Yard Repair Berthing and Messing Barge (YRBM) 68-71 Award Redacted J&A

Conrad Shipyard LLC has been awarded a firm-fixed-price contract valued at $122,375,200 for the detail design and construction of four Yard Repair, Berthing and Messing Barges, designated YRBM 68–71, with delivery completion required by July 31, 2029. The contract was awarded on a sole-source basis under statutory authority 10 U.S.C. § 3204(a)(3) related to industrial mobilization, as Conrad Shipyard is the only U.S. facility with the specialized production line, proprietary tooling, and skilled workforce necessary to build these vessels without unacceptable delays. Competing sources were deemed impractical due to the risk of irreversible loss of critical industrial capacity and projected 50.5-month delays that would directly impact sailor quality of service during fleet maintenance cycles. The barges, to be built at the contractor’s facility in Amelia, Louisiana, and delivered to East and West Coast naval facilities, provide essential berthing and messing support for up to 199 crew members aboard destroyers, cruisers, littoral combat ships, and submarines during shipyard overhauls. The acquisition is treated as a commercial item built to commercial standards, with no specific military specifications, packaging, preservation, or marking requirements mandated. Funding originates from a special Congressional appropriation for FY26, and the contract is administered by the Naval Sea Systems Command from the Washington Navy Yard. While no formal clause listing, line-item pricing, or inspection criteria are documented in the available materials, the award includes provisions to capture a technical data package during performance to enable future competition under an anticipated indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity multiple award contract beginning in Q1 FY27. The sole-source nature of this procurement reflects an urgent national defense necessity to sustain a unique shipbuilding capability and preserve a skilled workforce critical to the Navy’s industrial mobilization posture.