Nichols Martin
The U.S. Coast Guard has launched a full and open competition for follow-on projects to design and build up to 11 offshore patrol cutters to complement the maritime law enforcement service's national security and fast response cutters.
USCG said Monday it will accept responses to the new OPC solicitation through May 28 and aims to name the winning contractor in the second quarter of fiscal 2022.
Panama City, Florida-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group won a $110.3 million contract in September 2016 to complete lead OPC detailed design work. The company was awarded options two years later to begin the construction project and obtain lead-long time materials for a second OPC. According to ESG, the contract includes options to manufacture up to four vessels.
The follow-on contract will have a fixed-price-incentive-firm structure and covers logistics, training and life cycle engineering services, USCG noted in the request for proposals.
OPCs will account for 70 percent of the branch's offshore cutter fleet once the new vessels reach operational status and will support maritime security operations farther than 12 nautical miles.
The service intends to procure a total of 25 OPCs.
