From what I understand, there are only two criteria for deciding...

From what I understand, there are only two criteria for deciding the winner of the current crucial contest. They are:

1. Purchase price, and

2. Delivery capability

This narrowness arises because the US Navy underestimated the forecast purchase cost of these vessels and now has an overly tight budget, and because of concern about delays. Competition based on relative ship performance is, it seems, not on the table. Both ships satisfy the specification, and either will be acceptable.

Given that Austal and its competitor seem to have been level-pegging on price and delivery in the past, the question arises; does Austal have any new advantages in this round?

One new advantage might be the reduction in overheads associated with the departure of Bath Ironworks as a partner. It may also be that, with Austal now the prime contractor, pricing negotiations may be more competitive.

Another new advantage may be that Austal's newly upgraded USA production facility may lower costs and improve delivery capability.

However, I'm not necessarily convinced that these factors are particularly decisive.

I also think that the share price of ASB may languish for some time if Austal misses out on the LCS work.

If what I've written above is an accurate summary, I can't see any reason to prefer ASB to other stocks.

However, I'm happy to listen if anyone thinks that ASB is a better prospect than I'm painting it.