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This Request for Information (RFI) is being released to solicit input on how the U.S. Navy (the Navy) can better conduct business with industry in procurement of boats and craft considering the current business environment. Parties are not required to respond to this RFI and are not required to address every question/topic below. Responses to this RFI are for internal U.S. Navy Ships, Support Ships, Boats and Craft Office (PMS300G) market research only and individual responses will not be made public.

On 27 May 2021, the U.S. Navy Ships, Support Ships, Boats and Craft Office, PMS325G (now PMS300G) issued RFI N00024-21-R-2219 to solicit industry comments on cost drivers and other issues associated with Navy contract requirements and specifications. PMS300G received four responses in response to RFI N00024-21-R-2219; a synopsis of the Navy’s disposition as to the responses to this RFP is provided in Enclosure (1).

This RFI seeks information on challenges faced by boat builders and industry, and builder/industry recommendations for improving doing business with the Navy. Topics that builders/industry are invited to address include:

• Contract types, inputs
  
  
  
  • Many boats and combatant craft contracts last longer than three years, are firm-fixed price (FFP), indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) type contracts. The Navy continues to review lessons learned and contract types moving forward for these types of longer term contracts. As it relates to a five-year, FFP IDIQ contract, please rank your preference - 1 (most preferred) to 4 (least preferred):
    
    
    
    1. Single Award contract
    
    
    2. Single Award contract with Economic Price Adjustment (FFP EPA).
       
       
       
       • This would allow for both upward and downward cost adjustments for specific materials (e.g., propulsion equipment based on a specific Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index series) and/or labor.
       
       
       
       
    
    
    3. Multiple, Single Award FFP EPA contracts
       
       
       
       • E.g., awarding a five-year, FFP EPA IDIQ contract to two or more boat builders for the same requirement; for each option year, the Navy would decide how many boats to award to the prospective boat builders
       
       
       
       
    
    
    4. Multiple Award Contract
       
       
       
       • E.g., awarding a five-year, FFP IDIQ contract to two or more boat builders, where individual delivery orders would be competed between the prospective boat builders on an annual basis
       
       
       
       
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

• Builder recommendations relating to potentially using Economic Price Adjustment (EPA) clauses on fixed-price contracts.
  
  
  
  • Are EPA clauses in FFP contracts viewed favorably by industry? If so, why? If not, why?
  
  
  • Would builders include such provisions in subcontracts? If so, how?
  
  
  • How are builders currently managing price escalation in supplier agreements?
  
  
  
  

• Vendor/Other Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) challenges (e.g., supplier price volatility). Please provide any recommendations on how the Navy can mitigate these risks and challenges.

• Any reasons for which builders/industry find Request For Proposals/Contract provisions challenging; please describe these challenges and any recommendations as they apply to the following:
  
  
  
  • Boat specifications
  
  
  • Statements of work
  
  
  • Analysis, testing, and certifications requirements and documentation
  
  
  • Technical data packages
  
  
  • Contract clauses that impact costs
  
  
  • Sections L and M
  
  
  • Documentation and reporting
  
  
  
  

• Contract oversight and reviews such as Supervisor of Shipbuilding monitoring, and U.S. Navy requirements for Design Maturity Reviews, Pre- Delivery Inspection and Trials, and Post-Delivery Inspection and Report; please provide recommendations to improve these processes.

• Other Government agency boat and craft procurements (e.g. U.S. Coast Guard, Custom & Border Protection, U.S. Army, Law Enforcement Agencies, etc.); please provide recommendations from these procurements that may improve Navy procurements.

The above topics are suggested items for responses. Responders are free to submit additional input or recommendations on any boat procurement-related topic to improve doing business with the Navy. There is no format or suggested page count for responses to this RFI. Responders can provide as much or as little information as desired.

This RFI is for planning purposes only and shall not be construed as an invitation for bid, request for quotation, request for proposal, or as an obligation on the part of the Navy to acquire any products or services. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Navy will arise as a result of contractor responses to this announcement. This request does not constitute a solicitation for proposals or the authority to enter negotiations to award a contract. All information must be received without restrictive markings. Do NOT submit proprietary data with the information provided. Do NOT submit any information that is classified or improperly marked as classified information (please note that this includes marking a document with the term Confidential).

Submittal Options: Microsoft Word, Builder format

Where to submit: Email responses or inquiries should be sent to Matt Warncke at matthew.j.warncke.civ@navy.mil, and Eddie Rogan at edward.f.rogan.civ@us.navy.mil. To help ensure proper receipt, name the email “Business with Industry” in the subject field.

No telephone inquiries will be accepted and requests for solicitation packages will not be honored, as a solicitation is not prepared at this time.

When to Submit: Responses are requested by 02 June 2023 by 2:00 PM EDT.

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