3587 Dredge CURRITUCK Replacement Notice of Intent to Sole Source

NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD A SOLE-SOURCE CONTRACT

Notice ID: PANNAD-26-P-0000 032679

Department/Agency: USACE Philadelphia District 

Product Service Code (PSC): 1955 Dredges

NAICS Code: 336611 – Ship Building and Repairing

1. Introduction and Background

This is a Notice of Intent to Sole Source published in accordance with RFO 5.101. This Notice does NOT constitute a request for competitive proposals, bids or quotes.

The USACE Philadelphia District intends to award a contract on a noncompetitive basis under the authority of RFO 6.103-1(c)(2)(ii) ("Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements").

• Intended Awardee: Conrad Shipyard, LLC
• UEI: W1JVE3BNA7P1
• CAGE Code: 5GE25
• Address: 1501 Front Street, Morgan City, Louisiana 70380, United States

2. Authority

The proposed procurement is justified under the authority of 10 USC §3204(a)(1) as implemented by RFO 6.103-1(c)(2)(ii). This authority is applicable because the required special purpose dredge, as described as the agency requirement below, must be procured from Conrad Shipyard, LLC (Conrad) to avoid unacceptable delays in fulfilling USACE’s requirement. Delays will be avoided due to Conrad’s previous experience producing this highly specialized dredge.

3. Description of Agency Requirement

The Government requires the design, build, test, and delivery of one new special purpose, split-hull, trailing suction shallow draft hopper dredge to replace the Dredge Currituck. The following are the agency requirements for this procurement.  

Schedule, Operational, and Regulatory Requirements:

1. Schedule Requirements:

1. The contractor will be able to start vessel construction within 12 – 16 weeks following contract award with design submittals for ABS/USCG approval coordinated to support the construction sequence. The vessel construction will be able to be completed within a 16-month duration period.

1. Operational Requirements:

1. The shallow draft dredge will be designed for working in shallow draft ocean bar channels along the Atlantic Coast of the United States from Maine to Texas year-round.
2. Hull: The shallow draft dredge will have a split hull that utilizes a water hydraulic actuation and latching system. 
3. Draft: The shallow draft dredge will be designed with a draft of 9 feet, 5 inches, fully loaded and a draft of 4 feet, 3 inches with the hopper empty.
4. Dredging Depth: The shallow draft dredge will be designed to dredge to a depth of 20 feet.
5. Speed: The shallow draft dredge will have a minimum speed of 7 knots with the hopper fully loaded and a minimum speed of 10 knots with the hopper empty.
6. Capacity: The shallow draft dredge will have a hopper capacity of 518 cubic yards at 1.915 S.G.
7. Length: The shallow draft dredge will have a length of 156 feet.
8. Beam: The shallow draft dredge will have a beam of 35 feet.
9. Propulsion: The shallow draft dredge will be self-propelled and utilize Azimuthing thrusters.
10. Functional Requirements: The shallow draft dredge will be designed as a day boat to support 12-hour operations for a period of 7 days. The design will allow sufficient tankage and storage space for consumables to support combined dredging and free sailing operations for 7 days. These requirements will allow the shallow draft to respond to missions effectively and efficiently along the East Coast.
11. Warranty: A one-year warranty period is required following final acceptance and delivery.

1. Regulatory Requirements:

   1. American Bureau of Shipping (ABS): The new shallow draft dredge will be ABS classed and will also be assigned a Load Line Certificate issued by ABS. The ABS classification will be Maltese Cross A1, Maltese Cross AMS, Domestic Service, with a Vessel Description of Hopper Dredger.
   2. U.S. Coast Guard (USCG): A new shallow draft dredge will be USCG certificated under the requirements of 46 CFR Subchapter I.

4. Justification for Sole Source

The USACE Philadelphia District has determined that Conrad Shipyard, LLC (“Conrad”) is the only responsible source capable of satisfying the agency requirements without causing unacceptable delays. Specifically, this requirement is a follow-on contract of the USACE DREDGE MURDEN, which was designed, constructed, and delivered by Conrad in 2012. As such, Conrad has comprehensive knowledge of the critical and complex components of the DREDGE MURDEN, including ownership of elements of the technical design package. As such, through design and construction efficiencies, Conrad can ensure swift delivery of the vessel thereby avoiding unacceptable delays in fulfilling USACE’s requirements. Award to any other source would result in unacceptable delays in fulfilling the agency requirements and lead to unacceptable delays to the CURRITUCK’s mission.

5. Market Research

Market research confirmed that no other contractor can adhere to the agency requirement without presenting unacceptable delays in fulfilling the agency requirements. This was confirmed through a Source Sought Notification issued on 11AUG2026 that was published for 15 days.

6. Conclusion

To avoid unacceptable delays in fulfilling the agency requirements, the only viable path is to procure the highly specialized dredge from Conrad Shipyard, LLC. Therefore, a sole-source justification pursuant to RFO 6.103-1 is appropriate and necessary to avoid unacceptable delays in fulfilling the agency requirement described herein.