Officials award $194.5 million contract for Human Performance Wing complex

Published April 17, 2008
By Derek Kaufman
88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers district office in Louisville, Ky., 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.

A joint venture that includes Dayton, Ohio, contractor Butt Construction Co., along with Archer Western Contractors, LTD., a part of the Chicago-based Walsh Group, received the award for approximately $194,529,000 for the 711th 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 2008 military construction project will be the home of the newly-established 711th Human Performance Wing, the Air Force's Physiological Training Unit, and the Navy's Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory, currently located at Pensacola, Fla. The approximately 680,000 square foot complex will be constructed in the northeastern corner of Area B on Wright-Patterson AFB.

"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," Colonel Ryan said. "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."

The Louisville District awarded the contract in a two-phase selection. Phase 1 included a Request For Proposal, which 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 1,020 days or approximately two and one-half 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 under way 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.

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

"Although the schedule is very compressed, we fully intend to be ready in time to meet the requirements set forth in BRAC public law," Colonel 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 AFB. The 711th HPW officially stood up at Wright-Patterson March 25, reporting to Air Force Research Laboratory headquarters here. The 711th HPW combines AFRL's Human Effectiveness Directorate with units from the 311th HSW, 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, Ariz., and the Air Force's Physiological Training Unit at Holloman AFB, N.M. to Wright-Patterson AFB by 2011.