Martinac wants a chance to bid

The Martinac shipyard in Tacoma says it deserves a chance to compete for a $223 million contract to build four new double-ended ferries for Washington state. However, the state Department of Transportation says the shipyard doesn?t meet financial standards and its chief competitor says the Tacoma yard lacks the experience and expertise for such a large project.

Martinac is mounting a major lobbying effort to bottle up an 11th-hour state Senate bill that would eliminate the need for competitive bids on the ferry contract. “Win or lose, all we want is a chance to play the game,” said Jonathan Platt, Martinac?s legislative lobbyist. The measure, which would allow the state DoT to negotiate a sole source contract with the state?s largest private shipyard, Todd Pacific Shipyards of Seattle, already had cleared two committees and was heading for a floor vote.

Meanwhile, Martinac, whose Thea Foss Waterway shipyard at one time specialized in building large tuna boats, has appealed its financial disqualification to a state administrative law judge. A hearing is set for May 16.

The state also notified another shipyard, Nichols Brothers Boat Builders of Whidbey Island, that it, too, didn?t pass the state?s standards. That leaves Todd, which has built all of the state?s ferries in the past 15 years, as the only bidder. The ferry construction project would create 300 to 350 jobs over the four-year life of the project.