It's setting up a company to procure two new ferries - which will be rail capable but not rail enabled, and smaller than earlier plans.
It won't disclose the budget - although it's promising it'll be much cheaper than the project it canned about a year ago.
That was for rail-enabled mega-ferries and port upgrades.
Finance Minister Nicola Willis is inviting pitches.
She says proposals will be assessed in March - then final decisions made.
