The John Lewis (TAO-205) class oiler shipbuilding program, previously known as the TAO(X) program, is a program to build a new class of 17 fleet oilers for the Navy. The primary role of Navy fleet oilers is to transfer fuel to Navy surface ships that are operating at sea, so as to extend the operating endurance of these surface ships and their embarked aircraft.The first ship in the TAO-205 program was funded in FY2016 at a cost of $674.2 million. The Navys proposed FY2017 budget requests $73.1 million in advance procurement (AP) funding for the second ship, which the Navy wants to procure in FY2018. As part of its acquisition strategy for the TAO-205 program, the Navy issued a combined solicitation consisting of separate Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for the detailed design and construction of the first six ships in the TAO-205 class, and for an amphibious assault ship called LHA-8 that the Navy wants to procure in FY2017. The Navy limited bidding in this combined solicitation to two bidders- General Dynamics National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (GD/NASSCO) and Huntington Ingalls Industries Ingalls Shipbuilding (HII/Ingalls) -on the grounds that these are the only two shipbuilders that have the capability to build both TAO-205s and LHA-8. On June 30, 2016, the Navy awarded a fixed price incentive block buy contract for the first six TAO-205s to GD/NASSCO, and the contract for LHA-8 to HII/Ingalls.
Navy John Lewis (TAO 205) Class Oiler Shipbuilding Program: Background and Issues for Congress
2016
20 pages
Report
No indication
English