Sources Sought
Northeast Ice-Breaking
Department of Homeland Security · U.S. Coast Guard
AI summaryThe U.S. Coast Guard (Base Boston, for Coast Guard District Northeast) is asking commercial icebreaking vessel owners to describe their vessels and experience. It is a request for information only, not a solicitation, and no contract will be awarded from it. Responses are due November 13, 2026, 5:00 PM Eastern. More in the summary
Market research, not a bid. Replying is free and tells U.S. Coast Guard who could do this work. Send a short reply to the contracting contact; no price is needed. See the contact
AI summary Beta
The U.S. Coast Guard (Base Boston, for Coast Guard District Northeast) is asking commercial icebreaking vessel owners to describe their vessels and experience. It is a request for information only, not a solicitation, and no contract will be awarded from it. Responses are due November 13, 2026, 5:00 PM Eastern.
Who can bid
- The vessel must be U.S.-flag and coastwise-qualified (Jones Act). The Government is only interested in these vessels.
- The vessel must hold a valid U.S. Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection with the proper routes and conditions for Northeast waterways.
- The vessel must comply with U.S. laws and regulations, including manning and Classification Society requirements (if applicable).
How to submit: Email to Brady Gariano (Brady.A.Gariano@uscg.mil) and Jeff Center (Jeffery.A.Center2@uscg.mil), in Word or PDF format. What to include is under Full summary below. Check the solicitation's instructions on SAM.gov.
Things to watch (5)
From the version posted Oct 21, 2026.
- Serious: Only U.S.-flag, Jones Act qualified vessels. A business without a coastwise-qualified vessel with a valid Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection is not the target of this request.
- Worth checking: Vessel must be in the Northeast by January 2, 2027. The planned work would need the contractor to mobilize within the Northeast by January 2, 2027, so a vessel would need to be ready on a short timeline.
- Worth checking: On-call work with 72-hour notice. The Coast Guard expects to give 72 hours' notice, a minimum 7-day window of operations, and up to twelve hours per day of daytime icebreaking, so crews must be ready to go on short call.
Show all 5Show fewer
- Worth checking: Ice capability of 4 to 18 inches. The vessel must be able to operate in ice from 4 to 18 inches thick; vessels that cannot show this will not meet the planning need.
- Minor: Information request only, no contract yet. Sending a response does not make you an offeror or win work. It helps the Coast Guard decide whether and how to buy later.
Read from the notice and 1 attachment. Show which files.
- RFI - USCG District Northeast_Ice Breaking.pdf (read)
Full summary
What they want
- Company details, suggested NAICS code and business size (small or large)
- Vessel details: type, flag, ownership, build year and place, Jones Act (coastwise) status, dimensions, fuel capacity, crew and manning
- Proof the vessel can break 4 to 18 inches of ice, with endurance, mobilization timelines and operating limits
- Past experience with icebreaking, escort or winter maritime operations
- Optional, non-binding pricing ideas such as daily rate ranges and mobilization costs
- Suggestions on how to structure a contract (for example optional contract line item numbers, on-call or standby services)
- Constraints, risks and assumptions that affect planning
- Contract type
- Sources sought / request for information (RFI). No contract will be awarded from it.
- Place of performance
- Boston, MA, USA (SAM.gov). The RFI lists possible waterways across the Northeast, including Boston Harbor, Cape Cod Canal, Narragansett Bay, and Bridgeport, Stamford and New Haven, CT.
- Estimated value
- Not stated
- Offers due
- November 13, 2026, 5:00 PM Eastern Time
- How to submit
- Email to Brady Gariano (Brady.A.Gariano@uscg.mil) and Jeff Center (Jeffery.A.Center2@uscg.mil), in Word or PDF format
What to include when you submit
- Email subject line must read: RFI Response – Northeast Ice-Breaking – [Company Name]
- Send the response as a Word or PDF file
- Include company name, address, point of contact, email and phone number
- Give a suggested NAICS code and your business size under it, such as small or large
- Give vessel details, operational capability and relevant prior experience
- Pricing information is optional and non-binding
- Clearly mark any proprietary or business-sensitive information
Not in the notice text
- No estimated value, contract length, number of awards or set-aside is stated; SAM.gov lists no set-aside.
- Whether a solicitation will follow, and what contract type it would use, is not stated.
- The RFI asks respondents to suggest the NAICS code; the SAM.gov listing shows 488330.
Eligibility and how to respond
- No set-aside. Any business can reply: this is market research, and no bid is being taken yet.
- To respond, send a short reply to the contracting contact near the top of this page. No price is needed.
Notice details
- Posted
- Oct 21, 2026
- Notice type
- Sources Sought
- Office
- Base Boston, MA
- Product/service code
- V124 · Transportation/Travel/Relocation – Transportation: Marine Charter
- Business type
- Transportation, logistics & vehicles (FedReady's grouping, from NAICS 488330)
- Attachments
Past awards and competition
Who has won work like this before, the likely incumbent, and what similar contracts paid, from USAspending.gov.
Before you respond
Terms on this notice: Sources sought notice
Full notice text from SAM.gov
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to better understand commercially available icebreaking capabilities that may support emergent domestic icebreaking operations within the Coast Guard District Northeast area of responsibility. The USCG seeks information on commercial vessels and operators capable of supporting icebreaking operations necessary to maintain a safe and operational Marine Transportation System for Northeast ports, facilitate the movement of critical cargo, and mitigate navigational risk during seasonal ice conditions. Please see attached RFI for additional information.
Similar open opportunities
- US East Coast/Gulf Coast Jones Act Tanker (Extended Term Charter)Military Sealift Command (MSC), part of the Navy, is asking companies for information about one U.S. flag Jones Act tanker (a ship allowed to carry cargo between U.S. ports) for…
- Voyage CharterThe Navy's Military Sealift Command is doing market research (not buying yet) on U.S.-flag ships that could carry two 46,000-metric-ton cargoes of granite aggregate from Canada…
- Dry Cargo TugconThe Navy's Military Sealift Command in Norfolk is doing market research for a U.S.-flag ocean-going tug to tow a 688-ton berthing barge (YRBM-32) from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii to…
- Navy Harbor Pilot Transportation Services- Rota, Spain
- 120-Day Special Time Charter With One 50-Day Option Jones ActMilitary Sealift Command (U.S. Navy) wants to charter one U.S.-flag, Jones Act qualified vessel, crew included, to host Navy at-sea testing for the Naval Surface Warfare Center…