Navy awards 381 Constructors $1.7B contract for Portsmouth Naval Shipyard dry dock

The Navy awarded Nebraska-based company 381 Constructors a $1.7 billion contract to build a multimission dry dock at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine, the service announced Friday.

The contract will be incrementally funded, with the first $70 million paid at the time of the award. Work on the dry dock, which will be used for the Los Angeles- and Virginia-class submarine programs, is expected to be completed by June 2028, according to the contract announcement.

381 Constructors will build a partitioned addition to the shipyard’s Dry Dock #1 which will consist of two bays, labeled Dry Dock #1 North and Dry Dock #1 West. Both of the bays will be large enough to support the maintenance and overhaul of Virginia-class submarines.

"New construction will include concrete floors, walls, and center wall separating Dry Dock #1 North and Dry Dock #1 West, new pump well systems, pump station building, two caissons, portal crane rails, mooring hardware, mechanical and electrical utilities, utility tunnels, and all appurtenances required to ensure an operational dry dock," the contract announcement states.

The Navy received two proposals for the work, according to the contract announcement. 381 Constructors was selected "based on technical factors and price, which together constitute a best value to the government," according to a Navy press release announcing the contract.

The project is part of the Navy's Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program, the service's 20-year, $21 billion plan to revitalize the nation's four public shipyards.