BY DON ROCHON – PEARL HARBOR – A signed Programmatic Agreement (PA) now paves the way for the Navy to proceed with construction projects on Guam in support of Marine Corps relocation efforts from Okinawa, thereby enhancing the readiness of U.S. joint forces in the Pacific theater and operational capabilities of the III Marine Expeditionary Force.
“The signing of the PA is an important milestone,” said Joseph Ludovici, director, Joint Guam Program Office. “We are looking forward to continuing to work with the people of Guam and the business community to deliver the requirements for the relocating Marines.” Over $1 billion in funding provided by the U.S. and Government of Japan has been secured thus far for military construction projects.
The Navy and Marine Corps remain committed to a deliberate approach of procurement actions and, per the Record of Decision, will apply Adaptive Program Management to adjust the pace and sequencing of construction projects to a sustainable level so as to not exceed Guam’s infrastructure capacities. As a result, contracts for the projects that have been funded thus far will be awarded throughout the year. Seven projects have been identified for 2011. Contracts totaling more than $93 million for the first two projects were awarded in September 2010.
Others for this year include the Andersen Air Force Base (AAFB) North Ramp parking and AAFB North Ramp utilities projects that are expected to be awarded next month, the Apra Harbor medical clinic project that is planned for award this Summer, the waterfront headquarters building project that is scheduled to be awarded in December, and phase one of the utilities and site improvement (U&SI) project.
“We are pleased that the Navy can move forward with some of the initial work,” said Capt. Peter Lynch, Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Marianas commanding officer. “These projects allow mission essential infrastructure for the Guam Realignment to proceed with a solid agreement to protect the valuable cultural resources on Guam and Tinian and stimulate economic growth in the region.”
This initial work is part of the design phase of the projects, where intrusive digging and boring work on project sites, which was put on hold until the PA was signed, will now begin and help contractors determine the best designs to submit for their construction proposals. “While design work for the projects is proceeding, construction is not expected to begin immediately,” said Capt Don Chandler, NAVFAC Pacific’s Guam program management officer.
“With the PA now signed, we can let our contractors know that they can complete the final phase of their design work. Once the designs are submitted and approved, the next step will be to tell them to go ahead with construction work.”