Acquisiton Directorate

FRC: Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is your acquisition strategy?
  2. How many Sentinel Class patrol boats will be built?
  3. The winning design is a modified version of a foreign ship. Will Sentinel Class patrol boat be a U.S.-built vessel?
  4. Where will the Sentinel Class patrol boat operate?
  5. What size crew will operate the Sentinel Class patrol boat?
  6. What is the billet structure for the Sentinel Class patrol boat?
  7. How long will the Sentinel Class patrol boat be at sea?
  8. In what type of conditions will the Sentinel Class patrol boat operate?
  9. What armament will the Sentinel Class patrol boat carry?
  10. Will there be a Coast Guard inspection office at the builder’s facility?
  11. Has Coast Guard built anything similar to the Sentinel Class patrol boat?
  12. Do you have enough people to take this on? Recent media coverage and hearings point out that you’re short of program/contract personnel.
  13. I’ve heard talk of the FRC-A, and Sentinel Class patrol boat, what’s the difference?
  14. Is a composite technology out of the picture now?
  15. How did the mid-2006 Request for Information influence the Sentinel Class patrol boat acquisition strategy?
  16. How will the Sentinel Class patrol boat impact interoperability? Coast Guard C4ISR capability?
  17. Is the Sentinel Class patrol boat contract fixed-price?
  18. When do you expect to have the first Sentinel Class patrol boat in the water?
  19. Was the Sentinel Class patrol boat award made as the result of full and open competition?
  20. How many total offerors did the Coast Guard consider?
  21. What is the total dollar value of the contract award? 
  22. Can you tell us a little about the proposals that were not selected?  Why weren’t they selected? 
  23. What is the project timeline from this award to delivery of twelve cutters? 
  24. When does the Coast Guard expect production to begin? 
  25. Where is the production facility located?  
  26. How will jobs at that facility be affected? 
  27. How do the capabilities of the selected vessel design compare with the required capabilities of the original FRC-A requirements? 
  28. How did the Coast Guard ensure competition throughout the selection process? 
  29. Can you identify specific milestones for the production and deployment of the Sentinel Class patrol boat? 
  30. What criteria were used to consider each offeror’s proposed design? 
  31. What changes will the Coast Guard make to the parent craft?   
  32. Has the Coast Guard technical authority reviewed and approved the selected design? 
  33. Were any tradeoffs considered or accepted in the selection of this design? 
  34. What is the projected service life for these cutters?
  35. When do you expect the final cutter to come on line? Or, is there an indefinite quantity at this point? 
  36. We know this is built on an already-proven hull, but what changes are being made to tailor the Sentinel Class patrol boat to the Coast Guard mission? 
  37. Where do you expect the first Sentinel Class patrol boats will be home ported? 
  38. How will you be mitigating any C4ISR risks associated with the Sentinel Class patrol boat? 
  39. What types of missions will be performed by the new Sentinel Class patrol boat?   
  40. Has a protest been filed on the award of this contract?
  41. What type of propulsion system will be used on the FRC?
  1. What is your acquisition strategy?
    The strategy is to acquire the Sentinel Class patrol boat patrol boat through full and open competition using a fixed-price contract with Economic Price Adjustment and a proven boat design.

  2. How many Sentinel Class patrol boats will be built?
    If all options are exercised, 34 cutters will be built under this contract. This vessel class is planned for a total of 58 patrol boats.

  3. The winning design is a modified version of a foreign ship. Will Sentinel Class patrol boat be a U.S.-built vessel?
    Yes, Bollinger Shipyards Inc. is located in Lockport, La. While some components of the Sentinel Class patrol boat may be of foreign origin, the majority of components, and the cutters themselves, will be built in the United States.

  4. Where will the Sentinel Class patrol boat operate?
    The Sentinel Class patrol boat will operate along the 95,000 nautical miles of U.S. coastline, as do today’s 110-foot Island class patrol boats. The first cutters will be based in the Florida Straits/Caribbean operating area. The Coast Guard is considering homeport decisions for subsequent cutters.

  5. What size crew will operate the Sentinel Class patrol boat?
    The Sentinel Class patrol boat will have a crew of 22 (including 18 enlisted, 2 chief petty officers, and 2 officers). The cutter will accommodate a mixed-gender crew.

  6. What is the billet structure for the Sentinel Class patrol boat?

    NOTICE: THIS BILLET STRUCTURE IS UNOFFICIAL. CG PC WILL PROMULGATE FINAL BILLETS VIA OFFICER/ENLISTED SHOPPING LISTS.

