The U.S. Court of Federal Claims found that the U.S. Navy unfairly evaluated Saildrone’s proposal for its medium unmanned surface vessel program and ordered a new review within two months. The court also barred the Navy from using a large share of the program’s budget until that reevaluation is finished. Saildrone’s proposal covered its Spectre platform, which the Navy had excluded before on-water testing.
What it means
Judge Philip Hadji’s opinion, issued Oct. 30, found the Navy treated Saildrone differently from Sea Machines when reviewing maximum-displacement information. The Navy cited inconsistencies between Saildrone’s proposal and its J-8 Placemat, which addressed the design’s maximum displacement.
The court found that Sea Machines advanced despite comparable issues involving maximum displacement. It also said the record did not make clear whether the Navy evaluated Sea Machines’ Steamracer or Steamrunner, though that uncertainty did not change the court’s conclusion.
Saildrone and Blue Water Autonomy sued in June after their respective Spectre and Liberty proposals were removed from the competition. The MUSV marketplace launched in March.
Key facts
- The Navy must reevaluate Saildrone’s Spectre proposal within two months.
- Judge Philip Hadji issued the opinion on Oct. 30.
- The Navy disqualified Saildrone before on-water testing.
- Saildrone’s Spectre MUSV has two variants: Spectre Silent Endurance and Spectre Stealth Strike.
- Blue Water Autonomy’s eliminated proposal was for the Liberty platform.
- The court identified Sea Machines vessels as Steamracer and Steamrunner.
Source: U.S. Court of Federal Claims opinion