Land Forces
Key Deadlines for the Polish Army Krab Systems Procurement Unveiled
Photo. St. Szer Adrian Jórski
HSW submitted a bid regarding the delivery of the Krab self-propelled howitzers, sending it to the Armament Agency. The spokesman for the Agency confirmed that fact, speaking to us, also unveiling the date on which the negotiation would begin.
The PGZ Group announced that Krab howitzer offer for the Polish Army has been submitted, in a social media release referring to the Defence24.pl’s article published on Wednesday, 28th February. The piece published informed that no bid was submitted by 28th February, making it impossible to meet the performance contract conclusion deadline set on that date. Today the PGZ Group announced that the bid was submitted promptly, according to the timeline outlined by the Armament Agency’s invitation.
Speaking to Defence24.pl, Spokesperson for the Armament Agency, Lt. Col. Grzegorz Polak, stated the following: I do confirm that we received the HSW’s offer today, on 29th February. Negotiation will be launched on Tuesday, 5th March, aimed at signing the performance contract, once all procedures are finalized.
The proposal was submitted yesterday after our news piece was published. The negotiation is expected to begin next week. Even if the bid had been submitted a day before, the signing of the performance contract would not have been possible on the date officially listed by PGZ (by the end of February), as negotiation is always a part of the process, along with review and approval procedures related to the negotiated agreement. This cannot be done in one day.
If the conditions of the submitted bid are aligned with what the Armament Agency wants, the negotiation may be finalized at a relatively rapid pace. The delays tied to not meeting the deadline declared three months ago would have a minor, or even negligible impact on the delivery timelines. One should stress that the Armament Agency, when placing an invitation, still leaves a certain degree of timeline freedom. PGZ Group could have made use of that, which does not change the fact that the declared (not necessarily required) deadline was not met.
The negotiation expected to begin on Tuesday, 5th March, is tied to the first performance contract associated with the framework agreement covering the procurement of 6 Krab squadrons (152 artillery pieces), along with relevant upgrades. The first of the performance agreements would cover the acquisition of four squadron-level fire modules - 96 howitzers plus support vehicles.
Currently, the Polish Armed Forces await for delivery of 42 Krab howitzers, covered by the agreement signed in 2016, along with 48 guns, procured based on the contract signed in 2022. The delivery deadline for 42 howitzers was postponed in 2022, from the original 2022-2024 to 2025-2027. This was a result of an annex requested by HSW being signed, following the conclusion of the Ukrainian procurement agreement. Between 2025 and 2027, it is expected that the Ukrainian Krab procurement contract signed in 2022 will be finalized. In late 2023 PGZ and HSW jointly declared the will to boost the Krab howitzers manufacturing capacity. The Armament Agency signed the aforesaid framework agreement and expressed its interest in having the deliveries covered by the existing contracts accelerated.