Military Projects
Navy Maps Out Four Packages for Planned $10B Bremerton Dry Dock Rebuild
Project documents detail construction phasing at the Dry Dock 3 waterfront at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and outline marine, dry dock, infrastructure and caisson contracts
Dry Dock 4 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash., is shown following completion of a seismic upgrade project. The facility is among the shipyard assets being modernized as the Navy advances planning for a new Multi-Mission Dry Dock.
The U.S. Navy on June 15 launched a dedicated website and new industry outreach effort for a planned $7- to $10-billion rebuild of the Dry Dock 3 waterfront at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash., centered on construction of a new dry dock for aircraft carriers and submarines.
The new website and procurement materials offer the most detailed public look yet at the engineering scope, construction sequencing and contracting strategy for the proposed Multi-Mission Dry Dock. The project is a key part of the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program, the Navy's long-term plan to modernize public nuclear shipyards in Washington, Hawaii, Virginia and Maine.
Project documents describe a reinforced-concrete, pressure-relieved dry dock with a floating caisson gate capable of servicing Ford-class and Nimitz-class aircraft carriers as well as all classes of fleet nuclear submarines.
The operation would replace facilities within the existing Dry Dock 3 area and require extensive marine construction, excavation, utility relocation, dredging and waterfront infrastructure work over a construction period targeted at less than eight years.
"The launch of our official project website and the release of the Sources Sought represents day one of a multi-decade, critical infrastructure project for the Navy,” Capt. Troy Brown, the accountable project officer for Multi-Mission Dry Dock, said in a statement.
“We are opening our doors to the nation's best engineering and construction minds on SAM.gov while simultaneously providing a transparent, easily accessible resource for the local public who live and work alongside us," he added.
Planned work includes groundwater cutoff walls, cofferdam systems, bulkheads, quay walls, enclosed utility galleries, electrical and mechanical utility tunnels, drainage and discharge tunnels, saltwater intake systems, closed-loop cooling systems, flooding and dewatering systems, process-water collection and treatment facilities, portal crane infrastructure and extensive utility upgrades.
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The preferred location encompasses the footprint of the existing Dry Dock 3 and portions of Piers 6 and 7. Supporting work would include dry dock drainage, flood and dewatering systems, roadways, rail infrastructure, communications systems and demolition of existing facilities and utilities.
The project remains under National Environmental Policy Act review. In a June announcement, NAVFAC said a Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision are expected later this year.
Project materials outline a three-phase construction sequence that begins with demolition and site preparation, proceeds through excavation and construction of the dry dock structure and concludes with installation of utilities, the caisson gate and portal cranes.
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NAVFAC first sought industry feedback on the project through a March request for information, with responses due April 17. Procurement notices released in June provided additional details on the planned contracting approach.
The renovated Dry Dock 4 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton was completed five months early after a seismic retrofit, boosting resilience and enabling more modernization projects.
Photo: Jeb Fach/U.S. Navy
Those notices state that NAVFAC plans to issue a multiple-award construction contract solicitation in September and anticipates awarding approximately five indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts with a combined ceiling value of up to $30 billion.
The vehicle would support construction of the dry dock as well as other waterfront and marine construction projects associated with the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Program.
Firms seeking contracts must demonstrate a single-project bonding capacity of at least $2 billion. Task orders are expected to range from $2 billion to $6 billion, though smaller awards might be issued for early contractor involvement and alternative technical concepts.
Current planning divides the work into several major packages:
A marine package estimated at $2 billion to $3 billion would include demolition work, dredging, construction of an upland shoring and cutoff wall, construction of a double-wall cofferdam and ground improvements.
A dry dock package estimated at $3.5 billion to $4.5 billion would include dewatering, excavation, demolition of Dry Dock 3, construction of pressure-relief systems, construction of the dry dock structure and installation of pump wells.
An infrastructure package estimated at $3.5 billion to $4.5 billion would include support buildings, electrical substations, utility tunnels, partial replacement of the Farragut Avenue tunnel, installation of permanent utilities, paving, crane rail installation, process equipment, fendering systems and testing and commissioning.
A fourth package, estimated at $200 million to $300 million, would cover fabrication and delivery of the caisson gate.
The same procurement documents indicate officials are evaluating several project-delivery and risk-management measures, including early contractor involvement, economic price-adjustment provisions, award-fee incentives and limits on task-order performance bonds.
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Industry participants were also asked to provide feedback on bonding requirements, labor availability, supply chain risks, competition, schedule optimization and alternative contracting approaches.
The current acquisition schedule calls for issuing the multiple-award construction contract solicitation in September, receiving Phase I proposals in October and awarding contracts in May 2027. Planning documents indicate the first major construction task order, the Marine Package, could be awarded in mid-2028.
ENR requested additional comment from Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command regarding project cost, schedule and procurement strategy, but did not receive an immediate response.
Bryan Gottlieb is the online editor at Engineering News-Record (ENR).
Gottlieb is a five-time Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism award winner with more than a decade of experience covering business, construction and community issues, including finance, law and real estate. He has reported for Adweek and the San Diego Daily Transcript and led a community newsroom in Santa Monica, Calif. He served as editor-in-chief of the Detroit Metro Times and as managing editor at Roofing Contractor, where he helped shape national industry coverage. At Engineering News-Record, Gottlieb covers breaking news, large-scale infrastructure and megaprojects, regulatory developments and business trends across the U.S. and global construction sectors.
email: gottliebb@enr.com | office: (248) 786-1591
