Destroyer upgrade work underscores capacity and manpower hurdles

Tandem docking of ships, shown here in Norfolk, Virginia, in 2012, was heralded previously. Recently, such a potential scenario was used to penalise a contract proposal. (Janes/Michael Fabey)

As the US Navy (USN) begins to overhaul and modernise its older guided-missile destroyers (DDGs), focus is sharpening on industry's abilities to meet capacity and manpower needs for the burgeoning ship work, as detailed in the recent protest decision for the recently awarded contract for such work on USS Russell (DDG 59).

The Pentagon on 2 December 2024 confirmed a USD64 million firm-fixed-price contract award to Continental Maritime of San Diego (CMSD), California, for maintenance, modernisation, and repair of Russell, under fiscal year 2025 docking selected restricted availability.

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) Comptroller General on 14 April acknowledged it had denied a protest by BAE Systems Ship Repair San Diego of the contract award. That decision notes the focus on capacity and manpower issues for the work and how the two are driving USN decision making on contract awards for those efforts.

In its 30 May 2024 request for proposals (RFP), Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) permitted each offeror to submit two different types of proposals, where proposal volume A would be for performance at an offeror's private facility and proposal volume B would be for performance at the government-provided dock at Naval Base San Diego, the GAO said.

The GAO noted, “Government-operated dry docks are only included in such solicitation if there is insufficient capacity at privately operated dry docks for performance of such contract.”