Cable Repair Ship (T-ARC(X)) Sole Source Synopsis

This is a Sole Source Synopsis announcement. This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) and a formal solicitation is not available at this time. This notice does not constitute a formal commitment by the Government to issue an RFP, contract, or order. PAE Maritime intends to award a Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract to VARD Marine Inc. (VARD) located in Houston, Texas on a sole-source basis for Requirements Feasibility Studies in support of the Cable Repair Ship (T-ARC(X)) program. This effort will fund the assessment of the commercial/non-developmental VARD 9 01 design to evaluate its viability in supporting future Navy cable ship capacity.

This single award contract in FY26 will require Vard to provide concept-level ship design products, including:

1. The minimum design products (General Arrangement, Critical Equipment List, and Weight Report) needed to assess the feasibility of incorporating the government’s configuration requirements into a commercial cable ship design.
2. Identification of any impacts to the ship characteristics, cost, and producibility.
3. Identification of any alternative sources for equipment and components that are not in compliance with regulatory and/or statutory requirements.

The T-ARC(X) Top Level Requirement (TLR) necessitates a commercial cable ship design requiring minimal modification to support both current and legacy cable systems and accommodate government-furnished C4I equipment. Extensive market research—including industry studies and multiple RFIs—determined that the VARD 9 01 design is the only identified configuration that is capable of meeting all Tier 1 TLRs. Because Vard owns the proprietary rights to the VARD 9 01 design, they are the only source positioned to analyze its feasibility and develop the necessary engineering products without introducing substantial schedule delays or unacceptable performance risks.

North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) Code applicable to this acquisition is 336611, Shipbuilding and Repairing.

The intent of this notice is not to solicit competitive offers. A written solicitation will not be issued. Pursuant to 10 U.S.C. 3204(a)(1), only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. This notice is for information only and shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to solicit contractual offers or award contracts. This is not a solicitation or a promise to issue a solicitation and this information is subject to modification and in no way binds the Government to award a contract. However, interested parties may submit a capability statement of a similar Cable Ship Feasibility Study that can meet the key requirements identified above to the Contracting Officer for consideration. No reimbursement will be made for any cost associated with providing information in response to this synopsis or any follow up information requests. Respondents are solely responsible for properly marking and clearly identifying any proprietary information or trade secrets contained within their response. The Government will not be held liable for or suffer any consequential damages for any proprietary information not properly marked and clearly identified. Proprietary information received in response to this synopsis will be safeguarded and handled in accordance with applicable Government regulations.

Responses to this notice are not offers and will not be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract or agreement. The Government will not be obligated to pursue any particular acquisition alternative because of this synopsis. Responses will not be returned. Not responding to this notice does not preclude participating in any future solicitation, if one is issued. Specific responses to the approached will not disqualify or have an impact on participation and evaluation on future solicitations.

Responses to this synopsis shall be limited to three pages and shall include the following information:

1. Company name, address, point of contact, phone number, and email address.
2. General description of the company, to include: type of small business and business size (HUB Zone, Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business, 8(a), etc.)
3. Company capability to conduct a requirements feasibility study for the commercial/non-developmental design of a ship meeting all T-ARC(X) Top Level Requirements.

Interested parties shall respond to this Sole Source Synopsis no later than the 5:00 PM 18 AUG 2026 as indicated by the response date above. Email your response to the points of contact as listed below. Email communication is the only allowable method of responding to this synopsis.