SPC-HWX_II_RFI_II_NarrativeRequirementsQuestions.pdf

Preliminary Requirements for the U.S. Coast Guard

Special Purpose Craft – Heavy Weather (SPC-HWX II)

United States Coast Guard

Special Purpose Craft – Heavy Weather II Request for Information II

Boat Acquisition Program Office (CG-9325) 30 August 2023

Synopsis:

The U. S. Coast Guard (USCG) is conducting market research to purchase six boats to replace the previous 52-foot Special Purpose Craft – Heavy Weather (SPC-HWX) which have been taken out of service. The primary purpose of the SPC-HWX is to conduct Search and Rescue (SAR) missions in extreme weather conditions to include surf and extreme seas, and be able to tow larger fishing vessels.

Other secondary missions will include Ports, Waterways, and Coastal Security (PWCS) and law enforcement. The 52-foot SPC-HWX boats were built in the 1950s, became increasingly difficult to maintain, and have since been retired. The USCG plans to replace them with SPC-HWX II boats, deployed from four USCG stations in the Pacific Northwest (Grays Harbor and Cape Disappointment in Washington, Yaquina Bay and Coos Bay in Oregon).

The previous RFI (11 Feb 2021) described a boat with a 25-knot top speed. This RFI represents a reduced top-speed requirement of 20 knots, and incorporates a 10% power reserve, with a range requirement of 500 nm (at 16 knots cruising speed). This change is intended to place additional emphasis on towing capability and responsiveness in surf operations. Additional planned requirements are summarized in the enclosed “Preliminary Requirements Table”.

This RFI includes a draft Specification (SPEC) and Statement of Work (SOW). Their entirety should be considered notional with several sections incomplete and denoted with language indicating that they are still a work-in-progress. The USCG welcomes comments and recommendations on any part of either document. Some sections of the draft SPEC and SOW have also been highlighted to represent areas where we are concerned we may be too specific or imposing requirements that are contrary to the goal of obtaining a well-balanced, capable, and sustainable asset.

The USCG is interested in seeking industry input on feasibility and interest in providing this unique capability.

Concept of Operations:

The SPC-HWX II missions drive the design requirements. This vignette is included to provide insight to a typical mission for the SPC-HWX II.

A typical mission at the limits of the SPC-HWX II capabilities would consist of a large fishing vessel (~350 tons) disabled and taking on water 150 nm off the coast of Oregon/Washington. Weather conditions are for 35-foot seas and 25-foot breaking surf at the bar crossing. At a speed of 16 knots it will take about 10 hours to make the transit. These conditions prohibit the use of the 47-foot MLB (environmental and range), so the station personnel opt to take the SPC-HWX II with a primary crew of 4 and a relief crew of 4 onboard (mix gender).

Crossing the bar in 25-foot surf requires careful and rapid maneuvering by the coxswain as they operate the boat from the open bridge for best visibility. To make forward progress while avoiding launching off

Special Purpose Craft – Heavy Weather (SPC-HWX II) the back of a wave thrust is regularly and aggressively shifted from full-ahead to full-astern. While maneuvering laterally to the surf, to avoid cresting waves, while at full speed a single engine may be shifted to full-reverse, combined with full rudder to rapidly square-up the approaching breaking surf.

And then immediately placed in full-ahead again to power through the breaker. Engine stalls or hesitation in these maneuvers are unacceptable.

After safely crossing the bar the SPC-HWX II will transit in 35-foot seas for 10 hours at a cruising speed of 16 knots. The coxswain and crew move to the enclosed bridge for the long transit and maneuver the boat to avoid the tallest waves to make the transit as comfortable as possible while maintaining best speed. The relief crew does their best to rest while sitting in the relief crew’s shock-mitigating seats.

Upon reaching the vessel in distress the crew transfers an engineer and a P-6 dewatering pump to the vessel to assist with controlling the flooding. Once the disabled vessel’s damage is stabilized the SPC- HWX II takes the vessel under tow using 1000 feet of the 5” circumference double-braided nylon towline made fast to the aft towing bit. Under the conditions the SPC-HWX II must use all available power to control the orientation of the vessel while making way towards port at a towing speed of 5 knots.

As the seas begin to settle the tow continues for the next 30 hours. During this long slow transit, the crews rotate watches. Off-duty crew strap themselves laying down in the berths below decks to rest, use the head facilities, and prepare hot drinks and heat food from the refrigerator in the kitchenette.

Occasionally the tow length is adjusted to better match the sea wavelength. To do this the coxswain adjusts speed to relieve tension on the tow line and the crew uses the powered capstan on the aft deck to take up slack, then transfers the towline back to the towing bit.

