Army Seeks GC for FT Huachuca Equip. Facility

By Tasha Anderson for AZBEX 
After being put on “indefinite hold” last year and having two years of market research, The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is finally looking for a general contractor to build a Ground Transport Equipment Facility in Fort Huachuca. 
The facility will be located at 2387 Hatfield Road and will include a vehicle maintenance/equipment shop, wash platform, organizational vehicle parking, loading dock, storage building, petroleum, oils and lubricants storage, and other hazardous material storage. 
According to the Invitation for Bid issued by the USACE, “The vehicle maintenance facility will include mechanical and electrical rooms, telecommunications, HVAC, fire detection and sprinkler suppression systems, building information systems, intrusion detection system (IDS) installation, integrated energy, monitoring and control system (EMCS) connected to the base monitoring systems, and the installation of fire alarm systems.” The other facilities will include connection to utilities, lighting, civil and signage. 
The building’s design will include security measures and energy efficiencies in accordance with the Department of Defense Minimum Antiterrorism for Buildings standards and Unified Facilities Criteria and heating and air conditioning will be provided by “self-contained systems.” 
A Bumpy Road to Get Here 
In April 2018, the USACE issued a source sought request for Market Research pertaining to the construction of the facility. 
In March 2019, multiple media outlets had reported on the possibility of diverting funds from the project, and many other government projects, in order to aid in the construction of the border wall but it was not confirmed at that time. 
In April 2019, in an email to BEX Researchers, the USACE stated that the project had been put on hold indefinitely since 2018, and in September 2019, an article written by Cronkite News stated that $30M of the funding slated for the construction of the facility would be diverted to assist the construction of the border wall. 
Since then, in March 2020 the USACE issued a Request for Information for construction services, before finally issuing the current Invitation for Bid. 
The project is estimated to cost between $25M and $100M. A site visit is scheduled for October 6th, at 10:15 a.m.; however, there are some restrictions due to COVID-19. “Anyone residing more than 120 miles from Fort Huachuca and arriving for the site visit must obtain special approval to enter Fort Huachuca,” the IFB states. “Provide each individual’s full name, home city and state, email address and company you are representing.” If approved, the individual will be emailed a memorandum of approval. Anyone residing within 120 miles will not need special approval. 
All offers must be submitted by 12:00 p.m. on October 20th, 2020. The USACE is also acting as the design firm for the project.