The U.S. Navy on June 15 launched a dedicated website and new industry outreach effort for a planned $7 billion to $10 billion reconstruction of Dry Dock 3 at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash., focused on building a new dry dock for aircraft carriers and submarines.
The new website and procurement materials provide the most detailed public look yet at the engineering scope, construction sequencing and procurement strategy for the proposed multi-mission dry dock. The project is a key part of the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program, the Navy’s long-term plan to modernize public nuclear shipyards in Washington, Hawaii, Virginia and Maine.
Project documents describe a reinforced concrete, pressure-relieved dry dock with a floating caisson door capable of servicing Ford- and Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, as well as all classes of nuclear submarines in the fleet.
The operation would replace facilities within the existing Dry Dock 3 area and would require extensive marine construction, dredging, utility relocation, dredging and waterfront infrastructure work over a targeted construction period of less than eight years.
“The launch of our official project website and the launch of Sources Sought represent the first day of a multi-decade critical infrastructure project for the Navy,” Capt. Troy Brown, the officer in charge of the Multi-Mission Dry Dock project, said in a statement.
“We’re opening our doors to the nation’s best engineering and construction minds at SAM.gov while providing a transparent and easily accessible resource for the local public who live and work near us,” he added.
Planned work includes groundwater cut-off walls, box systems, bulkheads, quay walls, enclosed service galleries, electrical and mechanical tunnels, drainage and discharge tunnels, saltwater catchment systems, closed-circuit cooling systems, flood and dewatering systems, process water collection and treatment facilities and gantry crane infrastructure improvement facilities.
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The preferred location includes the existing dry dock footprint 3 and parts of Piers 6 and 7. Support work would include dry dock drainage, flood and dewatering systems, roads, rail infrastructure, communications systems and demolition of existing utilities and facilities.
The project remains under review of the National Environmental Policy Act. In a June announcement, NAVFAC said a final environmental impact statement and record of decision is expected by the end of the year.
Project materials describe a three-phase construction sequence that begins with demolition and site preparation, continues with excavation and construction of the dry dock structure, and concludes with the installation of utilities, caisson door, and gantry cranes.
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NAVFAC first sought industry feedback on the project through a March request for information, with responses due by April 17. Recruitment notices published in June provided additional details on the intended recruitment approach.
The renovated Dry Dock 4 at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton was completed five months early after a seismic retrofit, increasing resiliency and allowing for more modernization projects.
Photo: Jeb Fach/US Navy
These notices indicate that NAVFAC plans to issue a multiple-award construction contract solicitation in September and expects to award approximately five indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts with a combined maximum value of up to $30 billion.
The vehicle would support the construction of the dry dock as well as other maritime and marine construction projects associated with the Shipyards Infrastructure Optimization Program.
Companies seeking contracts must demonstrate a single-project bond capacity of at least $2 billion. Task orders are expected to range from $2 billion to $6 billion, although smaller awards could be issued for early contractor involvement and alternative technical concepts.
The current planning divides the work into several main packages:
A marine package estimated at $2 billion to $3 billion would include demolition work, dredging, construction of an upland shoring and shear wall, construction of a double wall cofferdam and ground improvements.
An estimated $3.5 billion to $4.5 billion dry dock package would include dewatering, excavation, demolition of Dry Dock 3, construction of pressure relief systems, construction of the dry dock structure and installation of pump wells.
An estimated $3.5 billion to $4.5 billion infrastructure package would include support buildings, electrical substations, utility tunnels, partial replacement of the Farragut Avenue tunnel, installation of permanent utilities, paving, crane rail installation, process equipment, defense systems and testing and commissioning.
A fourth package, estimated at $200 million to $300 million, would cover the manufacture and delivery of the caisson door.
The procurement documents themselves indicate that officials are evaluating various risk management and project delivery measures, including early contractor participation, economic price adjustment provisions, award fee incentives and limits on task order performance guarantees.
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Industry participants were also asked to provide feedback on bonding requirements, labor availability, supply chain risks, competition, schedule optimization and alternative procurement approaches.
The current procurement schedule calls for issuing the multiple-award construction contract request in September, receiving Phase I proposals in October, and awarding contracts in May 2027. Planning documents indicate that the first major construction task order, the Marine Package, could be awarded in mid-2028.
ENR sought additional comment from the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command on the project’s cost, schedule and acquisition strategy, but did not receive an immediate response.
