USNS GRASP Crane Repairs C3

The Department of the Navy Military Sealift Command has published a Special Notice regarding crane repair services for the USNS GRASP (T-ARS 51), a naval auxiliary repair ship. This notice, posted on March 30, 2026, announces the government's intent to make a sole source award to Appleton Marine Inc. for the required crane repairs and related maintenance work. The procurement falls under the Ship Building and Repairing NAICS category (336611) and is classified under the Non-Nuclear Ship Repair (West) product service code. No set-aside restrictions apply to this opportunity. The justification for sole source selection emphasizes that Appleton Marine Inc. is the only qualified source capable of performing the specialized work required.

The primary objective of this Special Notice is to address a critical ship capability issue documented as CASREP 2026-0006, which requires the removal and installation of new crane parts, performance of weight tests, and maintenance to the control chest pack on the USNS GRASP. Appleton Marine Inc. has been identified as the sole source due to its proprietary ownership of the crane equipment, status as the original equipment manufacturer and exclusive authorized technical representative, and ability to ensure proper standardization and form-fit-function compatibility with existing systems. The procurement is being conducted as a simplified acquisition threshold purchase, and interested contractors have until April 4, 2026, to submit any relevant information or objections. Only Appleton Marine Inc., as the original equipment manufacturer holding restrictive rights to the crane technology, meets the eligibility criteria for this sole source procurement.