The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) has issued a Request of Qualifications for construction management services related to the New Jersey Wind Port project.
Located in Lower Alloways Creek, the New Jersey Wind Port is a first-in-the-nation infrastructure investment that will provide a location for staging, assembly, and manufacturing activities related to offshore wind projects on the US East Coast, NJEDA said.
Construction of the New Jersey Wind Port is planned in two phases, beginning in 2021.
Phase 1 will comprise the development of an approximately 30-acre site to accommodate marshalling activities and an approximately 35-acre Tier 1 component manufacturing site. Phase 2 adds a further 150 acres or more to accommodate expanded marshalling activities and extensive manufacturing facilities for turbine components like blades and nacelles.
The Wind Port has the potential to create up to 1,500 manufacturing, assembly, and operations jobs, as well as hundreds of construction jobs in New Jersey, NJEDA said.
The RFQ seeks to identify a Construction Manager at Risk (CM) for the New Jersey Wind Port project. The selected CM will perform both pre-construction and construction services to execute on the NJEDA’s proposed design.
“Offshore wind is a rapidly growing industry, and a wave of major projects is already planned along the East Coast. By providing purpose-built infrastructure that supports the industry’s unique needs, the New Jersey Wind Port will attract millions of dollars in investment and create thousands of good jobs for New Jersey residents,” said NJEDA Chief Executive Officer Tim Sullivan .
“The RFQ issued today is an important step that moves us closer to realizing the economic and environmental benefits that an expanded offshore wind industry will bring to New Jersey, and the PLA and diversity benchmarks will ensure these benefits are available equitably to local workers and women- and minority-owned businesses.”
The project will be subject to a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) to ensure local union workers have the opportunity to work on the project and that it is completed on schedule. The selected CM will also be required to make a good-faith effort to ensure at least 15 per cent of the contract value is subcontracted to women-, minority-, or veteran-owned businesses.
The RFQ is available on the NJEDA website. Responses are due by 1:00 pm local time on 5 January 2021.