The weather subsides during the transit, and the crew adjusts the speed of the tow to time arrival at the bar for best crossing conditions. Upon arrival a 47-foot motor lifeboat is launched to assist while the SPC-HWX II shortens the tow, recovering 1000 feet of tow line using the capstan on the aft deck. As the line piles on the deck a second crewmember uses the powered towline reel to reel the line from the deck.

Under the more favorable bar conditions with a 350-ton vessel in tow the SPC-HWX II easily controls the speed and orientation during the crossing with powerful engines, propeller pitched propellers, and large control surfaces.

Once nearing a mooring location, the fishing vessel is shifted to an alongside tow, and moored using the engines and bow thruster to maneuver.

The performance requirements are intended to support this mission which requires a balanced boat with reasonable speed to transit long distances relatively quickly, but also has significant reserve power to provide thrust and maneuverability for towing and surf operations. Additional speed over 20 knots is not necessary or desirable but reserve towing power and directional stability are.

In addition to this type of mission, the SPC-HWX II will be operated in near shore surf conditions to assist mariners trapped inside surf lines. This requires high thrust, high maneuverability, rapid engine response, and extreme reliability to establish trust and confidence in the boats performance.

Special Purpose Craft – Heavy Weather (SPC-HWX II)

The structural requirements are intended to deliver a boat that will withstand seaway loading of surf conditions and long duration pounding of heavy seas and survive a roll-over event.

Delivery Schedule:

The USCG anticipates the first boat to take nine to eighteen months to build followed by a six-to-nine-month operational test and evaluation (OT&E) period. Following OT&E and incorporation of any modifications based on OT&E results, up to five more boats will be built at a rate of 2 to 3 per year.

Acceptance Testing and Acceptance will be performed at a contractor-determined facility on the U.S.

West Coast with reasonable access to the ocean.

Integration and Engineering:

SOW-068 outlines a notional Integration and Engineering (SOW-068) effort that with a two-phase Design and Development period from contract award to delivery of the first boat.

This is broken into Phase-1: Design (from Preliminary to Critical Design Review) and Phase-2:

Development (from Critical Design Review to Acceptance Testing of the first boat). The time for each phase would be proposed by the boat builder, to deliver the first boat within 18 months of award.

Throughout Phase-1 and Phase-2 there will be at least 6, but no more than 12 in-person meetings to include design reviews, mockup reviews and construction inspections. These reviews will be timed/sequenced logically and hosted at or near the boat-builder’s facility to enable access to mockups and the boat under construction.

Phase-1: Design will be used to develop the proposal concept to a detailed design that is ready for production. The Design phase will start with a Preliminary Design Review. A series of detailed design reviews and mockup reviews during Phase-1 will be scheduled to afford the USCG the opportunity to review aspects of the boat design culminating in a Critical Design Review at the end of the phase.

Within Phase 1 the contractor may request authority to purchase Long-Lead-Time-Material (once it is unlikely the LLTM will change). As the design progresses, there is opportunity to request release for production in increments, or as a single approval.

Phase-2: Development will begin after CDR and run through Acceptance Testing of the first boat. This phase will include scheduled construction inspections (CI) to afford the USCG the opportunity to inspect all areas of the vessel during construction. The number and timing of the CIs will depend on the nature of the boat construction as proposed by the boat builder. The USCG would then take acceptance of the first boat whereupon production would be halted for the duration of OT&E.

The contractor will propose the scheduling and sequencing of the Phase 1 and Phase 2 activities in their proposal. The thoughtfulness and insight reflected in the planning is intended to be a consideration in the award decision.

Mockups:

As part of the design reviews the contractor will provide the required physical mockups (SOW-098) of areas critical to operations of the SPC-HWX II (e.g. open and enclosed bridges, aft-deck towing arrangement, engine and auxiliary machinery rooms, and survivors compartment). These mockups will

Special Purpose Craft – Heavy Weather (SPC-HWX II) be full-scale and retained by the contractor until after OT&E. Following OT&E they may be used to revise or refine configurations to address operational test concerns.

Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E):

A six-to-nine-month OT&E will be conducted on the first boat, likely operating out of Station Cape Disappointment (co-located with the National Motor Lifeboat School). This test period must include operations in surf and heavy weather which dictates that at least part of the period be between the months of approximately November and March. At the conclusion of OT&E any required modifications to the boat will be made through contract modifications for incorporation into the (up-to) five follow-on full-rate production boats. Operating at the extremes of the performance envelope will be a critical part of OT, necessitating having the boat available when the weather conditions are present to test the boat at the upper end of the requirements.

Deliverables and Contract Deliverable Requirements Lists (CDRLs):

The USCG intends to use CDRLs (DD-1423 format) for the deliverables associated with SPC-HWX II as described in SOW-040.

