Bird-Johnson Propeller Company, LLC

Bird-Johnson Propeller Company, LLC, a Walpole, Massachusetts-based manufacturer of marine propulsion and propeller systems components, serves as a prime contractor (87% of recent awards) supplying naval and maritime agencies with original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and OEM-authorized propeller hubs, controllable pitch propeller assemblies, blade sets, hydraulic cylinders, and related naval propulsion equipment on a full-and-open basis with no set-aside designations. Bird-Johnson is a subsidiary of Fairbanks Morse, LLC, a for-profit manufacturer and parent company holding federal contract authority.

Bird-Johnson's customer concentration is heavily skewed toward Navy and Coast Guard logistics customers. The top five funding agencies account for 96% of recent awards, dominated by the Department of the Navy Naval Sea Systems Command (29 awards, $284 million combined potential value), followed by Military Sealift Command (12 awards, $70.7 million), Naval Supply Systems Command (17 awards, $48 million), the Department of Homeland Security U.S. Coast Guard (8 awards, $28.1 million), and the Secretary of the Navy Office of Naval Research (2 awards, $21.2 million). Naval Sea Systems Command anchors both award count and dollar value; the rankings by award count and potential value align closely, indicating sustained, large-scale work with a single dominant customer rather than fragmented small orders.

Bird-Johnson holds four principal parent contract vehicles. A Basic Ordering Agreement with Naval Sea Systems Command (effective through June 2031, ceiling $0.00) covers controllable pitch propeller systems, blade assemblies, hub assemblies, and hydraulic and mechanical propulsion equipment for surface combatants and submarines, with recent orders including an $11.1 million delivery order for propeller systems components and a $9.9 million delivery order for Virginia Class propulsor stator blades. A $49 million indefinite-delivery contract with Military Sealift Command (through September 2031, multiple-award) procures propulsion systems parts and services including controllable pitch propeller components, blade assemblies, hub assemblies, and waterjet components for cargo and support vessels, with multiple task orders under way. A $40 million indefinite-delivery contract with Naval Sea Systems Command (through March 2031, multiple-award) covers manufacturing of surface ship monobloc propellers and propeller caps for CVN-78, LHD-1, and LCC-19 ship classes. A $23.6 million single-award indefinite delivery contract with Naval Sea Systems Command (through May 2030) provides remote and onsite engineering and technical services in support of the Littoral Combat Ship Freedom Class Ships Control System. Additionally, Bird-Johnson holds a Basic Ordering Agreement with Naval Supply Systems Command (through June 2029, ceiling $0.00) for repair and spare items for naval propulsion systems, with three delivery orders totaling approximately $3.81 million to date.

Recent prime award examples include a $21.6 million delivery order from Naval Sea Systems Command (June 2026) for ship propeller hubs (NSN 7H 2010 012480378) with completion February 2029; a $17.7 million definitive contract from Military Sealift Command (August 2025) for Original Equipment Manufacturer T-AO 187 propeller and hub replacement parts supporting USNS Lenthall, USNS Kaiser, and USNS Grumman with completion December 2026; and a $9.9 million delivery order from Naval Sea Systems Command (August 2025) for manufacture and delivery of twenty 1A stator blades for Virginia Class propulsor support with completion August 2028. Smaller representative work includes a $295,350 purchase order from the U.S. Coast Guard (June 2026) for Fairbanks Morse Defense propulsion equipment components and a $98,000 purchase order from the U.S. Coast Guard (March 2026) for 200 zinc anodes and split seals for corrosion protection.

Activity has accelerated significantly — four awards in 2022 and 2024 grew to twenty in 2025 and twenty-five in 2026 — with combined potential value reaching $452.2 million across seventy-one awards. Twenty-four awards (combined potential value $99.7 million) face ultimate completion inside the next twenty-four months, representing recompete exposure for both the vendor and its competitors. Obligated dollars stand at $196.7 million (43% of combined potential value), indicating that much of the backlog remains as authorized but not yet invoiced.

Bird-Johnson subcontracts to prime integrators on naval shipbuilding and vessel maintenance programs. Named sub-award relationships include Vigor Marine LLC (vessel overhaul and dry-docking support for USS John S McCain, USS Kidd, and USNS Guadalupe, with propulsion component and o-ring seal deliveries), BAE Systems Maritime Solutions Norfolk Inc. (LPD 28 fitting-out availability work), GE Energy Power Conversion Naval Systems Inc. (Advanced Marine Propulsion and Energy modeling), HII Unmanned Systems Inc. (MK18 unmanned underwater vehicle support), and Asrc Federal Facilities Logistics LLC (blade and bolt assemblies). The subcontract portfolio reflects Bird-Johnson's role as a specialized component supplier to large shipyard primes rather than as a systems integrator itself.

Bird-Johnson's core capability framing centers on Ship and Boat Propulsion Components (37 awards by PSC), with secondary concentrations in Ship Building and Repairing (16 awards), Boat Building (9 awards), and Other Engine Equipment Manufacturing (8 awards). The vendor manufactures propeller components, hub assemblies, controllable pitch propeller systems, SEPA hydraulic cylinders, waterjet components, propeller shaft sleeves, zinc anodes, and associated propulsion system parts. Manufacturing is performed at the Walpole, Massachusetts facility; subcontracted manufacturing (particularly for stator blades and complex propulsor components) is routed through Rolls-Royce Marine North America in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Deliveries routinely flow to naval logistics centers in Norfolk, San Diego, Jacksonville, and Baltimore. The vendor also procures advanced materials such as nickel-aluminum bronze ingots (a $6.37 million order from Naval Sea Systems Command in May 2026) and provides overhaul services for controllable pitch propeller components and hub assemblies, combining manufacturing capability with repair depot authority.

Bird-Johnson competes exclusively in full-and-open procurements; no set-aside designations appear across the award footprint. The vendor's competitive position rests on OEM status and proprietary technical data restrictions — multiple awards cite FAR 6.302-1 sole-source justification due to non-ownership of technical data and intellectual property rights by the government, positioning Bird-Johnson and sister companies as the only qualified sources for certain propeller system components and repair services. This sole-source posture provides competitive insulation but carries recompete risk if the government seeks to expand the supplier base or challenge data restrictions.