Navy and USCG release polar icebreaker RFP

MARCH 6, 2017 — The U.S. Navy, in collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard under an integrated program office (IPO), released a request for proposal (RFP) March 2 for the advance procurement and detail design for the Coast Guard’s heavy polar icebreaker (HPIB), with options for detail design and construction (DD&C) for up to three HPIBs.

The integrated program office is using a full and open competition strategy for DD&C; a single contract award will be made in fiscal year 2019.

To enable ongoing program planning and responses to Congressional inquiries, the Coast Guard and Navy HPIB IPO desire input from prime offerers related to the benefits of Congressional authorization of Block Buy and/or Economic Order Quantity.

On Feb. 21, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acquisition Review Board approved the program to proceed from the Analyze/Select phase to the Obtain phase. This achievement, similar to the Milestone B decision in the Navy’s acquisition process, is the culmination of several years of productive collaboration between the Navy and Coast Guard, regular industry engagement, and research and validation of the design and requirements. As a Coast Guard program, the heavy polar icebreaker program will follow DHS acquisition guidelines.

The commandant of the Coast Guard, Adm. Paul Zukunft said issuance of the RFP as “a major milestone in the collective efforts by the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy to deliver a new fleet of polar icebreakers. These multimission vessels are key components of our national strategy to advance U.S. interests and to keep pace with the growing volume of commercial activities in the polar regions. New heavy polar icebreakers are the most effective and efficient way of meeting our current and anticipated mission demands in these critical regions, and I’m ecstatic that we are moving smartly to delivery these national assets to the U.S. Coast Guard fleet.”

Access the RFP HERE