Manufacture, Supply & Delivery of 1 x 2C Fire Fighting Vessel

Overview Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) is providing advance notice of a forthcoming procurement for the design, construction and delivery of a new firefighting vessel to replace its existing Fireboat 1. The procurement is anticipated to be conducted as an open tender using a milestone-based supply contract with a single supplier. Purpose The replacement vessel will support FRV's marine firefighting and emergency response capability and enable the continued delivery of services in accordance with FRV's legislative and operational responsibilities. FRV intends to engage a single supplier to provide an end-to-end solution, including vessel design, construction, certification, testing, commissioning and delivery, with confirmed funding for one (1) vessel. Objectives Maintain competitive market participation Promote innovation and best-practice vessel design Achieve best value for money Deliver a safe, reliable and operationally effective marine firefighting capability Scope FRV is seeking a reputable supplier for the design, construction, commissioning and ongoing product support of this Melbourne based vessel. The proposed vessel will be procured against a performance-based specification. The scope includes: Design, construction, certification, testing, commissioning and delivery of one (1) Class 2C firefighting vessel compliant with applicable NSCV, Australian Standards and relevant international standards Maximum vessel length of 12 metres Four (4) fast-craft crew seats Capacity for up to four (4) crew and eight (8) special personnel (12 total) Preferred outboard propulsion configuration Minimum sprint speed of 35 knots in Sea State 2 conditions Operational endurance sufficient to travel 50 nautical miles to an incident at sprint speed, operate firefighting pumps for a minimum of five hours at 80% capacity, return at cruising speed, and retain a minimum 20% fuel reserve Firefighting pump capacity of up to 5,000 litres per minute Minimum two remote controlled firefighting monitors, comprising one bow-mounted monitor and one roof-mounted monitor Minimum two manually controlled rear deck monitors Capability to supply water to shore-based firefighting operations Hull design that provides safe and comfortable passage and minimises broaching and pooping tendencies in up to Sea State 4 conditions Ongoing product support for the vessel Suppliers may propose innovative vessel and firefighting solutions that meet FRV's operational objectives, including designs aligned with the intent of the NFPA 1925 small fireboat category. Contractor Requirements FRV encourages participation from suitably qualified local, interstate, international and specialist marine vessel designers and builders Tender Briefing Industry Briefing: Week commencing Monday 9 November 2026 Instructions to Tenderers This Advance Tender Notice is provided to inform the market of FRV's anticipated procurement requirements and allow interested suppliers to consider participation. Detailed specifications, conditions of tender and procurement timelines will be included in the formal Request for Tender documentation upon release. The indicative procurement timeframe is as follows: Advance Tender Notice (4 weeks): Published week ending 9 October 2026 RFT release to market: Friday 30 October 2026 Industry Briefing: Week commencing Monday 9 November 2026 Clarification period closes: Friday 11 December 2026, 5.00pm AEST Tender closes (7 weeks in market): Friday 18 December 2026, 2.00pm AEST Evaluation, moderation, clarification including site visits: December 2026 to February 2027 Approvals: March 2027 Contract negotiation and finalisation: April 2027 Contract execution / award notification: Late April 2027 Mobilisation: May 2027 Service commencement: May 2027 Commence vessel build: June 2027 Complete vessel build: Late 2028 Vessel delivery, testing and defect management, operational training, manage warranty defects/outstanding issues: February 2029 Operations commence, in commission: April 2029 Transition to business as usual: Mid 2029 Dates are indicative only and may be revised to accommodate market response quality, clarification requirements, governance approvals, legal review, contract negotiations and operational priorities. All procurement updates will be published through Buying for Victoria. Suppliers should monitor the relevant tender notice for further information and future market engagement opportunities. Enquiries Contact: Kerry Duncan Mobile: +61 0455 468 255 Email: tenders@frv.vic.gov.au Email: kerry.duncan@frv.vic.gov.au Major Procurements, Contracts & Procurement, Fire Rescue Victoria: tenders@frv.vic.gov.au