Birdon Wins US Contracts Worth $390Mln
Australian-based Birdon Group, headquartered in Port Macquarie, has announced that its US subsidiary has been awarded two new contracts worth up to US$390m (AU$575m).
In one contract, valued at up to USD 191m, Birdon America has been appointed to carry out an upgrade of the US Coast Guard (USCG) fleet of 47-foot Motor Lifeboat (MLB) vessels.
In the second contract, worth up to USD 199m, Birdon America has secured a five-year extension to its existing contract to supply Bridge Erection Boats (BEBs) to the US Army. Birdon won the fiercely-contested tender to supply the BEBs in 2014, beating a field of established global defence suppliers.
When combined with Australian contracts secured in the past three months, the US deals have seen Birdon’s confirmed business pipeline surge over $700m and position it as a rapidly emerging force in Australia’s maritime and engineering contracting sectors.
Birdon CEO, Jamie Bruce, said: “The contract award is testament to Birdon’s world-class maritime and military capability and our ability to adapt to complex customer requirements.
“The Coast Guard is an important part of the US national security strategy, responsible for patrolling vast areas of the country’s coastline. The next generation of USCG vessels have very specific operational requirements, which have to be incorporated into the SLEP. By demonstrating beyond doubt that we could deliver on these requirements, Birdon presented as a compelling and low-risk option in the Coast Guard’s assessment of tenders,” he said.