Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command (NAVFAC) Southeast awarded a $19.9 million firm-fixed-price task order, Sept. 8, to Walga Ross Group JV (small business) from Joplin, Missouri, for the repair and replacement of potable water lines and an elevated storage tank at Naval Air Station (NAS) Corpus Christi, Texas.
The potable water system delivers 465,000 gallons of fresh drinking water daily to NAS Corpus Christi and tenant commands.
“This critical project is part of our overall plan to replace aging utility infrastructure at NAS Corpus Christi,” said Deputy Public Works Officer Courtney De Pol. “Replacing these water mains installed in the 1940s will greatly increase the resiliency of the potable water system and will help conserve water by eliminating numerous leaks.”
Two main waterlines deliver water provided by the City of Corpus Christi to the installation. The contract will replace approximately 25,000 lineal feet (LF) of deteriorated waterline and associated components.
The project will replace and reroute one of the waterlines that currently runs under the airfield, which will allow easier access for future maintenance or repairs.
One section of the water distribution system along Ocean Drive will also be replaced that provides water to several Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD) facilities.
The contract also includes refurbishment of NAS Corpus Christi’s 500,000 gallon elevated steel water tank.
Small businesses play a vital role in the American economy - employing half of our country's workforce, creating nearly two out of every three new American jobs, and often being the source of the next great American innovation. NAVFAC Southeast strives to meet its goals and build on its successes by providing contract opportunities to these businesses.
“NAVFAC Southeast invests in small businesses to support our national defense,” said John Bazylewicz, NAVFAC Southeast assistant deputy director for Small Business. “Small businesses fuel the American dream, which grows the local and federal economies that ultimately strengthen the warfighter.”
Bazylewicz explained that small businesses provide construction, professional and supported services expertise that support the Navy’s mission and the men and women in uniform. It is through strong policy and sound business processes that NAVFAC is able to develop capabilities based strategies that consider program risks, cost, schedule and technical requirements that help meet the expectations of supported commanders while supporting public policy objectives.
Each year NAVFAC establishes target goals for Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), Historically Underutilized Business Zone Small Business (HUBZONE), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), and Women-Owned Small Business categories. Utilizing these small business concerns to the maximum extent practicable is a matter of National interest with both social and economic benefits.
The project’s estimated completion date is set for May 2023.