Navy seeking potential contractors to produce SEWIP Block III

The Navy is seeking information from contractors interested in producing the Surface Electronic Warfare Improvement Program Block III, according to a Jan. 7 notice posted to the Federal Business Opportunities website.

The service is considering two different procurement strategies, according to the notice. One option is a "winner-take-all, single-award contract." The other option is a leader-challenger approach.

"For this strategy, the government would award a higher proportion of work to the leader," the document states. "The challenger would be awarded a smaller proportion of work."

The notional award date for a contract is the third quarter of fiscal year 2020.

General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman developed SEWIP Blocks I, II and III respectively. The subsystem is an early detection, signal analysis, threat-warning system against anti-ship missiles.

While SEWIP Block III did achieve a milestone C decision in 2018, the program also has had its share of challenges in recent years.

The Navy requested Congress allow $20 million be reprogrammed to complete the engineering and manufacturing development phase of SEWIP Block III due to "unanticipated technical challenges,” Inside the Navy reported last July.

Prior to that, a government watchdog agency found SEWIP Block III experienced "significant" cost estimate increases over its engineering and manufacturing development phase from August 2014 to March 2017, ITN reported in November 2017.