VAM 2.0 Sources Sought Final 22AUG26.pdf

Sources Sought Notice # SS26VAM20 Vessel Acquisition Manager (VAM) Services for the

Maritime Administration

Synopsis

This is a Sources Sought Notice published solely for planning and market research purposes in accordance with RFO Part 10 (Market Research). This notice is regarding a potential Vessel Acquisition Manager (VAM) services requirement for the U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration (MARAD) that will support the recapitalization of strategic sealift ships owned by the U.S. Government. The results from this Sources Sought will help identify contractors with the capability to acquire and convert existing ships to replace ships in the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF)/Ready Reserve Force (RRF) and other U.S.

Government-owned ships.

THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. MARAD is not seeking proposals at this time. Responses to this Sources Sought are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Proprietary information is not being requested, and respondents must refrain from providing proprietary information in response to this Sources Sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.

The Government will not provide reimbursement for any information that may or may not be submitted, or for any administrative cost incurred by respondents in response to this Sources Sought. Respondents are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this Sources Sought. Furthermore, responding to this Sources Sought will neither increase nor decrease a respondent’s likelihood of being awarded any contract in the future for the requisite goods or services. This Sources Sought must not be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation, nor does it restrict the Government from any acquisition action. It is the responsibility of the interested parties to monitor www.sam.gov for additional information regarding this Sources Sought notice.

General Description

The objective of this Sources Sought is to identify potential respondents that could function as a VAM to support the recapitalization of strategic sealift ships owned by the U.S. Government.

As detailed in the Sealift That the Nation Needs Report to Congress, dated March 2018, this line of effort is to obtain more modern, cost-effective Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro/Ro) ships with the most advantageous characteristics through purchase of existing used vessels on the commercial market.

Recapitalization is an enduring need for sealift, with a requirement to replace approximately (26) vessels during the period 2021 through 2048, or even sooner.

http://www.sam.gov/

MARAD will potentially contract with a VAM to identify candidate vessels, develop Business Case Analysis for proposed purchases, procure vessels, reflag to U.S. ownership, convert to meet U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) rules for classification, convert for military utility and modernize as required, and potentially maintain/operate ships in a Reduced Operating Status (ROS).

The VAM could perform services for the Government, including functions as a ship broker, ship manager, and logistics support contractor. The VAM would seek vessels from commercial sources that meet the Circular of Requirements listed below.

Circular of Requirements

See “Attachment 1 Industry Day VAM”, slide 3.

Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) Costs for Services

See “Attachment 1 Industry Day VAM”, slide 4 and “Attachment 2 VAM Statement of Work (Draft).”

This Sources Sought is for market research purposes only and information to be held as procurement sensitive. MARAD seeks rough order of magnitude costs to perform services for the seven functional areas below. While actual vessel purchase costs, conversion costs, and outfitting costs would be directly reimbursable, this Sources Sought seeks to identify contractors capable of performing routine services for the buying, conversion, and placing in-service of vessels for specified purposes. This includes all functions related to vessel acquisition and is not meant to be a definitive listing of the activity. The responses received are for market research purposes only and information will be held as procurement sensitive

1. Market Survey & Selection: Conduct a global commercial market survey of candidate vessels (e.g., RO/RO) against Operational Requirements Document (ORD) criteria. Review class, flag, ownership, and material histories; rank ships using DOD’s Preference of Features;

generate ROM estimates for acquisition, reflagging, and upgrades; and deliver a prioritized initial Business Case Analysis (BCA) with survey schedules.

2. Acquisition, Reflagging & Classification: Negotiate sales agreements, administer bills of sale, and manage final asset delivery. Perform gap analyses with USCG and ABS to execute reflagging under the Maritime MSP expedited process (NVIC 01-13, Ch 2) and reclassification, securing USCG Certificates of Inspection (COI), ABS Class certificates, Load Line, and international convention compliance.

3. Conversion & Modernization: Employ naval architects and port engineers to develop detailed Engineering Change (EC) specification packages, conduct drawing and stability analyses, and manage competitive solicitations. Award, manage, and oversee U.S. shipyard or industrial assistance facility contracts for required upgrades to meet ORD specifications, including final vessel delivery to an assigned layberth or RRF port.

4. Trials & Delivery: Develop comprehensive Test and Trial Plans, validate Cargomax software, and execute non-destructive testing, operational dock trials, and sea trials.

