German Naval Yards Demands Open Bid For $2.2 Billion Five Additional K130 Corvette Procurement

The German defense ministry’s plan to buy additional five K130 corvettes from Thyssen-Krupp Marine Systems (TKMS) will have to wait until it gets a chance to appeal antitrust decision later this week.

Earlier this month, Naval Yards had lodged a complaint with the federal cartel office against the ministry for having given a contract without calling for bids. The cartel office upheld the complaint arguing for an open tender for the program.

The cartel office disagreed with the ministry’s argument that the deal was urgent and only the old consortium would be able to build the ships. The deal is estimated to cost €2 billion ($2.25 billion).

But the ministry has until the middle of next week to appeal the decision of the antitrust authority. “We are thoroughly reviewing the decisions of the federal public procurement chamber and will then make a decision on what action to take,” a ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying by Handelsblatt news daily last week.