Jacobsen Pilot Service, Inc.

Jacobsen Pilot Service, Inc., a for-profit maritime services provider based in Seal Beach, California, delivers harbor pilot services to the U.S. Navy as a prime contractor on full-and-open competitive delivery orders and indefinite-delivery contracts, with no set-aside designations across its federal footprint.

The company operates exclusively in port pilotage — providing qualified harbor pilots who guide incoming and outgoing military vessels safely through Naval Weapons Seal Beach harbor, coordinate complex docking and undocking operations, and manage maritime traffic at naval installations. Jacobsen competes in the open market against other commercial pilotage providers and has maintained a consistent presence in Navy harbor operations since at least 1999. The company's work is entirely pegged to firm fixed-price delivery orders, typically valued between $3,500 and $10,000 per order, with individual contracts rarely exceeding $250 thousand.

Customer concentration is extreme and single-agency dependent: the Department of the Navy Installations Command accounts for 528 awards (91% of the total award count) with $7.1 million in combined potential value (97% of Jacobsen's total portfolio). Secondary customers include Naval Supply Systems Command (24 awards, $113 thousand) and the Department of Homeland Security U.S. Coast Guard (23 awards, $29 thousand), but these represent administrative artifacts or minor adjacent work. The Navy Installations Command is the sole meaningful customer.

Jacobsen holds a single-award indefinite-delivery contract (N0024419D0015, ceiling $1.445 million through March 31, 2030) that was recompeted and re-awarded on April 1, 2025. The contract structure reflects the Navy's standard procurement model for port services: a master IDIQ vehicle under which the Navy Installations Command issues rapid delivery orders as vessels require pilotage. Three other IDIQs (N0024410D0001, N0024415D0002, and N0024405D0004) collectively carry 339 task orders and $1.7 million in potential value, suggesting Jacobsen either holds or held positions on multiple parent vehicles serving the same customer.

Recent activity shows 38 awards in 2022, 35 in 2023, and 39 in 2024, with activity declining to 13 awards in 2025 and 1 award to date in 2026 — likely a reflection of the spring 2025 IDIQ recompete rather than customer loss. One award ($248 thousand potential value) reaches completion in the next twenty-four months. Jacobsen operates as a 100% prime contractor with no subcontracted work in the award record, performing all pilotage services directly at Naval Weapons Seal Beach and Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme, California.

The portfolio reflects a niche, specialized service provider with deep roots in a single installation. The contract profile — high-volume, low-dollar delivery orders issued against an indefinite vehicle — is typical of federal port operations procurement. Jacobsen's competitive position hinges on local market incumbency, pilot licensing and maritime expertise, and operational continuity at Seal Beach rather than on broader federal market diversification or set-aside eligibility.