Procurement request for Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) 100 Class Composite Propeller Blade Analysis

Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division (NSWCCD), procuring on behalf of Naval Sea Systems Command, seeks engineering services for Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) 100 Class composite propeller blade analysis and on-craft support, with responses due September 16, 2026 at 11:00 AM EDT. Amendment 0001 extended the original September 2 deadline.

This is a sole-source procurement under FAR Part 12 procedures. The incumbent contractor is Materials Sciences LLC (MSC), located at 135 Rock Road, Horsham, PA. The restriction to sole source is based on compatibility with existing equipment and systems; awarding to any other source would introduce unacceptable programmatic risks, substantial duplication for re-learning and tooling, and significant schedule delays.

The procurement comprises two firm-fixed-price line items: composite propeller analysis and LCAC 100 on-craft propeller testing. The primary objective requires root cause failure analysis of a prototype composite propeller blade that failed during fatigue testing, advanced numerical analysis of stress and strain responses, and fatigue test fixture design updates, with completion in nine months from award. The contractor must maintain the first-article prototype at its Horsham facility. The secondary objective involves nine months of on-craft testing support for six prototype blades installed on LCAC 100 test craft at NSWC Panama City, FL or Assault Craft Unit #4 in Norfolk, VA, including evaluation of in-service anomalies, coating performance assessment, and repair method evaluation, beginning when on-craft testing restarts in 2027.

Place of performance is the contractor's Horsham, PA facility and Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division in West Bethesda, Maryland. Contract performance extends through December 31, 2027. The contractor must have access to Material Sciences Corporation's custom testing facility, including proprietary test fixture, hydraulic systems, and data acquisition equipment. NAICS code is 541330 (Engineering Services); PSC code is AC32. Deliverables include schedule, biweekly and monthly status reports, test support plan, and final technical and on-craft support reports. Contractor travel is anticipated: three trips for three persons to Panama City, three trips for two persons to Washington DC, and one trip for two persons to Norfolk.

Contact: Chris Rolince, Contract Specialist, (757) 513-7247, christopher.c.rolince.civ@us.navy.mil.