Saildrone Wins Court Challenge to USN’s New Procurement Evaluation Program

Saildrone, a manufacturer of unmanned surface vehicles, prevailed in court after it challenged the U.S. Navy’s new procurement evaluation program touted by the Pentagon to speed up the process. It is seen as a rare example where a supplier was able to prevail against the government and, according to lawyers, shows that the government can’t place a major procurement beyond judicial review.

The case stemmed from the U.S. Navy’s competitive program for the development of a new Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV). The Navy has increasingly developed and deployed these drones, and this new program envisions a class of medium-size vessels,

The Pentagon has sought to modernize and speed up the procurement process, reports The New York Times. The newspaper wrote about the selection process for this program, reporting last summer about the problems and calling the process “messy from the start.” It said participants had been left confused and frustrated. In September, the Navy reported it had awarded initial orders for 10 vessels each from Galliano Marine Services, HII, and Saronic Technologies following successful at-sea testing.

Saildrone sued, alleging that it had been unlawfully excluded after the Navy deemed Saildrone’s entry non-compliant across all three of the evaluation criteria. Saildrone was excluded from the final demonstration phase and challenged the Navy, arguing that it was being falsely deemed non-compliant.

This story was originally published by The Maritime Executive. Read the full story at The Maritime Executive →