$67.7M for Ft. Leonard Wood Trainee Barracks
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Watts-Weitz in Novato, CA received a $67.7 million firm-fixed-price contract for construction of trainee barracks at the US Army Maneuver Support Center and Fort Leonard Wood, MO. Fort Leonard Wood offers United States Army Basic Combat Training for most non-combat arms soldiers; and more advanced training for motor transport operators, combat and bridging engineers, chemical specialists and military police. The latter 2 specialties were added after BRAC 1995, and Fort Leonard Wood has also been approved as the center of excellence for Homeland defense by the Chief of Staff of the Army – but the base lost its role in Drill Sgt. training during BRAC 2005.
In October 2007, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran a series of articles about basic training at the facility. The base is located in the Ozark highlands about 120 miles SW of St. Louis, and some wags call it “Fort Lost in the Woods” due to its terrain.
Work is expected to be complete by Aug 1/09. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Web bids were solicited on May 9, 2007, and two bids were received. Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District, Kansas City, Mo., is the contracting activity W912DQ-08-D-0057.
