More than 400 contractors hungry for work packed into two standing-room-only sessions at a Jan. 13 industry day, hosted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District (NOD), in hopes of learning what it would take to get a piece of a $14.3-billion program to built levees, pump stations and other flood-resistant infrastructure.
Under the Greater New Orleans Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System program, NOD is offering fully funded federal contracts to bring the region to 100-year levels of protection by June 1, 2011. NOD and Hurricane Protection Office will award the remaining estimated 123 contracts, valued at $2.02 billion, in fiscal year 2010, says Col. Alvin Lee, NOD commander. In 2004, the program size for the entire NOD was $525 million. Roughly 35 construction contracts valued at $125 million were awarded, Lee says.