As of noon on Tuesday, weapons manufacturers Heckler & Koch GmbH (Germany), Sig Sauer Inc. (U.S.), Lewis Machine & Tool Company (U.S.) and Patriot Ordnance Factory Inc. (U.S.) had filed offers in the automatic firearms tender, spokespeople for the Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (ECDI) told BNS.

The ECDI wishes to purchase new 5.56mmand 7.62mm automatic firearms for the EDF's 1st and 2nd Infantry Brigades in the procurement which was announced last June. As of last November, nine of the 14 applications submitted by weapons manufacturers prequalified for the procurement.

By the end of March, the ECDI will assess whether the offers received meet the set minimum requirements, and will present qualifying tenderers with proposals of negotiations and competitive price offers based on the requirements as specified during negotiations. The ECDI hopes to sign a contract sometime during the second half of the year.

The goal of the procurement is to purchase new automatic firearms for the 1st and 2nd Infantry Brigade of the EDF. In addition to the EDF, the Ministry of Justice and PPA have also been included in the procurement, as they are likewise in need of new firearms.

The technical specifications for the procurement have been drawn up by the EDF.

According to the procurement plan, the ECDI is to purchase approximately 11,000 automatic firearms during the 2018-2021 period. In addition, the contract must enable the option to purchase up to another 18,000 additional firearms until 2024.

The projected maximum cost of the firearms procurement is €75 million, making it one of Estonia's largest and most important armament contracts in the next decade alongside the K9 self-propelled artillery and ammunition procurement.