According to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and industry officials on Friday, HD Hyundai Heavy did not complete preliminary registration for the designated competitive bidding process for the Korean Destroyer Next Generation, or KDDX, by Thursday’s deadline.
However, the company said it is preparing to take part in the bidding process, signaling that it is likely to participate in the second round.
With HD Hyundai Heavy absent from the first round, Hanwha Ocean was the sole bidder, meaning the bid effectively failed to meet the required conditions. DAPA is expected to issue a second bidding notice later this month to move the long-delayed project forward.
“We are currently preparing to participate in the bidding,” an HD Hyundai Heavy official said. “But we need more time to comprehensively review the relevant conditions.”
The KDDX project, worth 7.04 trillion won ($5 billion), aims to build six 6,000-ton-class destroyers, often referred to as “mini-Aegis” ships.
Naval shipbuilding projects typically move from concept and basic planning to detailed engineering, construction and follow-on vessels. The KDDX contract is expected to be awarded through a competitive bidding process between HD Hyundai Heavy and Hanwha Ocean.
DAPA had planned to select the final contractor within the first half of this year after issuing the bidding notice in March and completing proposal evaluations and negotiations. The agency aims to deliver the lead ship to the Navy by 2032.
But with the bidding process for the detailed design and lead ship construction delayed, the final selection of the contractor is also expected to be pushed back.
“As the project has already been delayed for a long time, we will promptly issue a rebid notice and proceed with the project without further setbacks,” a DAPA official said.
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