronic and office equipment.

The spaces will then be used as command posts, meteorological and medical stations and workshops.

The building of the additional shelters and the kitting of the shelters will be done at the company’s Canadian facilities.

“These contracts for the new mobile workspaces will help sustain over 100 jobs in Ottawa and in Miramichi, N.B.,” Minister Finley said in a statement. “This is good news for our Canadian Armed Forces, for Canadian workers and for the Canadian economy.”

The kitted shelters are part of the DND’s Medium Support Vehicle System project, which will see the army’s fleet of medium-weight trucks retrofiited or replaced.

In January 2009, Navistar Defence LLC won a $274-million defence contract for a fleet of 1300 MilCOTS vehicles.

MilCOTS vehicles are commercial trucks that have been adapted for domestic military operations and training.

All MilCOTS vehicles have been delivered, according to the DND.

First deliveries of the kitted shelters are planned for the spring of 2014.

The last kitted shelter should by delivered by early 2017.