Joint procurement will provide gas masks to Lithuanian and Latvian Army

On December 12 the Defence Materiel Agency under the Ministry of National Defence signed a contract with Scott Health & Safety Ltd of the United Kingdom in order to supply the Lithuanian Armed Forces with NBC gasmasks. The public tender was entered by three suppliers. Before that, a contract with Scott Health & Safety Ltd was signed on September 17 on procurement of filters for gasmasks, seven bids had been placed in the tender.

The gasmasks are acquired in order to protect military personnel, they will be given out to troops deployed to international operations and missions, as well as to soldiers taking part in joint actions with NATO allies and partners, and units of the Lithuanian Armed Forces ensuring security internally.

The Defence Materiel Agency arranged the procurement not only for the Lithuanian Armed Forces: the procedure was joined with the demand of the Ministry of Defence of Latvia to acquire analogous gear — the Defence Materiel Agency was authorized to carry out the procedure on behalf of the Latvian colleagues too.

Up to 9 thousand gasmasks for the Lithuanian Armed Forces and up to 14 thousand gasmasks for Latvia, as well as up to 15 thousand filters for Lithuania and up to 14 thousand filters for Latvia, are planned to be procured from the UK manufacturer. Total value of the acquisition is roughly EUR 3 million with VAT.

The gasmasks are planned to be delivered in March-April 2020 and the filters have already been delivered.