Six members of California’s congressional delegation have asked the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) to explain its decision not to award a recent drydock availability for the icebreaker USCGC Healy to Mare Island Dry Dock, Vallejo, Calif., despite the yard’s prior work on the vessel and what the lawmakers describe as a more competitive price.
In a letter addressed to USCG Adm. Kevin E. Lunday, the members said they are seeking additional information about how the Coast Guard evaluated bids and what factors, beyond cost, influenced the award to another shipyard at what they understand to be a significantly higher price.
“Since 2020, Mare Island Dry Dock has completed two USCG Healy contracts, delivering comprehensive repairs at a competitive cost,” the lawmakers wrote. They said the most recent award decision was “perplexing” given that performance history and asked the Coast Guard to clarify what criteria were applied in the selection process.
The letter notes that the Coast Guard considers factors beyond price when awarding contracts and asks what, if any, non-cost considerations contributed to the outcome. The lawmakers also emphasized Mare Island’s historical and current role in the U.S. maritime industrial base, citing the former Navy yard’s long legacy of building submarines and ships for national defense.
According to the delegation, the modern maritime workforce on and around Mare Island continues to draw on that legacy, supported by the yard’s proximity to USCG Base Alameda and its strategic West Coast location. The letter warns that recent reports indicate Mare Island Dry Dock could face permanent closure if it does not receive future Navy and Coast Guard work, which the repair yard announced effective Jan. 1.
While acknowledging the importance of a competitive and impartial bidding process, the lawmakers said it is also critical for the Coast Guard to consider the health of the national maritime industrial base and ensure public work is distributed competitively across regional shipyard assets.
“We value and recognize the importance of a competitive bidding process in which contracts are awarded in an impartial and unbiased manner,” the letter states. “It is also critical that the Coast Guard assess the industrial base and ensure that public work is competitively bid across our nation’s maritime assets.”
The letter was signed by Reps. John Garamendi (D-Calif.), Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.), Josh Harder (D-Calif.) and Mike Thompson (D-Calif.).