Coordinate directly with USCG, ABS, and equipment OEMs to verify performance, resolve deficiencies, and perform baseline operational evaluations prior to final acceptance and delivery.

5. Maintenance & Operations (Fixed Fee): Provide fully licensed and certified crews, implement Preventative Maintenance Plans (PMP), and populate the ABS Nautical Systems Enterprise (NS-E) database to maintain vessels in Reduced Operating Status (ROS). Ensure the vessel remains capable of transitioning to Full Operating Status (FOS) within 5 days, maintaining current USCG COI and ABS class requirements.

6. Maintenance & Operations (Cost Reimbursable): Execute major repairs requiring industrial assistance, manage FOS activations/deactivations, procure operational/shoreside spare parts and consumables for 180-day mission sustainment, and perform lifecycle and configuration management as authorized by MARAD.

7. Sustainment & Transition Management: Provide continuous custodial maintenance, structural and machinery repairs, and Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) to preserve baseline readiness. Maintain critical spare parts inventories, perform required system tests, update technical manuals and drawings into English, and manage regulatory compliance until full operational transition to MARAD or its designated Ship Manager for long-term RRF integration.

Schedule Considerations The process of acquiring used ships from the commercial market is time consuming for each acquisition cycle; thus, utilizing a VAM for a streamlined acquisition approach and grouping or sequencing multiple ship purchases, which are more efficient than individual ship purchases and multiple support contracts, are preferred when possible.

The VAM will identify candidate vessels and propose how they would meet the Circular of Requirements, along with detailed analysis of costs before any procurement is authorized by MARAD. MARAD will approve a ship(s) for purchase by the VAM after a collaborative validation by DoD stakeholders through (1) a documented, deliberative review of the summary proposal by the VAM, and (2) required U.S. Government notification processes.

After acquisition, expedited regulatory and reflagging work will be accomplished to ensure a fully mission-capable vessel is provided to the fleet within a reasonable timeline, under budgeted conditions. Additional conversions to increase the military utility of ships and provide combat power as soon as practicable are desired; however, the relative timelines and costs associated with modernization and optional conversions will be a consideration factor in evaluating ships for acquisition.

Up to two Contractors will be selected to provide these services for recapitalization of approximately 20 RRF vessels, notionally for a five-year period. The results of this market research will help determine the procurement method. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to this procurement is 336611 “Ship Building and Repairing”, Product Service Code (PSC) L019, and small business size standard of 1300 employees.

To be a qualified source, the following mandatory requirements must be met:

● Meet citizenship requirements as defined in 46 CFR Part 315 and 46 U.S.C. 50501.

● Company must have Vessel Owner/Operator experience

Interested parties are requested to submit a brief, focused Capability Statement (not exceeding 10 pages in total) containing the following details:

1) Company Profile: Company Name, Address, point of contact (name, phone, email), and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) verified in SAM.gov.

2) Socioeconomic Status: State whether your firm is a Large Business or Small

Business under NAICS Code 336611. If a Small Business, identify any specific designations (8(a) participant, HUBZone, SDVOSB, EDWOSB, or WOSB.

3) State if your company has an accounting system capable of supporting a cost-reimbursement contract.

4) Technical Capacity Narrative: A concise description of your technical capability to perform the work outlined in the Draft PWS. Avoid generic marketing materials and focus on direct technical capacity.

5) Any additional feedback or comments.

Based on the responses to this Sources Sought notice, this requirement may be set aside for small businesses or procured through full and open competition, and multiple awards may be made.

Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions.

Submission Instructions: Interested parties who consider themselves qualified to perform the above-listed services are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Notice by 01 September 2026 at 2:30 PM ET. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be emailed to robert.mcdermott@dot.gov and bridget.bonnecarrere@dot.gov.

If you have any questions concerning this opportunity, please contact:

robert.mcdermott@dot.gov and bridget.bonnecarrere@dot.gov.

Attachment(s):

1. VAM 2.0 Industry Day Presentation

2. VAM 2.0 Performance Work Statement (Draft) mailto:robert.mcdermott@dot.gov mailto:bridget.bonnecattere@dot.gov mailto:bridget.bonnecareer@dot.gov mailto:bridget.bonnecattere@dot.gov mailto:robert.mcdermott@dot.gov mailto:bridget.bonnecareer@dot.gov