***OPEN COMMUNICATION FROM THE NAVAL OFFICE***
To Whom it May Concern;
The recent Imperial Civil War revealed a weakness in the Imperial Navy's strategic asset lineup - namely, in the field of superheavy surface combatants. The Imperial Navy has no serious battleship designs, and hasn't for at least the past fourty years - at present, our heavily-upgraded Kirov-class Battlecruisers fill the role, but are woefully inadequate. Nations are invited to submit designs and specifications for our perusal, to standards to be found at the base of this statement. Between nations with otherwise equally-valid offers, the following nations will receive priority: Any member of ODECON, any member of the Commonwealth of Independant Nations, The Armed Republic of the Wolf Hold, The Holy Empire of Osea 767, The Empire of Shazbotdom, The Kingdom of Brasland. Nations feeling that they deserve such priority but have not received it, please contact this office to seek such (OOC: If I've forgotten anyone, please TG me, and I'll include you). Any interested applicants are to send representatives to the Octagon, in Constantinopolis Secundus, to determine the suitability of designs.
[signed]
Varkos Katakanides
Imperial Secretary of the Seas.
Addendum One: Minimum standards and priority determination.
Displacement: Minimum 65,000 tonnes full load, maximum 90,000 tonnes full load.
Length: Maximum 310m.
Speed: Minimum 29 knots, to keep up with the fleet. Duplication of propulsion systems and/or capability to maintain fleet speed with battle damage will be well-regarded.
Armament: At a minimum, these ships must be able to inflict considerable damage to incoming air and surface forces, as well as be capable of area point defense against incoming missiles. The Imperial Navy's ASW capabilities are entirely adequate and need no further supplementation. A focus on close-range combat will be looked upon favourably, as will NATO-compatible missile armament.
Protection: These vessels must be exceedingly resilient in the face of battle damage - the INCN requires the ships for just this purpose.
EW systems: At least 1,000 tonnes free space for EW equipment - this will be installed in Imperial shipyards to Imperial designs.
Cost: Negotiable, although designs costing more than USD7.5bn (N4.2bn) or less than USD5bn (N2.8bn) per unit will receive extra scrutiny for quality and efficiency of construction.
Quantity: The Empire is looking to purchase a minimum of two such vessels for each currently-operational Fleet, therefore at least twenty-eight, with the possibility of further orders.
Other: These ships will almost certainly serve as fleet flagships, therefore extensive communication and sensor capability will be highly useful, as well as facilities to accommodate a flag officer and staff.
Addendum Two: Conditions.
1. All payments will be made to the winning bidder in a 50/50 mixture of Nomismata (N, the national currency of New Chalcedon) and Universal Standard Dollars, in mutually-agreed instalments. The Nomisma is a highly-stable currency, and the risks are minimal.
2. All vessels are to be ready for delivery a maximum of four years after the contract is signed, with bonuses or penalties (of 0.5% of the total contracted sum per week or part thereof of early or late delivery) to accompany early or late delivery. A specific timetable will be determined to the satisfaction of the Imperial Navy and the contractor.
3. The yards in which the construction takes place will be subject to random inspections by Imperial Navy inspectors, with approval of any relevant national governments, in order to ensure quality and speed of construction.
4. All further conditions are negotiable.
.