Washington: The Defence Logistics Agency Maritime Mechanicsburg awarded a $5 billion contract this month to six businesses with the goal of boosting ship manufacturing at speed. The Maritime Acquisition Advancement Contract is an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract designed to accelerate procurement processes. The MAAC has five one-year options at $1 billion each and can potentially reach up to $10 billion.
“There are significantly long lead times the Navy faces … this contracting vehicle streamlines and reduces our end of the administrative lead time,” Elizabeth Allen, DLA Maritime Mechanicsburg’s deputy director, said in a release.
The contract will see companies including SupplyCore, Atlantic Diving Supply, Culmen International, ASRC Federal, Fairwinds Technologies and S&K Aerospace manufacture parts for an array of US Navy vessels, including Virginia-class nuclear-powered fast-attack submarines.
SupplyCore is taking on the task of supplying the Navy with components spanning a wide array of different vessel types, including carriers, cruisers, destroyers, submarines, unmanned surface and underwater vehicles and other systems.
“We are honoured to support the naval warfighter through the MAAC, a contract that underscores our dedication to sustaining the operational readiness of our military,” SupplyCore President and CEO Peter Provenzano said in a release.
The Navy continues to be under immense pressure to speed up the process of shipbuilding and modernise methods of repair and manufacturing.
Recently, the Navy implemented Augmented Reality Maintenance Systems on five vessels to modify the process of troubleshooting systems at sea. The service is also turning to 3-D printing to manufacture components for vessels at a more rapid pace.
In its fiscal 2026 budget proposal, the Navy requested $989 million to modernize drydock facilities at its four public shipyards, which average over 107 years old.
