The Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) awarded the Honolulu, Hawaii-based WSM Pacific SIOP, A Joint Venture a $500 million architect-engineer design contract on Sept. 7 for Hawaii and Washington-based shipyard modernization projects.

This five-year award, with an expected completion date of September 2026, aims to conduct support construction, repair and alteration projects at the  Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHNSY & IMF) in Hawaii and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF) in Washington as part of the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program (SIOP).

SIOP is a 20-year long program by the Navy to upgrade and modernize the four public shipyards that service nuclear-powered naval vessels.

The contract announcement said the company would perform architect-engineer services for “various structural and waterfront-related projects in support of the shipyard infrastructure optimization program and other projects at locations under the cognizance of Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Pacific.”

The types of structural and waterfront services expected to be performed include the execution and delivery of military construction (MILCON) project documentation, design charrettes, design-build request for proposal, design-bid-build design contract documents, technical surveys and reports including concept and engineering studies, engineering modeling, site engineering investigations, topographic surveys, geotechnical investigations, hydrographic surveys, construction cost estimates, collateral equipment buy packages and post construction award services.

“To create the public shipyards that our nation needs requires investments to improve their capacity and capability. This contract directly supports the vital roles that Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard have in terms of our national defense by executing maintenance and modernization on submarines and aircraft carriers to provide combat-ready ships to the fleet,” Capt. Warren LeBeau, program manager for SIOP, said in a statement.

“SIOP will provide critical infrastructure investments into the shipyards that enable our Navy’s lethality and ability to operate forward in the era of strategic competition. The award of this contract provides NAVFAC with the capacity and capability to plan and execute critical NAVSEA and CNIC projects at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard to meet urgent fleet readiness needs,” Rear Adm. Dean VanderLey, commander, NAVFAC Pacific, added.

Work is set to occur at various locations within the NAVFAC Pacific area of operations including the West Coast (60 percent) and Hawaii (40 percent).

The Navy noted no task orders have been issued at the time of contract award, but $50,000 was obligated at time of award.

The contract was competitively procured with two proposals received, but the Navy did not disclose the other offeror.

This is the third SIOP-related contract awarded within a month. Last month, the Navy awarded 381 Constructors a $1.7 billion seven-year contract to build a multi-mission dry dock at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine (Defense Daily, Aug. 17).