By Matt Tomsic
mtomsic@scbiznews.com
Published March 11, 2013

The Department of Defense announced last week more than $80 million-worth of contracts to Lowcountry firms for work with the Navy and Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic.

SPAWAR and other agencies are still monitoring sequestration and budget issues, said Tommy Groves, a spokesman with SPAWAR, but the impact on specific contracts are still unknown.

“We continue to monitor the budget situation and will take action to modify existing contracts and task orders as appropriate,” Groves said. “In the interim, contract actions are being processed in accordance with the latest obligation authorization guidance.”

SPAWAR issued a nearly $50 million multiple-award contract to Barling Bay in North Charleston and nine other companies for cyber operations support services.

Those companies will compete for task orders under the contract, which includes options that could increase the value to nearly $250 million. The contractors will perform work worldwide and expect to finish by March 2014, unless all options are exercised, which could extend work until March 2018.

Separately, Detyens Shipyards received an $8 million Navy contract for the overhaul and dry-docking of the USNS Patuxent. Crews will overhaul the main engine, clean the hull, paint the ship and maintain the propeller system. Detyens will perform the work in North Charleston and expect to finish by May 2013. The contract includes options that could increase its value to $9.3 million.

The Navy also awarded a $30 million contract to LS3P in Charleston for architectural and engineering services in the southeastern region for the Naval Facilities Engineering Command. The first task order is for $800,000 and covers the design for the replacement of Bolden Elementary-Middle School at the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort. Work for this task order is expected to be completed by April 2014, while the rest of the overall contract’s work is expected to take until 2018. The architectural and engineering services will be divided evenly between Georgia and South Carolina.