The US Navy has issued a request for proposal (RFP) for a vessel construction manager (VCM) that will oversee the acquisition of the service's new medium landing ships (LSMs).
The navy said this strategy is designed to maximise commercial practices to accelerate delivery, improve cost discipline, and expand the US shipbuilding industrial base, with a contract award anticipated for the middle of this year.
For initial production, the navy will direct the VCM to manage LSM construction at two shipyards: Bollinger Shipyards and Fincantieri Marinette Marine.
Bollinger Shipyards was awarded a contract to support LSM long lead time procurement and lead ship engineering design activities in September 2025; Fincantieri will execute LSM work to build four ships.
The navy said the VCM will then have the ability to decide the best strategy for awarding the remaining three ships authorised under the base contract.
The VCM will hold the prime contract with the navy and, in turn, issue and manage its own subcontracts directly with the shipyards. This places the VCM in direct contractual control of shipyard performance and creates a buffer that, along with a proven design, is expected to reduce cost and schedule risks.
"The VCM approach not only accelerates construction timelines but also strengthens our industrial base by engaging multiple shipyards," said Rear Admiral Brian Metcalf, program executive officer, ships.
"By providing a mature, 'build-to-print' design and empowering a VCM to manage production, we are streamlining oversight for this acquisition. This approach accelerates the timeline and strengthens our industrial base, ensuring we have the capacity and expertise needed for sustained maritime advantage."
The VCM will manage production across multiple shipyards in parallel using proven commercial shipbuilding practices, with significantly fewer navy personnel than a traditional shipbuilding program would require.
The navy will provide a mature, "build-to-print" vessel design, significantly reducing technical and schedule risks. In December 2025, the US Navy and the US Marine Corps jointly announced that a 100-metre tank landing ship design would serve as the baseline to help rapidly field LSM capability.