    Cutters by Production Sequence:

    Rates

    WPB 1101

    WPB 1102

    WPB 1103
    CO
    		O-3/4* O-3 O-3
    XO O-2 O-2 O-2
    EPO MKCS/EMCS** MKCS/EMCS** MKC/EMC
    BMC 1 1 1
    BM1 2 2 2
    BM2 2 2 2
    BM3 2 2 2
    GM2 1 1 1
    FS1 1 1 1
    FS3 1 1 1
    IT2 1 1 1
    SN 1 1 1
    MK1 1 1 1
    MK2 1 1 1
    MK3 1 1 1
    EM1 1 1 1
    EM3 1 1 1
    DC2 1 1 1
    FN 1 1 1
    * Billet may be an O-4 position for lead hull, first crew only
    ** Billet may be an E-8 position for lead and second hulls, first crews only


  7. How long will the Sentinel Class patrol boat be at sea?
    The Coast Guard requires a minimum endurance of five days operating independently at sea. The expected operational tempo for the vessel is to be underway 2,500 hours per year.

  8. In what type of conditions will the Sentinel Class patrol boat operate?
    The Sentinel Class patrol boat will conduct all missions through sea state four, with four to eight foot waves, for eight hours on all headings, and be able to remain on station through sea state six, with 13- to 18-foot waves, at low speed for eight hours on all headings.

  9. What armament will the Sentinel Class patrol boat carry?
    The Sentinel Class patrol boat will have one stabilized, remotely-operated 25mm machine gun and four crew-served, .50 caliber machine guns.

  10. Will there be a Coast Guard inspection office at the builder’s facility?
    Yes. There will be approximately 27 Coast Guard military and civilian employees attached to the Project Resident Office (PRO), located at the ship builder’s facility in Lockport, La.

  11. Has Coast Guard built anything similar to the Sentinel Class patrol boat?
    Yes. The Coast Guard successfully developed and procured more than 65 87- foot coastal patrol boats, through a disciplined acquisition process that featured close oversight of the contractor to ensure the product meets Coast Guard requirements. The 87- foot Coastal Patrol Boat acquisition process provided valuable lessons that will be carried forward to the Sentinel Class patrol boat program, which will also benefit from the expertise of Coast Guard personnel who were involved in the 87- foot cutter project.

  12. Do you have enough people to take this on? Recent media coverage and hearings point out that you’re short of program/contract personnel.
    Yes. Using the 87-foot patrol boat acquisition project as a template for success, this will be a collaborative effort between the Coast Guard Acquisition Directorate, the sponsor’s Capability Directorate, the Engineering and Logistics Directorate (the technical authority), the Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Information Technology Directorate and the Human Resources Directorate.

  13. I’ve heard talk of the FRC-A, and Sentinel Class patrol boat, what’s the difference?
    The FRC-A designation referred to the first revision of the original FRC design specifications which called for, most notably, a composite-hulled ship. After careful research and evaluation, the Coast Guard concluded that not only was the technology not yet mature enough to produce the conceived design, but that it would not possibly be available soon enough to meet the critical mission requirements and capability needs of the service, both now and in the foreseeable future.

    As such, the Coast Guard proposed a revised design specification, identified as the Sentinel Class patrol boat, through a “parent craft” acquisition strategy. Parent craft describes the use of an existing ship design that has successfully performed equivalent missions. 

  14. Is a composite technology out of the picture now?
    Following the award of the Sentinel Class patrol boat contract, and to ensure that mission needs are met as quickly and cost-effectively as possible, the Coast Guard will examine and develop options to procure the remaining Fast Response Cutters based on the overall performance of the Sentinel and the ability of the Sentinel Class to meet original FRC A-Class requirements.  No decision with regard to composites has been made. 

  15. How did the mid-2006 Request for Information influence the Sentinel Class patrol boat acquisition strategy?
    The Request for Information (which is a standard process the government uses to obtain insight from industry about the current state of the market for a given technology or product) led the Coast Guard to believe that several existing patrol boat designs could meet the basic patrol boat requirement, with relatively minor modifications.

  16. How will the Sentinel Class patrol boat impact interoperability? Coast Guard C4ISR capability?
    The C4ISR systems on the Sentinel Class patrol boat will be fully interoperable with not only the Coast Guard’s existing assets, but those of our partners, including the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security.

  17. Is the Sentinel Class patrol boat contract fixed-price?
    Yes, with an Economic Price Adjustment.

  18. When do you expect to have the first Sentinel Class patrol boat in the water?
    The first Sentinel Class patrol boat will be delivered during the third quarter of fiscal year 2011.

  19. Was the Sentinel Class patrol boat award made as the result of full and open competition?
    Yes.

  20. How many total offerors did the Coast Guard consider?
    Six.

  21. What is the total dollar value of the contract award? 
    $88 million.  If all options are exercised, the anticipated total value is $1.5 billion.

  22. Can you tell us a little about the proposals that were not selected?  Why weren’t they selected? 
    The selected proposal best met requirements as outlined in the Request for Proposals and represented the best value to the Coast Guard.  Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) prohibit the Coast Guard from releasing any information related to unsuccessful offerors.  Any unsuccessful offeror may request a post-award debriefing, during which all significant weaknesses and deficiencies in that offerors proposal will be addressed, along with the overall evaluated technical and price ratings of the awardee.

  23. What is the project timeline from this award to delivery of twelve cutters? 
    We expect the 12th cutter to be delivered early in fiscal year 2013.

