The Army on Monday issued two Request For Proposals (RFP) for procurement of 7,000 body-worn camera systems and 1,612 ballistic shields to be procured under Emergency Procurement (EP) through the fast-track procurement (FTP) route. The last date for bid submission for both the RFPs is December 20, 2022.
“The body cameras are for both the military police as well as Rashtriya Rifles engaged in counter-terrorist operations in Kashmir valley. The ballistic shields are meant for counter-terrorism operations,” a defence official said. The ballistic shields would be very helpful in preventing casualties in room interventions during anti-terror operations, the official added.
Emergency financial powers were granted to the armed forces by the Defence Ministry in the past on three occasions, post the Uri surgical strikes in 2016, the Balakot air strike in 2019 and the 2020 standoff with China in eastern Ladakh. Under the FTP route, the forces can procure weapons systems upto ₹300 crores on an “urgent basis without any further clearances to cut short the procurement cycle.”
Three tranches of EPs were executed under which 68 contracts worth ₹6,000 crores were placed and the fourth EP for indigenous equipment is underway, Army chief General Manoj Pande had said at DefExpo-2022.
The ballistic shields should have a minimum indigenous content of 50% and the manufacturer should provide a 60 months warranty for the ballistic shield and 24 months for the harness, the RFP said. The shield should have a service life of five years.
The shield should be of ambidextrous design with height not less than 860 mm and width not less than 520 mm. The weight should not be more than 20 kg plus 5%, including ballistic view port and accessories attached to the shield. “It should be provided with support harness to enable hands-free carriage of ballistic shield while ensuring unhindered usage of personal weapon and balanced weight distribution once fully worn,” the RFP stated.
The body-worn camera (BWC) is a small audio and video recording device which is worn and attached to the uniform, usually on the chest and used to capture real-time video and images when the soldier wearing it is present at an incident or operation site, the RFP said in a description of the camera.
The camera should be compact in size and light in weight about 200 gms and have battery life for up to 12 hours video recording. The recording should have two independent video streams for local record and remote view, the RFP said, adding that it should burn in date, time, device ID, officer ID and location.
It should be able to operate in conditions from —20°C to 45°C and support encryption. “Encrypted video should be only played in special player. Data on camera should not be editable,” the camera said.
In the last two months, the Army has issued several RFPs, including those for 163 high altitude logistic drones, 1,000 surveillance copters and 80 mini Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) among others.
Under FTP, deliveries should start in six months from the signing of the contract and be completed in one year.
Published - November 21, 2022 10:08 pm IST
