Dive Brief:
- The Department of Defense has proposed $300 million worth of construction projects at North Carolina military installations for the next fiscal year, according to The Fayetteville Observer.
- The work includes almost $58 million for an expansion at Fort Bragg, $194 million at Camp Lejeune and $42 million to accommodate new aircraft at two other locations.
- U.S. military construction is expected to reach $6.5 billion internationally in 2018. Only California, Missouri, Virginia and Guam have bigger construction budgets than North Carolina.
Dive Insight:
The military is a lucrative segment of the construction industry, and global engineering firm AECOM is making moves to take advantage of those types of projects. The company recently announced it was forming a federal contracting division led by former Kiewit Corporation executive Vern Kuehn. AECOM said it will try to utilize more design-build and integrated project delivery methods on military projects, as well as those for the General Services Administration and the State Department.
AECOM also launched a public job search for approximately 3,000 employees over the next six months, which it will need to run all of the infrastructure work it expects to win in the future. Some of the new hires will work on military projects, and the other will work on transportation, building, environment, water and energy jobs.
Unfortunately, there have been several cases of fraud on military construction projects in the U.S. The most recent is that of a U.S. Army contracting officer in New Jersey charged with conspiracy to defraud the government and with accepting bribes from contractors in exchange for work. He faces five years in prison and a potential fine of up to $250,000.