Andersen awards $9 million contract to upgrade Northwest Field

  • Published
  • By Airman Basic Evan Carter
  • 36th Wing Public Affairs
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam --  Core Tech International was recently awarded a $9 million military contract to provide water, sanitary sewer and electrical infrastructure at Northwest Field.
The infrastructure will support the beddown of the 554th RED HORSE Squadron, combat communications, Commando Warrior and Silver Flag organizations.
Core Tech International is a small, section 8-disadvantaged business, which was awarded the contract under the following conditions: it must provide underground electrical connection to water pumps and the disinfection building, provide underground electrical lines in runway clear zone areas and extend the existing P94 main electrical circuit duct line.
Alex Pecson, the base civil and structural engineer and project manager for phase one the NWF infrastructure upgrade, explained what will be done and why it's so important. "The upgrade Northwest Field Infrastructure phase one provides for the installation of water transmission lines from wells to NWF; the installation of a wastewater pumping station and wastewater lines from NWF to the municipal wastewater system; and also will provide underground electrical power lines from base," said Mr. Pecson. "All of this supports the projected or planned construction of facilities at NWF."
The $9 million spent on the infrastructure is one portion of the amount to be spent to complete NWF.
"The NWF construction program currently totals approximately $150 million through fiscal year 2016, with $104 million in MILCON, $26.8 million in RED HORSE construction and $20.6 million in base construction," said Capt. Brian Ellis, 554 RHS chief of engineering. "These numbers are expected to grow as units bed down and requirements arise."
Along with the infrastructure construction, the 554 RHS will be doing construction of their own.
"Along with facilities for all four units, we will install the secondary systems at NWF which supply the individual facilities with water and power and take away the sanitary sewage," said Captain Ellis. "Until CTI completes the installation of the MILCON, the RED HORSE construction can't be completed because there are no primary systems to tie into. Because of this, we will be working closely with CTI to coordinate all construction efforts."
The completion of the infrastructure construction is vital in supporting the bed down of NWF.
"Without the completion of this MILCON, support of the beddown would be extremely costly and labor intensive," said Captain Ellis. "Routine septic tank attention and water tower replenishing would drain base resources and full operational capacity of NWF could not be met. With the Commando Warrior Airmen arriving in the spring of 2008, that was not an option."
In 2009 the 554 RHS will jump back into the deployment rotation and until then the squadron anticipates a full construction schedule said Captain Ellis. Upon completion of NWF, which is expected in 2016, the 554 RHS will be in place to meet the greater Air Force mission.