The Government Accountability Office has called on Congress to delay its decision on the U.S. Navy’s authority request for a block purchase of 12 frigates worth approximately $9 billion in fiscal year 2018 until more data is available about the ship’s design, cost and capabilities.GAO said in a report published Tuesday that Congress should push back funding of the lead frigate ship to FY 2019 in order to have more information on the program’s costs, risks and design for use in the decision-making process.
The frigate is a ship that contains minor alterations to the Littoral Combat Ship design.
The agency also urged the Defense Department to postpone its procurement plans on the frigate program until more information is available.
GAO made the recommendations after it found that the frigate program does not have a formal cost estimate and an industrial base to support a contract award in 2018 since each shipyard has demands for LCS construction that will run through 2021.
