Page 23: of Marine News Magazine (November 2026)

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ness. Where contract requirements companies receiving Corps dredging

Competition Delivers permit, temporarily releasing equip- awards, including 20 large businesses

Taxpayer Value ment that is ahead of schedule could The annual U.S. Dredging Report and 36 small businesses. Of 136 proj- help address urgent shoaling elsewhere. prepared by Michael Gerhardt, togeth- ects analyzed, 88 were awarded below

These measures directly affect produc- er with DCA’s published assessments, the government estimate and 123, tion and cost and deserve attention documents a highly competitive do- approximately 90 percent, below the alongside procurement reform. mestic industry delivering substantial Government Estimated Awardable

Range, or GEAR. DCA’s published as- taxpayer value.

Administrative Savings v. Dredg-

The FY2024 report identi? ed 56 sessment reported nearly $829 million ing Savings

The dredging industry supports reducing unnecessary government paperwork and making better use of

Corps personnel. However, savings within government administration and savings in the actual performance of dredging are separate outcomes.

Each should be measured.

Issuing fewer solicitations or admin- istering fewer contracts may reduce internal workload. The Corps should explain whether those changes reduce expenditures, free personnel for other responsibilities, or shorten procurement timelines. Those bene? ts do not, by themselves, establish that dredging will cost less or that more material will be re- moved from federal navigation channels.

Dredging costs depend on equip- ment, crews, fuel, material character- istics, placement requirements, mobi- lization, work windows, and project conditions. Competition among qual- i? ed contractors also helps determine the price the government pays.

A larger procurement package could reduce administrative effort while increasing dredging prices if fewer companies can compete directly or bonding requirements exclude oth- erwise capable contractors. Carefully coordinated, compatible projects may instead reduce mobilization costs and improve equipment utilization.

The Corps should evaluate these ef- fects separately, identify the source of any claimed savings, and compare equivalent dredging requirements and navigation outcomes. Administrative simpli? cation should strengthen the competitive deliv- ery of dredging services.