• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Humanitarian Construction Contracts Awarded in West and Central Africa

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS061101-12
Release Date: 11/1/2006 3:08:00 PM

From Naval Facilities Engineering Command Europe and Southwest Asia Public Affairs

NAPLES, Italy (NNS) -- Naval Facilities Engineering Command Europe and Southwest Asia (NAVFAC EURSWA) awarded 18 construction contracts valued at nearly $2 million in West and Central Africa. The effort is in support of U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe/Commander, U.S. 6th Fleet's (CNE-C6F) vision of driving operations south and east.

The EUCOM Humanitarian Assistance Programs and Exercise Related Construction projects were awarded in the last week of fiscal year 2006, and will go toward the construction of schools, medical clinics, a fire station, and other projects in Ghana, Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal and Mauritania.

“These contracts are just one example of the increasing collaboration between the Department of Defense, Department of State, EUCOM, and CNE-C6F working together and with host nations to enhance Theater Security Cooperation (TSC),” said Regional Engineer and NAVFAC EURSWA Commanding Officer Capt. Will McKerall.

Ranging in cost between $9,000 and $350,000, these humanitarian assistance, expeditionary operations support, and exercise-related construction projects are managed in concert with U.S. embassy country teams, which engaged their host nation counterparts to understand each country’s greatest needs. After the country teams determined which projects will have the greatest impact, EUCOM selected from among the many projects submitted based on its TSC goals, priorities, and funding.

Contracting officers from around the theater coordinated with NATO, EUCOM, country teams, and local contractors to finally award the contracts in the last days before funds expired at the fiscal year-end, Sept. 30.

Following EUCOM funding approval, NAVFAC EURSWA engineers from Naples, Rota, and the United States coordinated with the U.S. embassy country teams, interviewed the facility end-users, met the local contractors, and developed the detailed project scopes.
The projects were awarded almost exclusively to host nation (HN) contractors, working to HN standards, using HN materials, for the benefit of HN local economies.

“I’m continually amazed with the commitment and personal sacrifice our project management, engineering, and contracting staffs make,” McKerall said. “They all realized very quickly how important the work they are doing is, and I find that most gratifying.”