Photo by Trevor Cokley, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force Academy
Scaffolding fills the U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel in Colorado Springs, Colo., as part of the $334.7-million restoration of the National Historic Landmark. The structure, closed since 2019 due to water infiltration, is undergoing full disassembly and repair under a long-term contract led by JE Dunn Construction.
The U.S. Dept. of Defense awarded contracts across the Army, Navy, Air Force and Defense Logistics Agency on Aug. 19 with new obligations exceeding $242 million and cumulative values surpassing $260 million, according to official announcements.
Air Force Contracts
A group of six small businesses secured a $95-million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract covering maintenance, repair and minor construction at Altus and Vance Air Force bases in Oklahoma, Sheppard AFB in Texas and Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas.
The multiple-award vehicle, set to run through August 2030, allows the firms to compete for task orders across a range of facility projects. Fourteen bids were submitted. Initial obligations total $7.6 million in fiscal 2025 military construction funds.
Awardees include Acts Group Inc., Virginia Beach, Va.; New Dominion Construction LLC, Dumfries, Va.; COHO Construction Management LLC, Anchorage, Alaska; Marrero, Couvillion & Associates LLC, Baton Rouge, La.; Gideon Red JV LLC, Kenner, La.; and PAM WCI JV LLC, Midwest City, Okla.
In Colorado, JE Dunn Construction Co., Kansas City, Mo., received an $88.1-million modification for the ongoing restoration of the U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel. The award lifts the cumulative value to $334.7 million, with completion expected in November 2028.
Department of Defense contract awards announced Aug. 19, 2025, totaled more than $260 million, led by a $95-million Air Force IDIQ and $88.1-million Cadet Chapel restoration. Source: U.S. Department of Defense
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The National Historic Landmark, completed in 1962, has been closed since 2019 due to structural problems from moisture infiltration, requiring full disassembly of its aluminum panels and stained-glass windows.
The technically complex restoration has drawn industry attention for its engineering challenges. Fiscal 2025 operations and maintenance appropriations are funding the modification.
At Andersen AFB in Guam, Techni-Con Inc. of Mangilao won a $7.99-million contract to replace underground electrical feeders, duct banks, switches and transformers at the base’s munitions storage area. The project is part of broader Pacific basing and resiliency investments to harden critical facilities. Nine bids were received, with completion scheduled for March 2027.
Navy Contracts
Boeing Co., St. Louis, Mo., received a $22.3-million order to upgrade P-8A Poseidon aircrew training devices with new digital video recording systems. The contract includes $4.7 million from the Royal Australian Air Force, underscoring the maritime patrol aircraft’s role as a U.S.-allied platform.
Work will be performed in Florida, Washington, Texas and Australia, with completion expected in November 2027. The order was sole-sourced.
General Dynamics Mission Systems, Manassas, Va., secured a $15.3-million contract for shipset production, engineering and installation support on submarine platforms. Options could push the total value to $91.1 million through August 2030.
Work will be distributed across Virginia, Connecticut, Nevada, Washington, Hawaii, California and Georgia. The initial phase is scheduled through August 2026; the contract was awarded under special statutory authority without competition.
Army Contracts
Orion Marine Construction, Tampa, Fla., won a $13.8-million firm-fixed-price contract for maintenance dredging in the Galveston International Waterway near Calhoun, Texas. The work, expected to finish by January 2026, is part of ongoing Gulf Coast efforts to maintain navigation channels essential to port and energy-sector competitiveness.
Four bids were submitted for the project, which is funded through fiscal 2025 Army National Guard operation and maintenance appropriations.
Defense Logistics Agency Contract
ACM Elite, Stevensville, Mont., received a $10-million maximum-value contract to produce B-52 aircraft engine hanger beams for the Air Force. The five-year award, competitively bid with two responses, replaces a previously announced contract to Infinity Fabrication. It runs through August 2030 and is funded through defense working capital funds.
Bryan Gottlieb is the online editor at Engineering News-Record (ENR).
Gottlieb is a five-time Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism award winner with more than a decade of experience covering business, construction, and community issues. He has worked at Adweek, managed a community newsroom in Santa Monica, Calif., and reported on finance, law, and real estate for the San Diego Daily Transcript. He later served as editor-in-chief of the Detroit Metro Times and was managing editor at Roofing Contractor, where he helped shape national industry coverage. Gottlieb covers breaking news, large-scale infrastructure projects, new products and business
email: gottliebb@enr.com | office: (248) 786-1591