WINCHESTER, Va. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Middle East District awarded a task order contract on June 22 to support the Southeast Electrical Power System (SEPS) initiatives in southern Afghanistan. The project – Helmand substations and electrical transmission lines – was awarded to Perini Management Services Inc. of Framingham, Mass., for $93.6 million.
This critical infrastructure project will increase the provision of electrical power from the Kajaki Dam power house on the Helmand River through the Helmand Province. It consists of the design and construction of three electrical substations and a 110kV switchyard; repair of existing 110kV electrical transmission lines; and construction of two 20kV transmission lines. The performance period is 18 months.
"This project results from the collaboration of multiple agencies from both Afghanistan and the United States to provide sustainable power to help solve the severe lack of electricity in this region," said Deborah Duncan, deputy for programs and project management, Middle East District. "Bringing more power to southern Afghanistan supports the collaborative efforts to provide governance, economic development and security for Afghan people." The project is part of a larger initiative to improve power in Helmand and Kandahar provinces.
At the request of the Afghanistan Engineer District-South, the Middle East District awarded this contract using a set of Multiple Award Task Order Contracts (MATOCs) already in place. The contract will be transferred to the South District, based on Kandahar Airfield, for contract administration.
"This complex electrical supply project will be constructed in a challenging environment," said Col. Jon Christensen, commander, Middle East District. "This award, developed in true partnership with the
Afghanistan Engineer District-South, is a vehicle that will enable the USACE team to successfully deliver this critical electrical system to the people of Afghanistan. This project is vitally important to the U.S. government’s interests in helping Afghanistan be a strong partner."
"This award is a great start to what will be an arduous and challenging journey to execute this project," said Air Force Col. Ben Wham, commander, Afghanistan Engineer District-South. "It has been an exceptional opportunity to work together with the Middle East District and the Transatlantic Division to do all the hard work necessary to award the SEPS project. The South District is now ready to press forward on construction, which will lead to a better and brighter Afghanistan."
The project falls under the Afghan Infrastructure Program, a new authority and appropriation granted by Congress in Fiscal Year 2011 in Section 1217 of the National Defense Authorization Act.
Middle East District competes and awards task orders under the MATOCs awarded June 16, 2011, to 14 firms. The firms may be called upon to support design-build and construction projects throughout the 20 countries of U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility, which is defined as including Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Yemen. More information on the CENTCOM MATOCs can be found at http://www.tam.usace.army.mil/CENTCOM-MATOC/.
The Middle East District provides engineering, construction and related services in the Middle East, Central Asia and other areas. Its work includes designing and constructing facilities for use by U.S. forces, performing engineering activities for other U.S. government and foreign agencies, and providing operations and maintenance services for various customers. In addition, the District provides project management, engineering, contracting and support services to USACE districts in Afghanistan.