The Hodgman Liberal Government is rebuilding Tasmania Police to improve public safety.
Today, I am pleased to announce that tenders have opened for a new Offshore Police Patrol Vessel.
The Government committed $5 million in this year’s Budget to acquire an ocean-going vessel to ensure Tasmania Police have a range of capabilities at sea.
Operating potentially as far as 200 nautical miles offshore, this vessel is expected to play a pivotal role in marine safety and law enforcement activities.
We are determined to get this acquisition right, and that’s why the tender process is open to either the purchase of a new vessel or for one to be designed and built.
Tasmania Police has formed the Endeavour Project Team and engaged specialist maritime consultants along with seeking the advice of their counterparts in other jurisdictions, such as New South Wales Police who have provided specialist officers involved in the procurement of their own large vessels.
The tender process has been advertised in national and Tasmanian daily newspapers, and also online on the Government’s e-tender website.
This will be a fair, open and competitive process to ensure Tasmania gets the best value from this investment with a fit for purpose vessel.
A mandatory pre-tender briefing information day will be held in Hobart on 17 September, at which prospective tenderers will be provided with the full specifications sought for the new vessel and other information.
We expect the procurement project to be completed in the first quarter of 2016.
If the decision is made to build a vessel, we expect construction would begin next year with the new vessel to be on the water by the first quarter of 2017.
Rene Hidding, Minister for Police and Emergency Management
