Big Island company Hawaii-based Metcalf Construction Inc. has secured contracts worth up to $52 million to build 212 houses at Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay.
nabs contract after fight
Metcalf Construction will
build 212 houses for the
Marine Corps at KaneoheBy Lyn Danninger
ldanninger@starbulletin.comThe original contract to build 188 houses worth $42 million was awarded in October. But the U.S. Department of Defense said Tuesday that the company would now build an additional 24 units.
Construction on the entire project is expected to be completed by April 2005, said Tony Vidal, the company's corporate quality control manager.
Metcalf Construction, headquartered on the Big Island, mostly concentrated on private sector projects such as houses, condominiums and shopping centers before securing the contract.
The company set up a military division on Oahu so it could begin bidding on those contracts, Vidal said.
"About two years ago we started bidding and were able to get some small projects here and there," Vidal said.
But the bidding process for the Marine Corps housing project did not go smoothly at first.
The initial contract was first awarded to a hui of construction conglomerates based on the mainland.
Metcalf protested the award, arguing it should have been given the contract based on a rule that allows companies with geographic proximity to be given preference.
"You're supposed to be given preference if you live within a hub zone," Vidal said.
It took a couple of years of fighting, but eventually Metcalf won out.
"They certainly did not want us in and fought until the very end. We finally got our notice to proceed in December," Vidal said.