Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southeast awarded a multiple-award design-build construction contract (MACC) July 14 to seven small businesses for work throughout the Southeast.

The seven small businesses include the ARTEC Group of Sarasota, Florida; Orocon-Carothers JV2 of Oxford, Mississippi; Whitesell-Green, Inc. of Pensacola, Florida; Desbuild, Inc. of Hyattsville, Maryland; Southeast Cherokee Construction, Inc. of Montgomery, Alabama; Leebcor Services, LLC of Williamsburg, Virginia; and Howard W. Pence, Inc. of Elizabethtown, Kentucky.

The first project or task order was awarded to ARTEC Group in the amount of $12,228,057, for the design and construction of the Littoral Combat Ship Mission Module Readiness Center at Naval Station Mayport. Work there is expected to be completed by February 2018. The other six entities were awarded a minimum guarantee in the amount of $1,000.

"Awarding this contract brings us closer to the development of additional infrastructure necessary to support homeporting of littoral combat ships at Naval Station Mayport," said Capt. Wes McCall, commanding officer, Naval Station Mayport. "LCS is the future of our Navy and we are excited to be part of that future."

MACC contracts are used to pre-qualify a group of contractors (usually 4-7) with respect to performance, experience, capability and safety, and then task orders are issued to them for projects which meet the parameters of each MACC. MACCs ultimately save the government time and resources.

Work to be performed under the MACC includes new construction, renovation, alteration, demolition and repair work in support of Department of Defense activities, and all work will be performed primarily in the NAVFAC Southeast area of responsibility. Projects issued under this contract will require either single discipline or multi-discipline design services, or may include 100 percent performance specifications.

The seven vendors will compete for task orders under the terms and conditions of the awarded contract for the 60-month term of the contract, which includes a base year and four option years, and is expected to be completed by July 2021.

Small business, which includes 8(a) firms, play a vital role in the American economy -- employing half of our country's workforce, creating nearly two out of every three new American jobs, and often being the source of the next great American innovation. NAVFAC Southeast strives to meet its goals building on its success by providing contract opportunities to these businesses.

"Our technical leads and acquisition team members seek opportunities for optimal small business participation early in the planning process," said Mark Brock, NAVFAC Southeast small business deputy. "Our sound business processes, along with capabilities based strategies that consider program risks, cost, schedule and technical requirements help us meet the expectations of supported commanders while supporting public policy objectives."

Each year NAVFAC establishes target goals for Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, Historically Underutilized Business Zone Small Business, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, and Women-Owned Small Business categories. The maximum practicable utilization of small business concerns is a matter of national interest with both social and economic benefits.

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