Issue 114 - 24 Aug 98
Printer friendly version.
LPD 17 - THE PACE CONTINUES
MEGA CONTRACT WITH AWARD FEE
SMART SHIP . . . FROM CONCEPT TO REALITY
LPD 17 - THE PACE CONTINUES
Forward momentum continued throughout 1997 for the SAN ANTONIO (LPD 17) Class Amphibious Assault Ship, with the award of the lead ship detail design and construction contract. Backed by firmly established goals of improving program efficiency and reducing total ownership costs and cycle times, Team 17 underwent an intensive Integrated Product and Process Team training and activation program, designed to prepare them for the challenges imposed by an aggressive design and development schedule.
MEGA CONTRACT WITH AWARD FEE
Four projects located in the same general location were combined to create a "Mega" contract. Three of the four projects were located on approximately 20 acres of land recently acquired by the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. The fourth project was located in the immediate proximity. Some of the benefits derived from combining these projects were an earlier completion date as all projects ran simultaneously, less interruption to the customer, savings due to economy of scale and reduced the administrative burden for the Resident/Regional Officer In Charge of Construction (ROICC).
Two issues were extremely important to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard:
- Disruptions to shipyard production had to be kept at a minimum, and
- As portions of the acreage was being used as a temporary parking lot for the fleet, much of the area had to continue to be used a temporary parking lot to the maximum extent possible during construction.
The contract included an award fee using these two important issues, among others, as the evaluation criteria. To date, the contractor has been performing well in these two areas and the customer is happy.
SMART SHIP . . . FROM CONCEPT TO REALITY
The Smart Ship project began in late 1995 with a belief that reductions in workload and manpower requirements could be achieved aboard U.S. Navy ships, without compromising warfighting capability and crew safety. In 1997, this vision took focus with the successful implementation of 61 labor and cost-saving initiatives on board USS YORKTOWN (CG 48), the designated Smart Ship pilot vessel. By reducing operational and support costs and decreasing crew size by four officers and 44 enlisted personnel, these initiatives have resulted in a total potential annual savings of $2.8 million per hull per year.
