Special NoticePosted Aug 3, 2026·Responses due Aug 18, 2026

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

NAVSEA, naval shipyards and surface/undersea warfare centers · NAVSEA HQ

Stage
Early notice (sources sought, presolicitation or special notice)
NAICS
336611
Value
Not stated
Solicitation
N0002426R2229
Set-aside
No Set aside used
PSC
1925
Place
USA
Contact
Joseph Saponaro (joseph.f.saponaro.civ@us.navy.mil)
CSV Email

Capture briefs (a one-page, shareable copy of this page) are part of Pro. The CSV here holds the notice, its timeline and past awards.

Where this opportunity stands

Every notice posted under solicitation N0002426R2229 in this department, oldest first.

Early notice
  • Aug 3, 2026 · this notice
    Special Notice
Solicitation
None posted
Award
Not yet. Typical award: Nov 16, 2026 to Mar 7, 2027, middle of the range Dec 20, 2026.
Measured from 51 past early notices at Dept of the Navy with NAICS 336611 that later posted an award (middle half of cases, counted from Aug 3, 2026).

Next steps for this stage

Standard steps for the notice type; not advice about this buyer.

  • Answer the notice: this is when the requirement can still be shaped.
  • Contact the contracting officer named on the notice.
  • Check who won similar work; they are the likely bidders.

What the notice says

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 i… (show all)

n supporting future Navy cable ship capacity. This single award contract in FY26 will require Vard to provide concept-level ship design products, including: 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. Identification of any impacts to the ship characteristics, cost, and producibility. 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: Company name, address, point of contact, phone number, and email address. 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.) 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.

Who won similar work

102 award notices on SAM.gov in the last 24 months. Match: Same office, same NAICS 336611.

WinnerAwardsValueLast
ELECTRIC BOAT CORPORATION · $GD13$52.1BSep 30, 2026
HUNTINGTON INGALLS INCORPORATED · $HII6$2.0BSep 9, 2026
METRO MACHINE CORP. · $GD5$1.9BApr 14, 2026
BAE SYSTEMS SAN DIEGO SHIP REPAIR INC.4$2.9BApr 10, 2026
NATIONAL STEEL AND SHIPBUILDING COMPANY · $GD4$2.9BMar 20, 2026
BAE SYSTEMS NORFOLK SHIP REPAIR INC.4$1.1BNov 4, 2025
VIGOR MARINE LLC4$670.7MApr 20, 2026
CONTINENTAL MARITIME OF SAN DIEGO, LLC3$1.9BAug 11, 2025
EAST COAST REPAIR & FABRICATION, LLC2$3.6BSep 3, 2025
DELPHINUS ENGINEERING, INC.2$3.6BSep 3, 2025

Value counts single-winner awards. "Shared" awards are multiple-award contracts that list every winner with the same total ceiling; that ceiling is not one company's win, so it is not added in.

Latest awards

Competitive landscape

For the 8 most frequent past winners above. Lobbying is matched by the company's exact name or exact ticker; agencies are as named on the filings.

  • 2 of these past winners lobbied Navy, Dept of or U.S. Marines since 2024 (20 filings)
  • 0 of their lobbyists list a past Navy, Dept of or U.S. Marines job
  • $597K from their corporate PACs since 2024 to members of House Committee on Appropriations, House Committee on Armed Services, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senate Committee on Armed Services
  • 0 foreign-agent (FARA) registrations
See who and the source records with Pro

Policy around it

Bills the past winners named while lobbying this agency's issues, rules from the department, and executive orders that name the agency, last 12 months.

  • 8 bills named on the past winners' lobbying filings
  • 32 rules from the department in the last 12 months
  • 0 executive orders naming the agency in the last 12 months
See who and the source records with Pro

Market

For past winners matched exactly to a listed company. Insider trades are open-market buys and sells (Form 4) in the last 90 days, shown as facts; our own study found insiders do not reliably buy ahead of awards.

  • 2 of the past winners are listed companies
  • 0 insider buys and 5 insider sells at them in the last 90 days
See who and the source records with Pro

Sources: SAM.gov notices and award notices; Senate LDA lobbying filings; FEC filings; FARA; Federal Register; congress.gov; SEC Form 4. Every row above links to its record.

Companies are matched to tickers by exact name only. A company we could not match shows no market rows; that is a miss, not a finding.