$194.5 million BRAC Human Performance Wing construction contract awarded

  • Published
  • By Derek Kaufman
  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District office announced April 16 the construction contract award which will house the bulk of missions consolidating here as a result of Base Realignment and Closure 2005 decisions. 

Archer Western Contractors, LTD. / Butt Construction Company, Inc., A Joint Venture, from Chicago, received the award for approximately $194,529,000 for the Human Performance Wing complex.

"This is the largest single military construction contract award in the Louisville District's history," said Mark Yates, chief, Louisville District contracting division.

This Fiscal Year 2008 Military Construction project will be the home of the newly established 711th Human Performance Wing as well as the Navy's Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory and the Air Force's Physiological Training Unit. The approximately 680,000 square foot complex to be constructed in the northeastern corner of Wright-Patterson's Area "B."

"Today's award is a major milestone in our preparations to consolidate the new human performance missions at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base," said, Col. Colleen Ryan, 88th Air Base Wing commander.

"We are beginning the largest base construction effort since World War II to ready for the new BRAC missions. This contract award for the new 711th Human Performance Wing will be a major factor in establishing Wright-Patterson as the 'Center of Excellence' for Aerospace medicine research, education and training," Col. Ryan added.

The Louisville District awarded the contract in a two-phase selection. The Phase 1 included a Request For Proposal. The Phase 1 RFP required contractors to submit experience, performance on similar projects and proposed team members. The government conducted a selection board and identified four contractors to proceed to the Phase 2 selection.

Contract duration is approximately 1020 days or approximately 2 ½ years, said Corps of Engineers spokesman Todd Hornback. The contract award is listed on www.FedBizOpps.gov .

Dayton-based Butt Construction Company was previously awarded a $13 million BRAC construction contract for utilities and road work in Area B. That work is currently underway and includes the planned relocation of Gate 19B. 

The award of the new $194.5 million Design-Build contract will begin with the development of final construction drawings, base engineers said. Completion of the complex is expected by early 2011. 

Ryan said she anticipates groundbreaking activity associated with the new contract to begin later this summer. A ceremonial groundbreaking is being planned for the June time frame. 

"Although the schedule is very compressed, we fully intend to be ready in time to meet the requirements set forth in BRAC public law," Col. Ryan said. "We are delighted to have the joint venture of Archer Western Contractors, LTD. and Butt Construction Company, Inc. on our team."

The Department of Defense 2005 Base Realignment and Closure act directed that 311th Human Systems Wing functions at Brooks City-Base, Texas relocate to Wright-Patterson. The 711th Human Performance Wing officially stood up at Wright-Patterson March 25, 2008, reporting to Air Force Research Laboratory headquarters here. The 711th HPW combines the AFRL's Human Effectiveness Directorate with units from the 311th Human Systems Wing at Brooks, including the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, Air Force Institute of Operational Health and the 311th Performance Enhancement Directorate. Additionally BRAC will move the Warfighter Readiness Research Division from Mesa, Arizona and the Air Force's Physiological Training Unit at Holloman AFB NM to Wright-Patterson by 2011.

Although not a part of the 711th Wing, the Navy's Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory at Pensacola, Fla. will also relocate here and be housed in the new $194.5 million complex.