Garco lands Air Force contract

Garco Construction, of Spokane, has landed a $40 million contract to build fuel tanks and an airplane ramp for the U.S. Air Force in Alaska.

The 18-month project, which starts April 1, is the largest single military contact ever won by Garco Construction, said company project manager Hollis Barnett.

Garco has been involved in military base construction for more than five years. Over that time the company has acquired a high-performance rating for military projects, said Barnett.

The Alaska project is at Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks. The project involves building a new ramp for a fleet of C-17 transport planes, demolishing three old fuel pump houses and replacing the old fuel system with new tanks and pipes, said Barnett.

Garco has worked on similar projects at Fairchild Air Force base and at military bases in North Dakota and Louisiana, Barnett said.

The new job will involve about 100 workers. About 70 will be hired in Alaska and another 20 will be provided by subcontractors. Garco will provide a management group of about 10 or 15 people, said Barnett.

Also benefiting from the Alaskan contract is Spokane-based McClontick & Turk, Inc. That company will be the mechanical subcontractor installing piping for the tanks.

Barnett said the Air Force wants to replace underground fuel tanks at Eielson with two 10,000-gallon tanks that stand above ground.

When awarding contracts, the Defense Department looks beyond price and factors in a company’s work on other projects. That’s one reason Garco got the Alaskan contract even though it didn’t offer the lowest bid, said Barnett.

A second factor was the government’s request that contractors line up minority-owned or small businesses as subcontractors. McClontick & Turk qualifies because under federal rules, any company with less than $27 million in annual sales is a small business, said Mark Henry, of McClontick & Turk.

Garco was named the 2003 military base contractor of the year, Barnett said.

The Eielson Air Force Base project is the second Alaska job Garco will be handling this year. The company also has crews near Delta Junction constructing several buildings for the Pogo gold mine, Barnett said.