The Coast Guard on Friday released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Phase II of the Fast Response Cutter (FRC), reopening the program for a new competition to build the final 26 patrol boats.
Bollinger Shipyards is the current FRC contractor and is building the first 30 vessels through $1.4 billion in awards. The original FRC contract was awarded in September 2008 and was for up to $1.5 billion. Bollinger is expected to receive an option under that award for two more vessels this year, bringing to 32 the total number of patrol boats the company builds under Phase I of the program.
The original contract to Bollinger was unsuccessfully protested by Marinette Marine.
The FRC is being produced based on a parent craft design by Damen Shipyards in the Netherlands. The Coast Guard has acquired from Bollinger a license to “use, reproduce, and disclose to others the drawings and data” for the FRC for the purpose of procuring the remaining vessels under the program.
Production of the remaining FRCs is being recompeted to enhance the affordability of the program, a Coast Guard spokesman told Defense Daily. New proposals may recommend changes to non-standardized equipment, systems and design features, he said.
Standardized equipment in Phase II includes the propulsion plant, electric power generation and distribution system, integrated communication system, hull form, and other items, the spokesman said.
The Coast Guard’s requirement is for 58 154-foot Sentinel-class FRCs to replace its aging 110-foot Island-class patrol vessels.
The total acquisition cost of the FRCs, including the original contract to Bollinger, the government’s program management and other functions, and the planned Phase II award, is $3.9 billion.
Bollinger has delivered 12 FRCs to the Coast Guard so far.