A--Sole Source Procurement to Seemann Composites to Fabricate Composite Advanced Sail Test Articles

The Carderock Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center intends to enter into a sole source procurement with Seemann Composites of Gulfport Mississippi. Seemann Composites shall become an integral member of the Composite Sail design/build team process and will provide design support, fabricate large critical structural elements, a large scale model demonstration article, prototype sections and scale models in support of the Composite Advanced Sail Project for the Virginia Class submarine over a five year period. The selection of Seemann Composites was based on an extensive multi down select between several composite vendors. The composite advanced sail is a very large, doubly-curved, thick-section part manufactured from high quality marine composites. The demands of this fabrication challenge required that the vendor meet various stringent requirements demonstrating proficiency in the vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM) process of greater than two inch thick composite parts, demonstrated fabrication proficiency for the maximum size part anticipated (90 ft x 17 ft x 20 ft) and for parts of similar complexity by having fabricated components of similar complexity using the VARTM process. The selected vendor was required to have a facility adequate for fabrication and storage of large structures and personnel with the necessary expertise in large-scale composite design, fabrication and inspection. The selected vendor was required to demonstrate that they have implemented Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) and have experience in machining large composite parts (cutting, drilling and finish trim). The vendor was also required to have control procedures in place in order to maintain quality throughout the manufacturing processes inc luding NDE and three-dimensional measurement capability. See Note 22.