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Public Services and Procurement Canada officials did a round of media interviews to point out that the Canadian Surface Combatant program is moving along.

Three companies have submitted draft bids to get feedback from government officials. No specific date is set for a response to the request for proposals but Lisa Campbell, Assistant Deputy Minister – Defence and Marine Procurement for PSPC, says that will be announced in the near future. The CSC project is still on track, she added. A winning bidder is expected sometime in 2018. Steel will be cut between mid-2021 and early 2022.

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There are 12 pre-qualified bidders. Campbell said no company has withdrawn from the program. Some industry officials , however, predict that may soon happen as a number of firms may figure that bidding on the CSC is not worth their while.

As I reported in the latest issue of Esprit de Corps magazine, Irving Shipbuilding president Kevin McCoy says the firm is ramping up to work on the CSC. He noted that Irving’s workforce is currently around 1,800 but by 2020 that is expected to grow to 2,400.