Battle for armored recovery vehicles: FFG demands fair award against Rheinmetall!

Battle for armored recovery vehicles: FFG demands fair award against Rheinmetall!

Things are simmering in the Bundestag because budget politicians have spoken out in favor of publicly awarding future contracts for armored recovery vehicles. This decision could set a new course for the Flensburger Fahrzeug Gesellschaft (FFG), which is protesting against the non-public award of a current contract for 23 armored recovery vehicles. According to reports, this contract was probably awarded to Rheinmetall, which is causing a lot of talk in the industry. Those responsible at the FFG are skeptical, as they offer a significantly cheaper alternative with the “Wisent” armored recovery vehicle model. The FFG's protest aims to insist on equal opportunities in competition and to speak to politicians' consciences, as ndr.de reports.

But what exactly is behind the dispute over the award? The Federal Ministry of Defense argues that the order for the armored recovery vehicles is a repeat order of the “Büffel” model. This would enable faster procurement. But the FFG has other ideas: They are ready to invest in a new location in order to make the “Wisent” model attractive to the Bundeswehr. The investments could amount to up to 75 million euros, with production starting planned for 2027.

Political pressure and competition

Politicians seem to be taking the issue seriously. The budget politicians are demanding a statement from the Federal Ministry of Defense on the FFG protests. According to the current simulation games, at least future contracts for armored recovery vehicles should be tendered in an “equal opportunity, public procurement process”. A challenging prospect, because there are still further purchases to be made: the ministry plans to purchase another 100 tanks. This situation raises the question of the extent to which procurement law is taken into account in defense matters, as staatsanzeiger.de emphasizes.

Procurement of the 23 armored recovery vehicles that were handed over to Ukraine is proving difficult. The award procedure is ongoing, but the manufacturer, who submitted an offer in February, is fighting: a response was not forthcoming, and a planned appointment with the Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Use of the Bundeswehr (BAAINBw) was also canceled. In an incendiary letter, the manufacturer addressed members of the Budget and Defense Committee and highlighted the grievances. defence-network.com also provided interesting insights.

Economy and control

The Federal Audit Office urges caution in all of this: President Kay Scheller calls for arms spending to be designed responsibly. The regular defense budget for 2025 exceeds 53 billion euros, supplemented by a special fund of 100 billion euros for modernization. It is important to create competitive conditions that take the economic totality of the resources into account. Lawyer Christoph Goller points out that procurement law should not be viewed as an obstacle, but rather as a means to economic efficiency. Procurement speed is important, but efficiency must not be neglected.
This is also reflected in the audit results, which reveal where the Bundeswehr has difficulties in using the funds in a targeted and economical manner. Examples of mismanagement such as failed projects contribute to a tense field of action.

Overall, it remains to be seen how the situation will develop and whether the FFG will have a good hand in future orders. The coming months promise to be exciting – for the arms industry and the Bundeswehr alike.