  24. When does the Coast Guard expect production to begin? 
    The contract holds the contractor responsible to deliver the first vessel within two years of this award.  The actual start date for production will be established by the contractor to enable appropriate facility preparations and enough production time to meet delivery requirements. 
      
  25. Where is the production facility located?  
    Lockport, La.

  26. How will jobs at that facility be affected? 
    Local job impacts are better answered by the contractor, but the Coast Guard expects the contractor will ensure its employees a workforce sufficient to meet production and delivery requirements, and that this may involve hiring additional staff.

  27. How do the capabilities of the selected vessel design compare with the required capabilities of the original FRC-A requirements? 
    The only notable capabilities difference between the two requirement sets is the speed.  Original FRC-A requirements called for a speed of 30 knots, while the requirement for this Sentinel Class patrol boat contract award is 28 knots. 

  28. How did the Coast Guard ensure competition throughout the selection process? 
    Early on, the Coast Guard made a decision to rely on competition in the Sentinel Class patrol boat acquisition process to ensure best value for the government through a trade-off process.  The Request for Proposal (RFP) did not exclude any potential offeror and all proposals were evaluated using the same criteria – which were clearly outlined in the RFP – against unchanging requirements.  During the evaluation process, the Coast Guard responded to many questions from offerors as they developed their proposals.  Following receipt and evaluation of initial proposals the Coast Guard established a competitive range which is comprised of the most highly rated proposals.  Discussions were held with these offerors to facilitate the submission of comprehensive proposal revisions.

  29. Can you identify specific milestones for the production and deployment of the Sentinel Class patrol boat? 
    The contract requires delivery of the lead cutter within two years of this award.  Specific dates for milestones to meet those requirements, such as keel laying, will be established with the contractor leading up to the start of production.  

  30. What criteria were used to consider each offeror’s proposed design? 
    Proposals were evaluated based on three factors: Management, Technical and Price.  Price
    was evaluated for completeness, reasonableness, cost realism and pricing balance.    
    Management and Technical utilized the following sub-factors:

    Management

    Technical

      Sub-Factors

      Sub-Factors
    • Production Capability
    • Mission Effectiveness
    • Past Performance and Experience
    • Cutter Boat Launch & Recovery
    • Project Organization & Management
    • Performance, Including Flank Speed
    • Small, Disadvantaged Business Participation
    • Transition from Parent Craft to Sentinel Class patrol boat

  31. What changes will the Coast Guard make to the parent craft?   
    1. Increased flank speed from 23. 8 to 28+ knots
    2. Added stern ramp
    3. Changed from controllable pitch to fixed pitch propellers to save weight, complexity, and improve speed
    4. Added watertight bulkheads
    5. ‘Americanized’ and increased electrical system output
    6. Reconfigured interior arrangements to enhance habitability, incorporate stern launch, and support increased C4ISR capability

  32. Has the Coast Guard technical authority reviewed and approved the selected design? 
    The CG Technical Authority reviewed each of the proposals and approved the selected design.

  33. Were any tradeoffs considered or accepted in the selection of this design? 
    All proposals were evaluated against the same evaluation criteria.

  34. What is the projected service life for these cutters?
    20 years. 

  35. When do you expect the final cutter to come on line? Or, is there an indefinite quantity at this point? 
    Subject to performance, and the needs of the Coast Guard, this contract has options that allow for a maximum of 34 cutters to be acquired over the next six years.  The final order under this contract must be placed prior to Sept 30, 2014.

  36. We know this is built on an already-proven hull, but what changes are being made to tailor the Sentinel Class patrol boat to the Coast Guard mission? 
    Providing stern launch capability is the most significant change being made to the parent craft.


  37. Where do you expect the first Sentinel Class patrol boats will be home ported? 
    Miami, Fla.

  38. How will you be mitigating any C4ISR risks associated with the Sentinel Class patrol boat? 
    Primarily with comprehensive contract language with specific requirements developed by the CG’s C4ISR centers of excellence. 
      
  39. What types of missions will be performed by the new Sentinel Class patrol boat?   
    • Drug interdiction
    • Migrant interdiction
    • Other Law Enforcement
    • Marine Environmental Protection
    • Living Marine Resources
    • Ports, Waterways and Coastal Security
    • Marine Safety
    • Defense Readiness
    • Search and Rescue

  40. Has a protest been filed on the award of this contract?

    On October 7, Marinette Marine Corporation filed a protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the FRC-B/Sentinel Class Patrol Boat award. GAO procedures will result in a decision on the protest within 100 days of the filing date. While the protest will cause a delay in getting needed patrol boats to the fleet, the ability to protest a contract award is an inherent part of ensuring the transparency and equity of the federal procurement system. The Coast Guard is confident that the robust and well-documented acquisition process used in making this patrol boat award will be upheld by GAO.

  41. What type of propulsion system will be used on the FRC?

    The propulsion system on the FRC will consist of two (2), 20-cylinder, 4300 KW MTU engines.

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Last Modified 1/26/2012