General Dynamics Bath Iron Works, Bath, was awarded a $14.9 million firm-fixed-price contract for Guided Missile Frigate Conceptual Design. The frigate, which is smaller than a destroyer, is meant to supplement the Navy’s undersea and surface warfare needs, and to support large surface combatants.

Bath Iron Works will be maturing its proposed ship design to meet the FFG(X) System Specification. 

The contract allows BIW to compete against four other design proposals for the chance to build 20 of the ships.  

The Conceptual Design effort will inform the final specifications that will be used for the Detail Design and Construction RFP that will deliver the required capability for FFG(X).  The conceptual design phase will reduce cost, schedule, and performance risk for the follow-on detail design and construction contract. 

This contract includes options, which if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $22.9 million.  Work will be performed in Bath, Spain, and Portsmouth, Rhode Island, and is expected to be complete by June 2019. 

Fiscal year 2018 research, development, test and evaluation and fiscal year 2017 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amounts of $11,000,000 and $1,200,000 respectively are obligated at time of award and funds in the amount of $1,200,000 will expire at the end of the fiscal year. 

The contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website, with six offers received.