May 5 2006
The U.S. Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE) has selected the international project management and engineering company AMEC for a third major multi-year contract, this one to provide engineering design and construction services.
The new Heavy Engineering Repair & Construction (HERC) program will have an initial spending ceiling of $6 billion, with a potential to increase up to $15 billion, for AMEC and 19 other companies that were awarded HERC contracts. The contracts have a five-year basic ordering period, up to three additional one-year options, and an additional three years to complete performance.
Services under the HERC program encompass the full range of methods and technologies necessary to design and construct new facilities and infrastructure, and remodel and upgrade existing facilities and infrastructure. These may include design, construction, demolition, repair and emergency-response tasks.
“This contract – potentially the largest ever awarded to AMEC’s Earth & Environmental operations – is a direct reflection of the Herculean efforts of all who have been providing outstanding service to Air Force clients around the world under our first two AFCEE contracts,” remarked Charles Mouzannar, AMEC’s HERC program director.
AMEC’s other AFCEE contracts are known as 4P and WERC. The former covers architect-engineering support to environmental and traditional construction projects and has a potential funding ceiling of $2.75 billion for all contracted companies combined. WERC, which stands for Worldwide Environmental Restoration & Construction, has a potential funding ceiling of $10 billion for all contracted companies. Both were awarded in 2003 and both have five-year ordering periods.
“With these three contracts, AMEC is truly a force multiplier, bringing to the fight the skills and capabilities needed by the Air Force to ensure quality delivery of infrastructure and construction management services around the globe,” stated Scott Streifert, AMEC’s Air Force program manager.
Unlike 4P and WERC, HERC is intended to serve as a tool to bring several methods of construction together in one contract. These include turnkey, design-build, design-build-plus, and design-bid-build, according to AFCEE. HERC is not intended for stand-alone environmental contracting or stand-alone design, but it may include support for environmental work incidental to construction efforts.
“It has been quite an adventure since the early initiative led by Paul Pettit, Lynn Kucharski and a handful of AMEC staff in 2001 to becoming a key player on a $6-$15 billion program in less than five years,” Mouzannar said.