Second phase of construction for new Army C4ISR facilities gains momentum

By Andricka Thomas, CECOM CorrespondentJuly 17, 2009

Second phase of construction for new Army C4ISR facilities gains momentum
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. - Change is evident at Aberdeen Proving Ground with the installation buzzing with sounds of cranes and forklifts as it prepares to accommodate relocating employees as a result of implementation of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure law.

The Army recently awarded a $102,015,000 contract to James G. Davis Construction Corp., to build the Command and Control and Communications Network Transport-East facility at APG. This is the first of five construction contracts to be awarded to build the "Phase Two" campus program facilities for Army Team Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR).

The C4ISR construction projects involve two phases to encourage a competitive bidding process among contractors, said Michael Vetter, CECOM Life Cycle Management Command, director, Logistics & Engineering. The "Phase Two" program has been divided into five construction contracts for each building to be constructed or renovated. This gives small businesses the best opportunity to participate in the bidding process, Vetter said.

"C2CNT-East is the first of four new buildings to be constructed as part of the 'Phase Two' program," said Vetter. A fifth building will be renovated and improved under one of the contracts.

Ground was broken on the "Phase One" Army Team C4ISR campus project last year on March 17. That project is more than 54 percent complete, according to Vetter.

The "Phase Two" program will consist of the following buildings: C2CNT-East, Consolidated North, Building 5100 Power and Cooling, a Joint Satellite Engineering Center Compound, and a Command and Control Integration Facility.

C2CNT-East is scheduled to begin construction by the middle of May, according to Vetter. These construction projects were created in response to BRAC law mandated by Congress, which says that more than 7,000 Army Team C4ISR military and civilian personnel and support contractors will relocate to or be hired at APG. BRAC law requires all organizations slated to relocate to be completely moved by Sept. 15, 2011.

"The [construction] timelines have worked in our favor thus far," said Vetter. He reports the "Phase One" project is ahead of schedule and on budget, He said he looks forward to the beginning of "Phase Two."

The entire C4ISR campus will total 2.5 million square feet of office and lab space upon completion. "Phase Two" will provide workspace for approximately 2,400 personnel and will account for a little more than one million square feet of the C4ISR campus in building construction and renovations, according to Vetter. The C2CNT-East building will be the largest single building on the C4ISR campus.

C2CNT-East is designed to accommodate 1,900 personnel in 500,000 square feet of office and research space. The facility will house the Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center's Satellite and Terrestrial Communications Directorate, the CECOM LCMC Logistics and Readiness Center's Communications Directorate, elements of the Software Engineering Center and some project and product management offices of the Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T).

"The idea is to create synergy among the organizations by centrally locating them with other organizations with similar functions," said Vetter. "The leadership saw the move to APG as not only an opportunity to configure new buildings for maximum efficiency, but to maximize organizational synergy as well." The intent is to position functional areas, or 'domains,' together to better track products through their entire life cycles, from concept to combat, Vetter said.

"For example, we positioned all personnel who work with sensors together so the 'sustainers' can have dialogue with the 'R&D experts'," he continued. "This will provide better communication avenues between the organizations and ultimately deliver a better product to the Warfighter faster."

Vetter said he has enjoyed a good working relationship with the Philadelphia District Corps of Engineers. The Philadelphia District is responsible for overseeing all Army Team C4ISR "Phase One" and "Phase Two" campus construction and engineering activities.

Unlike the "Phase One" project, the "Phase Two" projects will be completely designed before construction begins. This process is referred to as "Design-Bid-Build," according to Vetter.

"'Phase One' was a 'Design-Build' project, where the contractor designed plans parallel to building efforts," explained Vetter. "This allowed us to move a bit faster to get the project started. However, with 'Phase Two' we decided to have the designs complete, then bid and begin construction. The 'Design-Bid-Build' process in the 'Phase Two' program will allow us to provide a more specific scope of work and get a better handle on costs," Vetter said.

The JSEC Compound will house elements of the CERDEC and PEO Enterprise Information Systems, while the C2 Integration Facility will accommodate elements from PEO C3T. "Originally, we were planning to renovate more buildings, but due to construction timeline constraints for the move of the Ordnance Center and School to Fort Lee, it wasn't possible," said Vetter.

"With the exception of the C2 Integration Facility, we expect 'Phase Two' buildings to be "move-in-ready" by approximately Feb. 15, 2011," said Vetter. The C2 Integration Facility is scheduled to be available for move-in by about July 2011. Vetter said the move-in dates depend on construction progress; furniture delivery and set up; equipment, access control systems, and information technology installations; as well as Secure Compartmentalized Information Facility certifications.

"Relocating employees can look forward to a brand new facility, outfitted with state-of-the-art IT [information technology], new furniture and break areas and will enjoy a close knit community at the C4ISR campus," Vetter said.

(This article appeared in Spectra, the magazine of the CECOM Life Cycle Management Command. To access the full issue in PDF format, 3.2 megabytes, click on the link appearing in the Aca,!A"Related LinksAca,!A? box at the start of the article.)