Source Selection Process and Evaluation Factors:

The USCG intends to conduct a formal source selection using a “best value” evaluation of paper proposals under FAR Part 15 Contracting by Negotiation. The USCG anticipates the solicitation to be out for 90 days.

Upon receipt of proposals, the USCG will review proposals for compliance with the solicitation.

Following this initial review an in-depth evaluation of the proposals against the evaluation factors will be performed. The USCG intends to award one contract based on the overall best value to the Government, price and other factors considered by using the tradeoff process. Evaluations are envisioned to include evaluating the Integration and Engineering (Design and Development) approach, mission effectiveness, supportability, past performance, and price.

Evaluation of the offerors’ Integration and Engineering approach is envisioned to be based on a review of the offerors’ Design and Development Plan (DDP). The DDP will be a required element of the proposal narrative.

Evaluation of mission effectiveness will review of features of the boat that lend themselves to improved performance. This includes attributes related to performance in surf, the ability to tow larger vessels, review of calculations for speed, range, stability, self-righting, structural integrity, and human factors, among others. The USCG is seeking input from industry regarding discriminating features or performance measures of a boat, that might be used to evaluate towing and surf performance in the environmental conditions described in the specification. These would be in addition to general boat performance, human factors engineering, habitability, and maintainability.

Parent Craft Requirement:

Previous RFIs have indicated that there are boats (parent craft) in the commercial market that can be modified to meet the needs of the USCG for SPC-HWX II. USCG is seeking industry input on logical

Special Purpose Craft – Heavy Weather (SPC-HWX II) parameters for a parent craft requirement. Typical parameters have been such things as length, weight, speed, stability, hull form, etc.

Questions to Offerors:

The preliminary table of requirements has been updated for this RFI and outlines the features desired in a SPC-HWX II. This RFI seeks information regarding the following:

1. The USCG is proposing that the solicitation be open for 90 days. Is this amount of time reasonable to allow offerors to prepare proposals?

2. The USCG is considering incorporating milestone payments during the Design and Development Phases of the contract. How might these best be structured? The USCG is considering limiting milestone payments over the Design and Development Phases from award to delivery of the first boat to no more than 6 to balance administrative burden against cash-flow needs of the boat builder.

3. Is SOW-068: Integration and Engineering compatible with your design and development process? How might you modify SOW-068 to better match your processes?

4. Do you have a boat that meets the preliminary requirements or a design that could be modified to meet the requirements that you have recently built (past 3 years)? If so, please provide information on the design and any boats that have been built to this design (sales or marketing information that would include data such as specification sheets, drawings, photographs, production information, etc.). If there are features in your documentation that support the SPC- HWX II mission, they may be generically incorporated into the specification.

5. What is the rough order of magnitude (ROM) price of your current craft? What is your ROM for the Design and Development effort (SOW-068) to meet the SPC-HWX II requirements? What is the ROM for a first article and subsequent SPC-HWX II boats? This is to verify that early USCG cost estimates are valid and sufficient to support an acquisition of 6 boats.

6. If you do not have a boat in production, and you are interested in submitting a proposal, how would you pursue proposing a hull form that is proven and ready for production?

7. What features of your boat make it a suitable, balanced design to address the towing and extreme weather requirements? Is a 10% power reserve (available power above power required for top speed) a reasonable requirement to provide towing capability and responsiveness in surf? Is 10% too much, too little, or the wrong thing to ask for? What other design requirements do you recommend to ensure the USCG acquires a capable / balanced boat?

8. The structural requirements outlined in SPEC-100 are based on the DNV High Speed Light Craft rule set and have been tailored to meet the unique operating conditions intended for SPC-HWX II. Are the structural requirements reasonable and attainable? The USCG welcomes input on the appropriateness of the requirements based on the intended operating environment, mission set, and service life of the SPC-HWX II. If you feel the listed requirements are not appropriate, please comment on how you would adjust them.

9. The self-righting and stability (SPEC-079) requirements are derived from the 47 MLB. Are these self-righting requirements reasonable, attainable, and within your capabilities to produce? If not, how might you adjust them while still meeting the operational requirements of the boat?

10. The USCG’s experience is that even the limited amount of copper in condensation (from a/c units) can result in hull and structural maintenance concerns. Can you recommend an HVAC system configuration that complies with SPEC-510 and doesn’t contain copper or copper-bearing alloys in the system’s tubing? How might you adjust SPEC-510 to allow for an obtainable HVAC system that will minimize the exposure of the aluminum hull to copper dissolved in condensation?

