US firm wins bid to design new airport
(CNS): The Central Tenders Committee (CTC) has awarded the airport redevelopment design and construction cost consultancy contract to a Florida-based firm with a track record of airport projects. RS&H Group of Jacksonville, Florida, beat out three other pre-qualified bidders to win the contract for the expansion of the terminal buildings at the Owen Roberts International Airport (ORIA) on Grand Cayman.
RS&H, which will provide architectural and engineering services to the Cayman Islands Airport Authority (CIAA), was selected after “a rigorous assessment process”, officials said, and identified as the best value provider. The American firm will work with local companies AMR Consulting Engineers, JEC Quantity Surveyors and Chalmers Gibbs Architects to provide relevant local knowledge and experience.
The contract award is the next step in the airport authority’s plan to deliver a modern and attractive facility that will meet the islands’ current and future needs and provide a better travel experience for both visitors and residents.
Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell said that due to the critical need for the airport’s expansion, the timelines for design and construction are aggressive and he was very pleased with the steady progress being made.
“Throughout 2014 our Islands consistently registered record-breaking arrivals and projections for the winter season anticipate a continuation of this upward trend. Consequently, the transformation of ORIA into a modern facility that can deliver a higher level of service, efficiency and comfort to the travelling public remains a top priority. I am therefore pleased that plans to provide more space and improved amenities are moving forward on schedule,” the minister added.
Representatives from RS&H are currently in the Cayman Islands and government anticipates the concept design, design development and issuance of tender documents will take place within the first six months of 2015, officials said.
Following the tender award for the construction, the work is expected to commence during the summer and will be phased, generally following the proposals contained in the master plans prepared as part of the Outline Business Case by consultants WS&P.
The multi-phased redevelopment project consists of the expansion of the airport’s footprint and major renovations to the existing arrivals and departures areas to improve passenger flow and enhance the travel experience.
“Given the scope and complexity of the airport expansion project, which by necessity must continue operating while construction is ongoing, I welcome the addition of RS&H to the project,” said Airports Authority CEO, Albert Anderson. “They bring a breadth of knowledge and experience from their respective areas of expertise and we look forward to working with them in the delivery of an airport facility our community can take pride in.”
RS&H’s project portfolio includes the George Bush Intercontinental airport in Houston, Texas, as well as Duluth, Los Angeles, Rochester, Indianapolis and the Newport News/Williamsburg international airports.
Category: development, Local News
Hey Dimbo, don’t forget to credit UDP with at least 50% of the cost of the schools. It was their decision to breach the construction contract, shut down for a year, then finish the job at twice the price using their favored contractors and all the while blaming PPM for the exorbitant costs. Mac and Co. are great at serving up the koolaid and you are obviously a clueless consumer.
Around and around we go. RS&H is the same firm, working under the auspices of CGMJ, which submitted a completed design in 2007 for the re-development of the ORIA Terminal. However, as everyone knows the projected was not undertaken, resulting in a contractual dispute and settlement (check it out CNS). No surprise that RS&H are selected again because of their past involvement and familiarity with ORIA re-development.
The CIAA Board has chosen to re-visit 1996 plans for the temporary departure holding areas presently under construction and hopefully the involvement of RS&H again will result in some form of upgrades to ORIA but surely the “development” will be of a much smaller scale than the 2007 plans.
The public might be curious to know the total co$t of variou$ ORIA development plan$ since the mid-1990’s, including said settlement and specifically, costs since around 2005 (not including repairs after Hurricane Ivan).
I have a bit of concern with the aggressive schedule. The last time the PPM did this we ended up with the school fiasco. I would also make sure that the building design is one with usability first and then style second unlike the schools which turned out to be style first and usability second.