Client:
Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence

Project Duration: January–October 2004

Contract Value:
$33.8 million

Parsons Responsibilities:
Facilities assessment, design–build restoration, new construction
of command operations,
logistics support, training, residential and community facilities and utilities infrastructure

The project was awarded for $26.3 million on January 22, 2004, through the Worldwide Environmental Restoration and Construction contract managed by the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence in San Antonio, Texas.
The addition of
two contract modifications issued, April 23 and May 6, increased the project funding to $33.8 million.

Parsons is completing the final touches on rebuilt portions of Taji Military Base in Iraq. Two Gulf wars, looting, and vandalism have left Taji, a major installation located just northwest of Baghdad, a dilapidated shell. Parsons, selected under the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE) Worldwide Environmental Restoration and Construction contract, accomplished a fast-paced, multiphase effort to restore Taji in time to accommodate the newly sovereign nation’s rapidly growing defense forces. The current facility is home to elements of the new Iraqi Army and provides a base of operations for U.S. and coalition air and ground forces. Throughout the project, Parsons worked with AFCEE, the Projects and Contracting Office, the Coalition Military Assistance and Training Team, and representatives of the Iraq Ministry of Housing and Construction to revitalize Iraq’s workforce and economy by restoring and enhancing Iraqi infrastructure. The newly reconstructed base promotes security in the region while additional infrastructure is being built.

Parsons committed to use local and regional Iraqi experts and personnel to work on the base. More than 2,500 Iraqis, representing 98% of the workforce, performed on-site construction work.

The award date for the design-build contract was January 22, 2004. Following planning meetings at the client’s headquarters, a five-person Parsons advance team deployed to Iraq and arrived at Taji Military Base on February 3, 2004. As the rest of the team mobilized, project management plans were developed that provided a blueprint for Parsons’ successful efforts. Knowledge of the regional business environment and especially contemporary conditions in Iraq, proved invaluable to Parsons. Particularly important were lessons learned in accomplishing ordnance collection, storage and disposal through the Iraqi Captured Enemy Ammunitions contract executed by Parsons in support of the U.S. Army Engineering and Support Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The advance team met at the base with a 50-person task force of Iraqi and Turkish engineers, subcontracted to assess and document the condition of more than 200 buildings. Parsons immediately began debris removal, demolition work, and site cleanup to prepare for the fast-paced, design-build construction effort.

Parsons committed to use local and regional Iraqi experts and personnel to work on the base. More than 2,500 Iraqis, representing 98% of the workforce, performed on-site construction work.

With the site cleared of debris, Parsons began construction. The scope of work included the restoration, renovation, and construction of more than 180 buildings in three distinct areas of the base: Battalion areas 4 and 5 and the Garrison Headquarters area. Facilities spanned multiple functions including command, operations, training, unaccompanied housing, logistics support, medical, community support, and recreation, as well as temporary utilities. The armory and several dormitories in the Garrison Headquarters area were the first facilities completed. Contract modifications issued in late April and early May expanded the scope of work to include kitchen equipment in the dining halls, permanent water treatment and supply, and sewage collection and treatment. In mid-February, evolving coalition and Iraqi operational priorities resulted in the AFCEE granting Parsons additional work on the Baghdad Recruiting Center.

The accelerated timetable of the project and the focus on enhanced security, challenged the Parsons team. Constant coordination between project managers, U.S. Army personnel, and security teams helped ensure that the workforce was kept as safe as possible. An additional challenge was the establishment of an effective safety culture for local construction subcontractors and their laborers. Parsons focused on basic worker safety education, including the wearing of personal protective gear and the use of proper work techniques, tools, equipment and materials to achieve a reasonably successful compliance with common safety practices rarely observed in the Iraqi construction industry.

Parsons’ success in rebuilding Taji Military Base and our work on the Baghdad Recruiting Station attests to Parsons’ extensive experience and reputation for rebuilding war-torn countries, most recently Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Parsons exceeded client expectations by completing the base within budget. Continuing our coordination with the Projects and Contracting Office, Parsons manages a number of projects to rebuild Iraqi infrastructure and therefore better the lives of all Iraqi citizens.

For more information regarding Parsons work in Iraq, visit www.projectiraq.com.

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