BATH — Bath Iron Works has been awarded a contract potentially worth more than $100 million to provide support for the littoral combat ship program.

BIW is partnering with General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, Austal, CDI and Marinette Marine on the planning yard services contract to support both variants of the ship — the Freedom and Independence, according to spokesman Matt Wickenheiser.

“Bath Iron Works will be the single planning yard, providing engineering, planning, ship configuration, material and logistics support to maintain and modernize both variants of the (littoral combat ship) class,” according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Defense, which will be worth $100,418,069 if all options are exercised by the Navy.

Work will be performed in Bath and is expected to be completed by August 2015.

“It was an important win for us and we’re very glad that we got it,” Wickenheiser said. “It really is a strategic win that allows us to leverage our existing experience and infrastructure to support the Navy. As more littoral combat ships are delivered to the fleet over time, we expect there may be a couple of hundred people supporting the program.”

Earlier this month, Wickenheiser confirmed the company issued layoff notices to fewer than than 40 employees, although union officials said 53 welders and shipfitters, more than half of whom were hired this year, had received notices within a two-week period.

Asked Monday if the new contract modification would translate into new jobs, Wickenheiser said, “We’ll evaluate workforce needs as the contract proceeds.”

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