Notice of Intent to Award a Sole Source Contract and Sources Sought for SSN AUKUS Vertical Deployment Tube (VDT) Technical and Tooling Package

The Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Division Keyport intends to award a firm-fixed-price/cost-plus-fixed-fee, sole-source contract to General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) under the authority of 10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(1) as implemented by FAR 6.302-1, “Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.” This notice is published for market research purposes to determine if any other sources can satisfy the agency's needs.

The Government's minimum needs are for the supplies necessary to prepare for the future manufacturing of the SSN-A VDT ITH/ITK components. The required supplies consist of a comprehensive technical and tooling package based on the U.S. VIRGINIA Class program, adapted for the United Kingdom's VDT design. The contractor shall develop all necessary tooling (fixtures, NDT calibration standards, dies, etc.) and deliver procurement-ready drawings for said tooling. The final supply package shall include a comprehensive list of the tooling with its life expectancy, a detailed cost and schedule for its production, and expected maintenance costs. Additionally, the contractor shall provide preliminary production documents including a manufacturing process plan, and test location and supplied size drawings for each unit. Finally, the contractor shall deliver a documented plan for the prototype testing, NDT Ultrasonic Testing Scan and Magnetic Particle Test Procedures of the VDT units and a comprehensive production schedule for initial production of ITH/ITK units.

The basis for restricting competition is to utilize existing design and manufacturing process capabilities and expertise to reduce the need for prototyping units and associated qualification testing and accelerate the timeline for overall VDT component production by leveraging an existing vendor with a Production Readiness Level of 9. This established industrial relationship has resulted in a fully integrated team that is ready to execute this effort without unacceptable delays and substantial duplication of cost.

In accordance with Department of Defense FAR Supplement (DFARS) Procedures, Guidance, and Information (PGI) 206.302-1, the Government is accepting information from companies potentially capable of meeting the requirements as described above. 

All interested parties must submit a response demonstrating their capability to meet these requirements. To be considered, a response must provide clear and convincing evidence of the contractor's ability to satisfy all the following requirements:

1. Possess immediate, authorized access to the U.S. VIRGINIA Class submarine VPM proprietary design data, tooling manufacturing processes, and testing standards required to adapt this technology for the SSN-A VDT.
2. Demonstrate an existing, validated Production Readiness Level (PRL) of 9 for manufacturing large-scale, HY-80 submarine hull-integrated components.
3. Guarantee the ability to meet an accelerated timeline of contract award by September 2026 and initial production unit delivery within 12 months thereafter, without requiring a multi-year development and qualification period that would result in substantial duplication of cost and unacceptable delays to the Government.

A response that fails to provide a detailed and substantiated explanation for all three of these points will be considered non-responsive.

Responses should include availability, budgetary cost estimate, and lead time of the solution and any other relevant information deemed necessary to expedite the decision-making process as well as company and product literature, a white paper no longer than 5 pages addressing the requirements above and shall identify other Government contracts with similar efforts for the Government(s) consideration.

Responses to the Market Survey shall include the following:

Submitter's Name

Submitter’s CAGE/UEI
Street Address, City, State, Zip Code
Business Size
Point of Contact (POC)
POC Telephone
Announcement Number

Contractors must be properly registered in the Government System for Award Management database (SAM). Contractors may obtain information on SAM registration and annual confirmation by calling 1-866-606-8220 or via the internet at www.sam.gov.

This RFI/sources sought does not constitute an Invitation for Bids (IFB), a Request for Quote (RFQ), or a Request for Proposal (RFP) and it should not be construed as a commitment of any kind by the Government to issue a formal solicitation or ultimately award a contract. The U.S. Government is in no way liable to pay for or reimburse any companies or entities that respond to this announcement. Any costs incurred by interested companies in response to this announcement will NOT be reimbursed.

Information may be submitted to the Point of Contact any time prior to the expiration of this announcement. The Point of Contacts for this effort are Shelby Hallman, e-mail: shelby.n.hallman.civ@us.navy.mil and Kimberly Hammit, e-mail: kimberly.s.hammit.civ@us.navy.mil. The mailing address is: Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Keyport Division, Attention:  Shelby Hallman, Code 0252, Bldg 206L, 610 Dowell Street, Keyport, WA 98346-7610. Reference N0025326R9001 in the subject line of e-mails.

Submissions in response to this RFI shall be submitted to the NUWC Keyport Contracting POCs by the time and date set forth in this notice. Responses received after the closing date may not be considered in the Government’s research.

All information marked as proprietary information will be safeguarded to prevent disclosures to non-government personnel and entities. Your interest in the Government’s requirements is appreciated.

Reference number N0025326R9001 in all correspondence and communication.