11. Managing interior moisture, condensation, and humidity is challenging, particularly in the Pacific Northwest with a wet crew entering a conditioned space. The draft requirements include various systems to manage moisture content and condensation: HVAC (SPEC-510), electric window defrosters (SPEC-625). How might you adjust these requirements to meet the intent of managing this? Would you recommend a specific dehumidification requirement?

12. Surf operations regularly require rapid (aggressive) throttle management demanding full ahead (20knots) to full twist (stbd ahead full, port back full) engine operations. Stalling or delays in propulsion response are unacceptable and can place the boat in hazardous situations.

Understanding this requirement and ensuring your propulsion system is capable of meeting it is critical. Have you produced a boat that is capable of these types of extreme propulsion system operations, and how have you addressed the need for immediate, extreme, aggressive propulsion system response without engine stalling or unacceptable delays (SPEC-252-2)? Are the throttle response times reasonable and appropriate requirements (SPEC-252-2)?

13. The draft specification includes a Propulsion System and Genset Inversion Test (SOW-097) and Inversion Requirement (SPEC-200). Are these achievable requirements? If not, what requirement do you recommend to ensure that prime movers on the boat are not damaged during a roll-over event while still maintaining mission-critical systems?

What is your company’s size and socio-economic status?

Responses to this RFI shall be submitted by email to:

William Lewis <William.E.Lewis3@uscg.mil> and Wendy Paulo <Wendy.L.Paulo@uscg.mil>

This special notice is for market research and planning purposes only. It does not constitute a solicitation and shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to award a contract from responses to this announcement. Response to this RFI is strictly voluntary and no monetary compensation will be provided for response preparation. If the USCG elects to respond to questions asked by industry, responses will be posted publicly on SAM.gov.

The SPC-HWX-II needs to be able to cross breaking bars and transit offshore in extreme seas with a capability that exceeds that of the 47-ft Motor Lifeboat (MLB)1 to conduct Search and Rescue (SAR) missions including towing and persons-in-water (PIW) recovery. In addition, the boats will need to be multi-mission capable to conduct limited Ports, Waterways and Coastal Security (PWCS), Law Enforcement (LE) and other missions performed by Coast Guard stations.

Physical Constraints Length 64 ft 0 in maximum overall Beam 22 ft max w/ fendering Draft 7 ft Operating Environment Breaking Surf 25 feet Seas 35 feet Winds 60 knots Performance and Stability Speed, maximum 20+ knots Speed, cruising 16+ knots Range 500+ nautical miles (at 16 knots) Bollard Pull 18,000+ lbs.

Stability Self-righting with any single buoyant compartment flooded. Two compartment hull damage stability.

Mechanical Systems Propulsion Twin Diesel engines driving fixed-pitch propellers, and a bow thruster

(no EPA exemptions are planned) Electrical AC and DC power. Vital functions (control, navigation, communication) with two sources of power.

HVAC Heating/cooling for all manned spaces; electric heated forward-facing windows, others with forced-air defogging/defrosting Arrangements Hull Monohull with side recesses for SAR operations, prominent fendering system, designed to operate in surf and shed water Enclosed Bridge Arranged to maximize visibility, 4 primary crew seats (coxswain, navigator, engineer, and crewmember) with consoles and 4 backup crew seats (may be in a different compartment), all shock mitigating

Open Bridge Arranged for control in surf and alongside operations with 5 crew seats Habitability Outfitted for missions up to 48 hours including 4 berths, head/shower, basic galley facilities (refrigerator, potable water, instant hot water, microwave), seating for 5 survivors

Towing Prominent towing bit with power capstan (for towline retrieval). Two DBN towlines: 1200 ft of 5” circ. and 900 ft of 3-1/4” on powered stowage reels located forward of the tow bit.

Anchoring Single anchor system with powered winch/capstan Equipment Stowage Exterior stowage lockers for mooring lines, towing bridles, fenders and misc. SAR equipment, storage for 2 CG P-6 pumps (in 24” dia. X 28” high containers), interior stowage for SAR equipment including Stoke’s litter

Weapons Capability Foredeck mount for M240 automatic weapon, interior lockable stowage for 4 long guns and ammunition

Davits Port and starboard davits with 400 lbs. SWL for PIWs and equipment Navigation and Communications Integrated Navigation System Displays at all primary crew seating locations using Coast Guard approved

Scalable Integrated Navigation System with integrated AIS Communications Tactical VHF, tactical UHF, commercial VHF DSC, HF, radio direction finder, sat phone mount/antenna, loudhailer, headset crew comms system

Notes: 1. USCG 47 MLB is capable of operating in 20 ft surf and 30-foot waves, has a calm water range of 200 NM, and a bollard pull of 11500 lbs with a 900 ft 3-1/4” DBN towline