Contracts · Undersea
Navy asks industry to price a 24-month submarine rescue design phase
A request for information explores narrowing two design vendors to one builder at critical design review.
The Navy is asking industry for rough-order-of-magnitude pricing for a planned 24-month design phase for its next-generation submarine rescue system.1–2
RFI asks for rough-order-of-magnitude pricing for a 24-month design phase
Next-generation submarine rescue system
The program plans for a 24-month design phase ending in the strict Critical Design Review (CDR) pivot point.
RFI posits that at the Critical Design Review gate the program could move from two design vendors to one build vendor
The notice is market research and does not commit the government to a solicitation or award
Source: U.S. Navy, NextGen Submarine Rescue System request for information and RFI questions. As of Nov. 3, 2026.
The request for information (RFI) describes a hypothetical down-select from two design vendors to one build vendor at critical design review. The planned design phase would end at that review.2
The notice was posted Nov. 3.1 Responses are due by 3 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 16.1
For production, the RFI envisions a contract under the Federal Acquisition Regulation for three to four operational systems.2
The RFI also asks how to enable an award earlier than September 2027 without compromising proposal quality or technical safety. It asks how to achieve initial operational capability earlier than September 2033.2
Suppliers are being asked to price design work with a possible down-select to one builder at the end of the phase.2 The notice is market research and commits the government to neither a solicitation nor an award.1