Unofficial satire. Not government guidance. Memes are not legal review.
CMCoEContracting Memes Center of Excellence

Daily acquisition brief // September 5, 2026

CMCoE Meme Intel: September 5, 2026

Three fresh contract reversals: ships that moved early and changed the schedule, shutdown costs that stayed active, and one follow-on carrying three pricing families.

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Schedule change / shipyard construction

Moving ships early triggered a $16.8 million dry-dock schedule modification.

The Navy tied a fixed-price contract modification to vessels moving in and out of the Portsmouth dry dock ahead of schedule.

Suffering from Success meme with the setup Vessels moved ahead of schedule and the payoff $16.8M schedule modification.
Vessels moved ahead of schedule. $16.8M schedule modification.

What happened

On September 4, the Navy awarded 381 Constructors a $16,765,241 firm-fixed-price modification to contract N40085-21-C-0077 for Multi-Mission Dry Dock #1 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. The action raises the contract's cumulative face value to $1,959,501,523.

The public announcement says the modification covers schedule changes associated with vessels moving in and out of the dry dock ahead of schedule. Fiscal 2024 military construction funds will be obligated, and the work is expected to finish in May 2029.

Why CMCoE cares

An operational schedule improvement can still disrupt a construction baseline, resequence work, and create compensable cost. Program and contracting teams need to separate the benefit of earlier vessel movements from the price and schedule consequences imposed on the dry-dock project.

Regulatory fine print

The announcement says the vessels moved ahead of schedule; it does not say the construction contractor completed the project early or caused a delay. The $16.8 million caption rounds the announced $16,765,241 modification. The meme targets the collision between the operational and contract schedules, not the legitimacy of the adjustment.

Sources

  1. USAspending - Multi-Mission Dry Dock #1 award profile (USAspending.gov, )
  2. Department of War - Contracts for September 4, 2026 (U.S. Department of War, )
Equitable adjustment / shutdown costs

A shutdown produced a $12.6 million equitable adjustment.

The Army awarded American Ordnance an action for costs sustained while work was shut down.

Disappointed Black Guy meme with the setup Work shut down and the payoff Costs kept working: $12.6M.
Work shut down. Costs kept working: $12.6M.

What happened

On September 4, the Army announced a $12,643,367 firm-fixed-price action for American Ordnance under contract W519TC-26-F-A552. The stated purpose is an equitable adjustment for costs sustained during a shutdown.

The Army reported that one bid was solicited and one was received. Work locations and funding will be set with each order, and the estimated completion date is October 30, 2026.

Why CMCoE cares

Stopping performance does not automatically stop cost exposure. When a shutdown changes the conditions of performance, contracting teams need contemporaneous direction, segregated cost records, causation analysis, and a defensible adjustment rather than assuming the pause is financially neutral.

Regulatory fine print

The public entry does not identify the shutdown's cause, duration, affected facility, or who directed it. The meme therefore says only that work stopped while costs persisted; it does not assign fault or imply that the equitable adjustment was improper. The $12.6 million caption rounds the announced $12,643,367 value.

Sources

  1. Department of War - Contracts for September 4, 2026 (U.S. Department of War, )
Pricing structure / missile-defense testing

MDA's follow-on uses cost-plus, cost-reimbursable, and fixed-price incentives.

A $508.5 million noncompetitive target-support contract spans three broad pricing approaches and nine years.

X Everywhere meme with the setup Follow-on contract type? and the payoff Cost-plus, cost-reimbursable, fixed-price everywhere.
Follow-on contract type? Cost-plus, cost-reimbursable, fixed-price everywhere.

What happened

On September 4, the Missile Defense Agency awarded Northrop Grumman Systems a $508,490,719 noncompetitive follow-on contract for IRBM and ICBM flight-test target support and logistics for government-furnished equipment. The period of performance runs from September 2026 through August 2035.

The announcement describes the contract as combining cost-plus-fixed-fee, cost-reimbursable, and fixed-price-incentive arrangements. One offer was solicited and received, and $8,786,477 in fiscal 2026 research, development, test, and evaluation funds is being obligated at award.

Why CMCoE cares

Mixed pricing can sensibly allocate different risks to different work, but each segment needs a clear rationale, ceiling, incentive structure, and surveillance plan. That becomes especially important on a long noncompetitive follow-on where target production, test support, and government-furnished-equipment logistics may carry very different uncertainty.

Regulatory fine print

The announcement lists multiple pricing arrangements for one contract; it does not say that every line item uses every arrangement or that the mix is improper. The meme compresses cost-plus-fixed-fee to 'cost-plus,' cost-reimbursable to 'cost-reimbursable,' and fixed-price-incentive to 'fixed-price' for a short pricing-family joke.

Sources

  1. SAM.gov - LIFTS award notice HQ085526CE001 (SAM.gov, )
  2. Department of War - Contracts for September 4, 2026 (U.S. Department of War, )