Contract awards for CHAMP industry studies scheduled for March

The Navy plans to award contracts for industry studies of a new common hull in March, the program manager said yesterday at the Surface Navy Association symposium.

The service has been studying the viability of a Common Hull Auxiliary Multi-Mission Platform, called CHAMP, which will fulfill five unique mission sets. Last week, the service published its request for proposals for industry to conduct trade studies to help the Navy narrow down requirements and viable options for such a vessel.

"In order to adequately recapitalize the auxiliary fleet, the contractor must ensure the most extreme cost-conscious acquisition approach is selected and matured during the period of performance of this contract, with the goal of recapitalizing these five missions under extremely limited budgets," the Jan. 8 solicitation states.

For the first time, the service prioritized the five mission sets with sealift at the top, followed by submarine tending, aviation intermediate maintenance support, command and control and medical services.

Capt. Scot Searles, the officer overseeing the Navy’s CHAMP efforts, said the order is based off of fleet needs and expected retirement dates for the various ships currently executing the five mission sets. Those vessels will start reaching the end of their service lives in fiscal year 2025.

The solicitation leaves open the possibility for CHAMP to consist of one, two or three vessels, but Searles said the mission sets can be divided into two categories: ships that focus on moving people, and ones that focus on moving cargo.