The Navy has postponed the much anticipated decision as to which of two very different Littoral Combat Ship designs it intends to buy. The service had initially said a down-select would be made by the end of the summer. Now, the Navy says it is “taking the time necessary” to “diligently” and “thoroughly” analyze the competing design proposals.
In 2004, the Navy decided to have two companies, Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics, build and compete different LCS designs for an anticipated buy of some 55 total ships in the class; the Navy has already bought two ships from each builder.
The Navy said it’s currently “engaged in discussions” with both companies and will request Final Proposal Revisions (FPRs) “soon,” according to an emailed statement from Navy spokesman Cmdr. Victor Chen. The Navy expects tor receive the FPRs by September and the revised offers will remain valid for 90 days. The email said:
“We understand there is keen public interest in this competition, but our duty to protect the integrity of the source-selection process, as well as the confidentiality of the information submitted by the offerors, significantly limits our ability to provide additional details about the ongoing competitive procurement at this time.”
-- Greg Grant
