Big River Shipbuilders Inc.

Big River Shipbuilders Inc. is a for-profit Subchapter S corporation headquartered in Vicksburg, Mississippi, that has been registered as a federal contractor since January 29, 2002. The company specializes in comprehensive maritime support services, particularly for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with expertise spanning vessel repair, maintenance, dry docking, salvage operations, and emergency response services for inland waterway vessels. Big River Shipbuilders has established itself as a critical provider of maritime infrastructure support, leveraging its location in Vicksburg and extensive operational capabilities to service the Corps' fleet of barges, towboats, and dredges that support civil works missions related to navigation, flood control, and infrastructure projects.

Over its contracting history with the federal government, Big River Shipbuilders Inc. has executed numerous prime federal contracts almost exclusively with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with task orders primarily issued through the Vicksburg District and Engineering and Support Center (ENDIST) Vicksburg. The company's past contract work demonstrates a diverse portfolio of maritime services, including dry dock and repair services for vessels such as the M/V Harrison, M/V Sanderford, M/V William James, Dredge Dubuque, Power Barge 5014, and numerous spar barges and tractor barges. Beyond routine maintenance, Big River Shipbuilders has completed specialized work including hull replating and reconditioning of critical components such as shafts, rudders, and wheels; salvage operations for sunken barges and pilings from the Vicksburg harbor and McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River System; barge modifications and fabrication work such as headlog fabrication and mat barge modifications involving removal and installation of structural tubing; emergency response services including diesel spill response and emergency dry docking; and equipment rental services including tender vessel and crane barge rental. Contract values have ranged from small emergency repairs under $20,000 to major projects exceeding $1.5 million, with the rebuild of the M/V Sanderford representing one of the largest single awards at $1,523,638.97. Most contracts have been awarded on a firm fixed-price basis under blanket purchase agreement calls, though several purchase orders have also been issued for specialized work. The company has received federal contract awards with both "No Set-Aside Used" designations and "Total Small Business" set-aside designations, demonstrating its qualification and participation in the small business contracting program. All identified prime contracts have been funded through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with no identified subcontractors mentioned in the award documentation.

Big River Shipbuilders Inc. holds a single Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) as a prime contractor, awarded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on May 31, 2024, with a ceiling value of $20,000,000 and a performance period extending through May 30, 2029. This multiple-award BPA serves as the master contract vehicle under which the majority of the company's recent task orders have been issued, providing the Corps with expedited procurement authority for dry dock services and related maritime support. The BPA explicitly authorizes dry docking, repair, maintenance, and emergency services for the Corps' inland waterway fleet, and has generated numerous task orders from the Vicksburg District and ENDIST Vicksburg, including the recent August 2025 crane assistance task order for Matboat 4801 and the June 2025 barge salvage operation at David D. Terry Dam. The BPA structure enables the Corps to rapidly procure the labor, materials, and facility access necessary to support both scheduled and emergency maintenance of its waterborne assets, and the substantial ceiling value and five-year performance period reflect the agency's confidence in Big River Shipbuilders' capability to deliver consistent, reliable maritime support services essential to the Corps' civil works missions across the inland waterway system.