2005 BRAC: Norfolk District's $2.3 billion 'child' raised on time, on target

Posted September 21, 2011
By Jerry Rogers, Norfolk District Public Affairs

09/21/2011 - NORFOLK, Va. — The ancient African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child," proved to be the guiding principle that enabled the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to complete its portion of the Army's largest-ever organizational transformation – Base Realignment and Closure 2005.

BRAC was borne from the more than $2.3 billion congressional authorization that tasked Norfolk District to manage the design and construction of 43 military projects throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia – and all in just four years. Norfolk District's "village" response was an "all hands on deck" team strategy that embraced the professional talents and communication skills of project customers, key stakeholders and district assets to ensure each project's success.

"Our success is a testament to the outstanding partnership we've enjoyed at every level of this massive and complex multi-year mission," said Col. Andrew Backus, Norfolk District commander. "Well-deserved congratulations go out to all of our customers, the district's executive leadership, BRAC program managers, project managers and engineers, quality assurance representatives, contracting, real estate and other vital administrative support teammates -- and all the design and construction contractors, large and small."

The Defense Department introduced BRAC in 1988 to reorganize base structure to effectively support the armed forces, increase operational readiness and support new ways of doing business to meet future security needs and global threats.

Norfolk District's BRAC mission was born in October 2007, when the North Atlantic Division headquarters received $7.5 billion in Army BRAC program funds. Of that amount, Norfolk District received the second largest in the division.

The challenge for the Norfolk District was to complete all the projects using an accelerated construction timeline to meet the congressionally-mandated Sept. 15, 2011 deadline.

To deliver their BRAC bundle of joy, Norfolk District began by hiring more than 100 short-term contractors – project managers, quality assurance inspectors, project engineers, and administrative support staff – to augment its permanent staff and help deliver the BRAC projects.

Norfolk District then established a BRAC area office at Fort Lee, Va., to exclusively manage the majority of its BRAC mission: 35 projects valued at $1.14 billion. At Fort Belvoir, Va., Norfolk District teamed with the Fort Belvoir BRAC Integration office to manage the design and construction of the $1.03 billion Fort Belvoir Community Hospital. And at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. (formerly Fort Eustis), a district project team managed seven BRAC projects totaling $135.4 million, including the new $104 million Army Training and Doctrine Command headquarters. The new headquarters was made necessary by the BRAC decision to close Fort Monroe, Va., on Sept. 15.

Just as a child multiplies responsibilities for a parent, Norfolk District experienced a threefold increase in its workload during the four-year mission.

To meet the BRAC deadline, the district's contracting office administered BRAC contracts using two innovative contract award processes. First, the district made one qualified contractor responsible for the design and construction of each project within the BRAC program. Second, it used Integrated/Design/Bid/Build procurement, contracting with different companies for the design and for the construction of the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital. This process provided increased project constructability, accurate cost/schedule impacts of design decisions and improved design coordination.

According to Fort Lee BRAC officials, the mission there is equated to a 25-year construction program executed in just four years. And the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital was constructed in only four years, using an evidence-based design process to make decisions based on the best available research. It takes 10 years to construct the average military hospital, Fort Belvoir hospital officials said.

"It was so rewarding to get all the projects awarded within the accelerated BRAC timeline and to meet our Sept. 15, 2011 mission deadline," said Debora Gray, contracting chief for Norfolk District's military branch. "Wow, what a journey! It was at times very challenging, but full of fun and satisfaction just knowing that our deserving service members and their families would enjoy first-class military facilities for decades to come."

The Norfolk District family wanted their products to be more than a "chip off the old block" – they wanted to leave a legacy.

"There are numerous ways to measure the return on this (BRAC) investment, but the most important is the quality of training provided the sons and daughters who serve their country," said Maj. Gen. James L. Hodge, Fort Lee's Combined Arms Support Command and Sustainment Center of Excellence commanding general."

The Norfolk District "BRAC child" had an environment-friendly posture instilled in it: the finest state-of-the-art construction technology, such as reflective paving and roofing materials that reflect the sun and decrease heat build-up and energy use. And the latest in sustainable green initiatives, like collecting rainwater and storing it in underground cisterns to provide 91 percent of water for landscaping.

All BRAC projects were constructed to meet the Defense Department's Leadership in Energy Design standards. Many projects achieved or are pursuing the U.S. Green Building Council's silver rating standards or better.

The $7.38 million Air Force/Navy Dining Facility at Fort Lee achieved LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council's Green Building Certification Institute. To date, the multi-service dining facility is the only DoD military construction project completed by a service disabled veteran small business to attain a LEED Gold certification.

The Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, which opened Aug. 31 and had its first arrival as Bethany Beauchan was born at 4:33 p.m., achieved LEED Silver certification. With the wealth of innovative green initiatives adopted during the design and construction of the hospital, like patient-controlled environments and natural lighting and views of nature to reduce stress, hospital officials are eagerly pursuing LEED Gold certification.

The Norfolk District also earned several national accolades for excellence in design-build construction and project management, and the district's Small Business program secured $152 million in BRAC small business contracts over the last four years. This achievement allowed the district to annually exceed and lead sister districts in Corps-mandated small business goals.

Brig. Gen. Gwen Bingham, former Fort Lee garrison commander from 2005-2008, likened the community approach to nurturing every BRAC project from inception to completion as a "journey" not a "destination."

"In almost every forum I spoke," she said, "I would say that BRAC is not a destination; it's a journey and we're building relationships along the way. Our community leaders and partners have continually been an integral part of this journey in every way — all along the way. Truly, all of the men and women who planned for and executed the thousands of actions required to bring about BRAC success deserve our profound debt of gratitude in building the brick and mortar required to train warriors and grow leaders…for generations to come."

It took all of Norfolk District – a 500-plus employee-village – to raise their BRAC "child" by the Sept. 15, 2011 deadline. BRAC was on time and on target – and will continue to grow as a positive benefit to America and its service members for generations to come.